Mass Media Ethics 105
| Course Number: MCOM 105 Course Title: Mass Media Ethics |
Location: Smith Center - Rm 225 Meets: Wednesdays, 6:00-8:50 |
Instructor Information
|
Instructor: Krystal Grady Office: Smith Center Rm 525 Phone: 319.234.9875 Email: krystal.grady@school.edu Web site: www.School.edu/Grady | www.KrystalGrady.com |
Office Hours: MWF 1:00-3:00 or by appointment Chat Room Office Hours: Sun evening 9:00-10:00 Email, phone, or sign-up outside my office to schedule a time to meet, or drop by the office |
Biography
MA in Performance and Training Technology from the University of Northern Iowa, August 2006.
BA in New Media and Music from Briar Cliff University, May 2003.
Academic interests include media ethics, visual literacy, print and web design, and web development
Course Description
Study and discussion of ethical and moral considerations among media specialists including news journalists, public relations specialists, advertising specialists, and entertainment. What are the acceptable actions by staff and management
as well as discussion of the grey areas of media responsibility. Contemporary problems and issues will be discussed as well as local and late-breaking
ethical and moral problems and issues.
(Offered Fall, Spring)
This class meets graduation requirements for Mass Media majors and minors. It is also a general education course under the Formal Thinking Foundation.
Course Goals
Upon completion of this course:
- Students will be able to analyze ethical and moral situations methodically to come up with the most appropriate solution to the problem
- Students will demonstrate that they can make ethical decisions in unique situations
- Students will be aware of the media around them and look deeper into the message communicated
- Students will be able to analyze and make meaning of the intended communicated message and observe other messages being communicated as well
- Students will aquire background knowledge of decisions made by others in the field and the results of those decisions
Policies
To create an environment that is conducive to learning, please ...
- do not have side conversations with your neighbors
- turn off all cell phones before class begins
- do not answer your cell phone during class
- be on time to class
- be attentive during discussion and presentations.
Attendance and discussion points will be lost under the respect others and their opinions and follow classroom rules and policies if the above policies are not followed.
Students are expected to be at all classes. Excused absences will be considered ...
- If you are ill
- In the case of a family emergency
- In the case of a death in the family
- Upon discussion with the instructor
If a student is ill and feels they will be a distraction to the class, will be unable to participate and/or concentrate, or is contagious, the student is advised to miss class for the sole reason to rest, take care of themselves, and get healthy. Students must contact the instructor via the telephone or email at least one hour before class time. If the student fails to do so their absence will not be excused and points earned during class time will not be able to be made-up.
Students will be able to earn back points missed for not being in class by writing a reflection on their thoughts and completing the Potter’s Box of at least two cases in each chapter scheduled to be discussed during class.
Students are allowed to tape record all lectures and class discussions for the sole purpose of studying the content. Taped lectures/discussions may not be sold or used in any other context without prior consent of the teacher.
Before tests will be administered you must have ready your writing utensil(s), clear everything, except your writing utensil(s), from your work area, zip book bags shut, and remove your hats. Please come to class with your own writing utensil(s) and pencils sharpened.
Students who fail to show up for exams will receive a zero. Missed exams can be made up if the student has been excused from class by the instructor before the date of the exam. Students will be able to take the missed exam within the week before or after the scheduled date of the exam. After the exam has been handed back to the students, exams may no longer be made up. Students will need to arrange a time and place to make-up the missed exam with the instructor to before the date of the scheduled exam.
University policy on cheating and plagiarism
Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose of improving one’s grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term ‘cheating’ not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain and unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one’s own work.
University Policy on Students with Disabilities
An employee, student, or visitor with a disability who wishes to request an accommodation must contact the Office of Disability Services. If an employee or student feels their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act have been violated, they may consult with the Director of Compliance and Equity Management and/or utilize the following procedures.
Copyright Policy and Fair Use Guidelines
Expectations
Students are expected to ...
- Complete assignments by their due date
- Be on time to class
- Actively participate in class discussion
- Discuss the readings and their reactions to them
- Respect others in class and their opinions
- Come to the instructor with complaints and/or concerns in a professional manner
- Follow classroom rules and policies
It is assumed that students have at least limited computer knowledge and ...
- can navigate the internet
- use a browser
- have basic word processing skills
Required Text(s)
Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, Clifford G. Christians, et al., Pearson, 7th ed., 2005
Text Web Site:
http://campus.arbor.edu/media_ethics7/index.html
Course Schedule
See Course Schedule
Course Assessment
| Readings, Attendance, Participation | 150 | 10 points per week |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 350 | |
| Introduction of Self in WebCT | 10 | |
| Map of Ethical Foundations and Perspectives Chapter | 20 | |
| WebQuest | 100 | |
| Magazine ad | 10 | |
| WebCT Discussions | 110 | 10 points per discussion |
| Additional online readings or observations and write-up | 100 | 4 at 25 points each |
| Test | 400 | |
| Part I: News | 100 | |
| Part II: Persuasion in Advertising | 100 | |
| Part III: Persuasion and Public Relations | 100 | |
| Part IV: Entertainment | 100 | |
| Final Project | 100 | |
| Total Points: | 1000 | Print all descriptions |
Assignment Submission
Rubrics will be used to provide students with an understanding of teacher expectations for each assignment. It is the student's responsibility to refer to the rubric as well as the assignment explanation to best understand teacher expectations. Please contact the instructor with any questions.
Late Assignments
Late assignments will be accepted up to a week late. Each day the assignment is late 2% will be taken off the final grade. If an assignment is not completed by class time the following week the student will receive a zero. Special circumstances may be established but need to be discussed before the date the assignment is due.
WebCT Discussions
Discussion topics will be locked the week after the topic is discussed in class. Students will be able to read what has been posted, but will not be able to post additional commits. To receive credit for a posting, students must post their comments before the topic is locked.
Submitting Late Assignments
Late assignments must be handed directly to the instructor or placed in the bin outside the instructor's office door. The student must send the instructor an email if they place the assignment in the bin outside the office door so the instructor is aware the assignment has been handed in.
Resubmitting Assignments
Each assignment is intended to help a student develop knowledge/skills/dispositions that will assist the student in achieving the stated goals and objectives for the class. Therefore, it is to the student's advantage to complete each assignment to the best of his or her ability. The WebQuest and the Final Project will be the only assignments that students will be able to resubmit to earn back half the points lost. Students must discuss the assignment and their wish to resubmit with instructor before they begin revising the assignment. Students must follow all criteria listed below when resubmitting their assignment to be re-graded.
- Resubmit the original assignment
- Resubmit the original grade sheet
- Submit the revised copy of the assignment (or the sections that were redone)
- Documents/materials must be presented in an organized fashion binding them together with a paper clip, staple, or large envelope (documents/materials are not to be folded or rolled)
- Resubmit the assignment by the date discussed with the instructor
Grading Scale
Final grades will be assigned using the grading table below. Only whole points will be awarded. Grades will be posted in WebCT.
Students begin the class with the full 1000 points. Each week participation and attendance points will be recorded. Assignment grades will be recorded in WebCT once the assignment is graded. WebCT automatically calculates the students grade so the student is aware of their grade throughout the semester.
| Points | Percent | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 960-1000 | 96-100 | A |
| 930-959 | 93-95 | A- |
| 900-929 | 90-92 | B+ |
| 870-899 | 87-89 | B |
| 840-869 | 84-86 | B- |
| 810-839 | 81-83 | C+ |
| 780-809 | 78-80 | C |
| 750-779 | 75-77 | C- |
| 720-749 | 72-74 | D+ |
| 690-719 | 69-71 | D |
| 660-689 | 66-68 | D- |
| 0-659 | 0-65 | F |
Updated: 6 August, 2006 9:06 PM