Ithaca College
Introduction to Media
Industries
TVR 124000
Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Jack
Powers (call me Jack)
Office: Park
#368
E-mail: jpowers@ithaca.edu
Office Hours:
Mondays: 10:00 a.m. – noon; and 3:00 p.m. – 4:00
p.m.
Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Additional hours available by appointment.
Class website: http://ICmediaindustriesSpring2016.blogspot.com
Course description:
Intro to Media Industries is a
course designed to introduce the communication student to the vast and
ever-so-pervasive world of the entertainment mass media. Through lectures,
class discussions, debates, videos, presentations, assignments, and projects, we
shall examine the impact the entertainment media industries have had on American
society. We’ll begin with an analysis of the Studio System and its importance
to the business of media in this country. We’ll examine the entertainment media
industry with a more in-depth look at each industry (television, movies,
Internet, sound recording, video games, etc.) and how it has impacted society
including how we spend our time, our expectations, society’s emphasis on
showbiz and celebrity, influence of entertainment media as it pertains to
socialization and politics, the business of the media, and the legal and social impacts of the industry.
Course Objectives/Goals:
By the end of the term,
students enrolled in Intro to Media Industries should be able to:
1. Recognize the elements of the communication process in
different settings and understand how these processes play a role in
entertainment media;
2. Explain the implications of “disintermediation” of the
entertainment media;
3.Understand and explain the concept of convergence and
critically analyze its impact on the entertainment industry;
4. Identify a variety of career options in entertainment media;
5. Know about and recognize the impact of media regulation;
6. Describe and recognize the major events/developments of the
entertainment media industry;
7. Understand and explain important ethical principles of
entertainment media;
8. Discuss the societal impact of media in terms of social
effects and how these effects are measured.
9. Discuss the role the major Hollywood studios play in how media are produced, distributed, and exhibited in the United States and around the globe.
Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate the
meeting of these objectives/goals by performing well on exams, participating in
intellectual class discussions, completing assignments, developing an app, and
completing a final project.
Required texts:
Dominick, J. (2012). Dynamics of Mass
Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Available for rent via Amazon.com for roughly $28. Feel free
to purchase a copy of the 11th edition via Amazon (some are less
than $10).
Purchasing the 12th edition book new is expensive
(nearly $150), so buying used, renting, or a previous edition is suggested.
Also, students should accustom themselves to reading The Hollywood Reporter and Variety on a daily basis.
Mass Media Group Project
The entertainment media represent one of the few industries where those outside the profession consistently believe they can do a better job than those working inside the profession. The media are constantly under attack by different groups—including college students. This group project offers you an opportunity to produce original, creative media content for a mass audience. Further information will be provided the first week of class.
The entertainment media represent one of the few industries where those outside the profession consistently believe they can do a better job than those working inside the profession. The media are constantly under attack by different groups—including college students. This group project offers you an opportunity to produce original, creative media content for a mass audience. Further information will be provided the first week of class.
Project Information
Task: To create entertainment media for a mass
audience.
Goal: To understand an aspect of the entertainment
media business (like advertising, for example) that is critical to the entire
mass media field.
Sample projects include:
Advertising campaign for a client.
Developing of an online video game.
Creating of an app for the Google Play market.
Producing of a music video.
Producing of a scene from a drama or a sitcom.
Creating a game show (with a pitch/pilot filmed).
Writing a spec script for a comedy or drama.
Producing a TV commercial (for TV or online).
Creating an online blog dedicated to entertainment media
industry.
Creating a YouTube Channel dedicated to entertainment media
industry.
A project of your choosing (all projects must be approved).
The projects will be evaluated as follows:
Project Content (media): 60 points
Presentation (physical/verbal): 20 points
Production fluency (video, audio, design, etc.): 10 points
Creativity: 10 points
Total: 100 points
Production fluency (video, audio, design, etc.): 10 points
Creativity: 10 points
Total: 100 points
Additional information regarding the group project will be provided in class. Group assignments will be made known in the second week of class.
Entertainment Media Team Project: Building an App
Each student enrolled will produce an App for the Google
Play market. The App needs to have content that deals with the entertainment
media industry (for example, a quiz app about Modern Family, an adventure game
featuring characters from The Hunger Games, a matching game about Studio Presidents,
etc.).
Each student will pitch his/her app in a 2-minute presentation at the end of the term.
All students must present. Any student that does not
present (or fails to show up to present) will receive an overall two-letter
penalty on the App Project. For example, if the App would have otherwise earned
a grade of “B,” a person who doesn’t show up to present the app would receive a
grade of “D.”
More specific information regarding the App project will be
provided in class.
Hollywood Studio Assignments
Each student is required to complete seven online information sheets of the major Hollywood Studios. Specifically, students will complete information sheets on the following:
Disney
Paramount
20th-Century Fox
CBS Studios
Warner Bros
Universal
SONY
Each student is required to complete seven online information sheets of the major Hollywood Studios. Specifically, students will complete information sheets on the following:
Disney
Paramount
20th-Century Fox
CBS Studios
Warner Bros
Universal
SONY
Each information sheet is worth 10 points. The information sheets can be found on Sakai under "Tests and Quizzes."
Reactions
Each student is required to submit 5 online reaction pieces to current media topics throughout the term (articles are provided to you and you write a reaction to the article). Topics may include censorship, convergence, copyright, First Amendment issues, career issues, media controversies, television ratings, streaming, the business of media, etc.
The reaction assignments are due every other week by Sunday at midnight via Sakai (Pacific time). The assignments will be posted on the blog and on Sakai under "tests and quizzes."
Each reaction piece is worth 10 points.
Evaluations and grading:
Exam 1—100 points
Exam 2—100 points
Final Exam—150 points
Reactions—50 points
Hollywood Studio Assignments—70 points
Entertainment Media Project—100 points
App Project—100 points
Online class assignment #1—15 points
Online class assignment #2—15 points
Total: 700 points
Overall grades will be based on the following percentages:
A (93% - 100%) – 651-700 points
A- (90% - 92.9%) – 630-650 points
B+ (87% - 89.9%) – 609-629 points
B (83% - 86.9%) – 581-608 points
B- (80% - 82.9%) – 560-580 points
C+ (77% - 79.9%)- 539-559 points
C (73% -76.9%) – 511-538 points
C- (70% - 72.9%)- 490-510 points
D+ (67% - 69.9%) – 469-489 points
D (63% - 66.9%)- 441-468 points
D- (60% - 62.9%)- 420-440 points
F (0% to 59.9%)- 0-419 points
There is no curve.
Standards of Academic Conduct:
A.
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Academic honesty is a cornerstone of the mission of the
College. Unless it is otherwise stipulated, students may submit for evaluation
only that work that is their own and that is submitted originally for a
specific course. According to traditions of higher education, forms of
conduct that will be considered evidence of academic misconduct include but
are not limited to the following: conversations between students during an
examination; reviewing, without authorization, material during an
examination (e.g., personal notes, another student's exam); unauthorized
collaboration; submission of a paper also submitted for credit in another course;
reference to written material related to the course brought into an
examination room during a closed-book, written examination; and submission
without proper acknowledgment of work that is based partially or entirely on
the ideas or writings of others. Only when a faculty member gives prior
approval for such actions can they be acceptable.
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B.
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It is the responsibility of instructors to inform students
clearly in writing specific rules, procedures, and/or expectations pertinent
to their particular course that differ from those identified in paragraph A
of this section. In those courses where limited consultation among students
is permitted in the preparation of assignments, it is extremely important for
instructors to clarify the guidelines for appropriate conduct.
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C.
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In situations where a student may have difficulty in
distinguishing between acceptable behavior and academic
misconduct, it is the responsibility of the student to confer with the
instructor. This is particularly important for avoiding plagiarism when
written sources are used in the preparation of papers or take home
examinations.
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Because Ithaca College is an academic community, ignorance
of the accepted standards of academic honesty in no way affects
the responsibility of students who violate standards of conduct in courses
and other academic activities.
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D.
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All members of the academic community are expected to
assist in maintaining the integrity of Ithaca College, which includes
reporting incidents of academic misconduct. Such instances may be reported to
a faculty member, the dean of the school involved, or the director of
judicial affairs.
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Plagiarism:
Whether intended or not, plagiarism is a serious offense
against academic honesty. Under any circumstances, it is deceitful to represent
as one's own work, writing or ideas that belong to another person. Students
should be aware of how this offense is defined. Plagiarism is the
unacknowledged use of someone else's published or unpublished ideas, whether
this use consists of directly quoted material or paraphrased ideas.
Although various disciplines follow styles of documentation
that differ in some details, all forms of documentation make the following
demands:
That each quotation or paraphrase be acknowledged with a
footnote or in-text citation;
That direct quotations be enclosed in quotation marks and be
absolutely faithful to the wording of the source;
That paraphrased ideas be stated in language entirely
different from the language of the source;
That a sequence of ideas identical to that of a source be
attributed to that source;
That sources of reprinted charts or graphs be cited in the
text;
That all the sources the writer has drawn from in paraphrase
or direct quotation or a combination of paraphrase and quotation be listed at
the end of the paper under "Bibliography," "References," or
"Works Cited," whichever heading the particular style of
documentation requires.
A student is guilty of plagiarism if the student fails,
intentionally or not, to follow any of these standard requirements of
documentation.
In a collaborative project, all students in a group may be
held responsible for academic misconduct if they engage in plagiarism or are
aware of plagiarism by others in their group and fail to report it. Students
who participate in a collaborative project in which plagiarism has occurred
will not be held accountable if they were not knowledgeable of the plagiarism.
What, then, do students not have to document? They need not
cite their own ideas, or references to their own experiences, or information
that falls in the category of uncontroversial common knowledge (what a person
reasonably well-informed about a subject might be expected to know). They
should acknowledge anything else.
Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty
Other violations of academic honesty include, but are not
limited to, the following behaviors:
Handing in to a class a paper written by someone else;
Handing in as an original work for a class a paper one has
already submitted to another course;
Handing in the same paper simultaneously to two courses
without the full knowledge and explicit consent of all the faculty members
involved;
Having someone else rewrite or clean up a rough draft and
submitting those revisions as one's own work.
These offenses violate the atmosphere of trust and mutual
respect necessary the process of learning.
Note: Students who would like help in learning how to
paraphrase or document sources properly should feel free to come to the Writing
Center in Smiddy 107 for assistance.
Attendance:
Students at Ithaca College are expected to attend all
classes, and they are responsible for work missed during any absence from
class. At the beginning of each semester, instructors must provide the students
in their courses with written guidelines regarding possible grading penalties
for failure to attend class. Students should notify their instructors as soon
as possible of any anticipated absences. Written documentation that indicates
the reason for being absent may be required. These guidelines may vary from
course to course but are subject to the following restrictions:
• In accordance with New York State law, students who
miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or
examinations on that day. The faculty member is responsible for providing the
student with an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or
work requirement which the student may have missed. It is suggested that
students notify their course instructors at least one week before any
anticipated absence so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any
missed work or examination. Any such work is to be completed within a
reasonable timeframe, as determined by the faculty member.
• Any student, who misses class due to a verifiable
family or individual health emergency, or to a required appearance in a court
of law, shall be excused. The student or a family member/legal guardian may
report the absence to the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life, which will
notify the student’s dean’s office, as well as residential life if the student
lives on campus. The dean’s office will disseminate the information to the
appropriate faculty. Follow-up by the student with his or her professors is
imperative. Students may need to consider a leave of absence, medical leave of
absence, selected course withdrawals, etc., if they have missed a significant
portion of class work.
A student may be excused for participation in
College-authorized cocurricular and extracurricular activities if, in the
instructor’s judgment, this does not impair the specific student’s or the other
students’ ability to succeed in the course.
For all absences except those due to religious beliefs, the
course instructor has the right to determine if the number of absences has been
excessive in view of the nature of the class that was missed and the stated
attendance policy. Depending on the individual situation, this can result in
the student’s being removed from or failing the course.
It is expected that students will regularly attend class,
take notes, pay attention, and participate in discussion/activities.
Students who miss class (unexcused) will not be able to make
up in-class assignments.
Students with disabilities:
In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be
provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis.
Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide
appropriate documentation to the College before any academic adjustment will be
provided.
Dealing with Stress while at College:
Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood
changes, excessive worry, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere
with optimal academic performance. The source of symptoms might be strictly
related to your course work; if so, please speak with me. However, problems
with relationships, family worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can
also contribute to decreased academic performance.
Ithaca College provides a Counseling Center to support the
academic success of students. The Counseling Center provides cost-free services
to help you manage personal challenges that threaten your well-being.
In the event I suspect you need additional support, I will
express my concerns and the reasons for them, and remind you of resources
(e.g., Counseling Center, Health Center, chaplains, etc.) that might be helpful
to you. It is not my intention to know the details of what might be bothering
you, but simply to let you know I am concerned and that help, if needed, is
available.
Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do -- for
yourself and for your loved ones.
Title IX:
Title IX is a federal act mandating that educational
institutions must provide sex and gender equity. All students thus have the
right to a campus atmosphere free of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and
gender discrimination. For questions about sexual misconduct, see the Ithaca
SHARE website (Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and
Education): http://www.ithaca.edu/sacl/share/).
To report or discuss sexual assault or harassment, or general issues, please
contact Tiffani Ziemann, Title IX Coordinator; tziemann@ithaca.edu 607-274-3300.
Student safety:
You must respond to and report conditions and actions that
may jeopardize your safety, or that of other people and/or equipment. Report to
the responsible College employee. During class sessions that person would be
your instructor or lab assistant. Outside of class the person might be your
instructor, lab supervisor, co-curricular manager, equipment and facilities
manager, or one of the engineering support staff. You must be aware that misuse
of equipment or use of damaged equipment can create the risk of serious injury,
infectious contamination, and expensive damage. You may be liable for damage or
injury resulting from such use. Unsupervised use of facilities puts you at
risk. Failure to be alert to safety problems, or to report them, may have
serious consequences for you or others.
Course material:
Assigned readings should be completed prior to class.
Lectures and assignments are intended to enhance and/or supplement the
readings. Some of the material will come from sources other than the assigned
readings. You are responsible for this material as well as for the material in
the readings—even if it is not specifically covered in class. If you have any
difficulty understanding the material, it is your responsibility to ask for
clarification. Often, I will ask if anyone has any questions.
Make-up policy:
As a general rule, make-up assignments are not allowed
except in cases of emergency. It is your responsibility to complete the
assignments. If an emergency does arise, it is imperative for you to contact me
PRIOR to the scheduled due date. Do not expect to make-up a missed assignment
without clearing it with me ahead of time. Incompletes are rarely given. In
fact, an incomplete is only given if you are unable to complete the coursework
because of a serious illness, accident, emergency, or other crisis. A formal
request must be made prior to the end of the term. An incomplete can only be
granted with permission from the Dean.
Late Assignments:
As a general rule, late assignments are not accepted. In
specific circumstances, late assignments may be accepted, but with a
substantial penalty.
Tentative Course Schedule (the instructor reserves the right to amend the course schedule as necessary. Any changes will be announced in class and on the blog):
Tentative Course Schedule (the instructor reserves the right to amend the course schedule as necessary. Any changes will be announced in class and on the blog):
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(SuperBowl Month)
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Functions of mass media; uses and gratifications
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Spring 2016 Academic Calendar
| Monday | January 25 | Classes Begin 8:00 a.m. |
| Friday | January 29 | Last Day to Audit Courses |
| Sunday | January 31 | Last Day to ADD/DROP Block I Courses |
| Sunday | January 31 | Last Day to ADD/DROP Semester Courses |
| Wednesday | February 3 | Last Day to Request S/D/F Option in Block I Courses |
| Monday | February 15 | Last Day to Request S/D/F Option in Semester Courses |
| Monday | February 29 | Last Day to Withdraw with "W" in Block I Courses |
| Monday | February 29 | Last Day to Revoke S/D/F Option in Block I Courses |
| Friday | March 11 | Block I Ends 4:00 p.m.; Spring Break Begins |
| Sat-Sun | March 12-20 | Spring Break - No Classes |
| Monday | March 21 | Classes Resume 8:00 a.m.; Block II Begins |
| Wednesday | March 23 | Mid-Term Grades Due (Online) 10:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | March 23 | Block I Final Grades Due (Online) 10:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | March 27 | Last Day to ADD/DROP Block II Courses |
| Wednesday | March 30 | Last Day to Request S/D/F Option in Block II Courses |
| Wednesday | March 30 | Summer 2016 Application for Graduation Due (Online) |
| Friday | April 8 | Last Day to Revoke S/D/F Option in Semester Courses |
| Friday | April 8 | Last Day to Withdraw with "W" Semester Courses |
| Mon-Fri | Apr. 18-22 | Online Registration for Fall 2016 |
| Friday | April 22 | Last Day to Revoke S/D/F Option in Block II Courses |
| Friday | April 22 | Last Day to Withdraw with "W" in Block II Courses |
| Friday | April 22 | Last Day to Withdraw with "W" in Graduate Courses |
| Friday | May 6 | Last Day of Classes |
| Monday | May 9 | Final Examinations Begin 7:30 a.m. |
| Friday | May 13 | Final Examinations End 10:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | May 18 | All Final Grades Due (Online) 10:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | May 22 | Commencement |
Excerpt from the College's Attendance Policy: In accordance with New York State law, students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. The faculty member is responsible for providing the student with an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirement that the student may have missed. It is suggested that students notify their course instructors at least one week before any anticipated absence so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination. Any such work is be be completed within a reasonable time frame, as determined by the faculty member.
Interfaith Calendar: http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/
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