WOMEN IN THE MEDIA: JOURNALISM 452
Section: 0101 FALL 2006 3 credits
CORE CULTURAL DIVERSITY COURSE
You have chosen this course as part of your CORE Liberal
Arts and Sciences Studies Program, the general education portion of your degree
program. CORE Human Cultural Diversity
courses are designed to ensure that you will examine experiences, perspectives,
and values different from those that are dominant in the
Women’s Studies courses (which may be used toward a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies) are founded on the belief that feminist scholarship leads students to reconceptualize knowledge encountered both in and out the classroom. They embrace a curriculum that includes women’s experiences to give students access to new information that enables them to develop more accurate perspectives about themselves and the world. Women’s Studies courses challenge students to question traditional knowledge about women and men and to examine differences among women. The objective is for students to gain an understanding of and respect for difference in their lives as they encounter issues of diversity – age, ability, class, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation – in the classroom and the curriculum.
Time: 9-12W Place: Rm. 1116, Journalism
Instructor: Maurine H. Beasley, professor of journalism
Office and Office Hours: Room 3115, Journalism Bldg.; W8-9; 12-2, 5-6, F 2-5 & by appointment
Contacts: (o) 301-405-2413; 301-320-3469 (h); no phone calls after 10 p.m., please;
Email: mbeasley@jmail.umd.edu
Objectives
To examine the way in which ideas on gender have influenced the participation and portrayal of women in journalism and related areas from colonial to contemporary times; to study the experiences of both majority and minority women in journalism during different eras in American history and to learn more about the social roles played by women in journalism and related fields. In addition, a global component will address the experiences of women and the mass media in other parts of the world.
Students with Disabilities
Students with a specific disability (permanent or temporary, physical or learning) needing special accommodation should meet with the instructor in her office.
Questions to Be Addressed
Students will look at questions to be addressed from a historical perspective. Such questions will include the following: What is the mass media? The news media? To what degree have men and women communicated differently and played different social roles in the news media? What is sex-role and racial stereotyping? Is gender different than sex? Does the news media reflect or shape reality? What is news? How are women represented in it today and how were they represented in the past? Is image-making a form of social control practiced by media entities? Do mass media present biased images of women and minorities? Do media organizations discriminate against women and minority employees? What impact is new media technology having on women/minorities? Do women invent themselves – and reinvent themselves – in terms of their roles in society at various periods of history? What relationship is there between women’s portrayal and participation in the news media? How are women of other countries portrayed in the news?
Assignments
Grading Plan: 40 percent, class participation including
contributions to discussions and the fulfillment of responsibility to lead a
discussion of reading as assigned; (As part of class participation students are
urged to bring in clippings and videos pertaining to course material to share
with the class. The instructor will keep a file on each student containing
items volunteered for sharing, and other evidence of class participation such
as questions prepared for discussion); 30
percent, term project described below; 10 percent, mid-term; 20 per cent
will be for performance on the final exam. NOTE: The day and time for the final will not be
announced until mid-term (because this course meets at a non-standard period). All students are to be here. There will be no opportunity to take an early
final.
Students will be graded on their
mastery of course content and ability to present cogent arguments, not on
whether they agree with the instructor or with the authors of the textbooks.
Students are encouraged to prepare sample questions for the mid-term and the
final. WORK TURNED IN AFTER THE
ANNOUNCED DEADLINE WILL BE GRADED DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY
Class Participation: Each student is expected to do the assigned readings and to attend class prepared to comment on them. Each student will be required to serve as the leader of a discussion on assigned readings. Students are urged to meet with the instructor in advance to prepare for leading the discussion. On occasion students may be asked to write brief responses in class to readings or other class material.
CLASS ATTENDANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT. Unfortunately, because of time constraints the instructor will not be able to respond personally with class notes for those unable to attend the class sessions.
As part of class participation the instructor will give credit to those who have a get acquainted session with her in her office by appointment to discuss course content. Appointments may be scheduled during office hours or at other times, but they must be scheduled in advance since the instructor sometimes has meetings that overlap with office hours.
Projects (computer only – no handwritten material): Each student will be asked to do
original research in the media by taking
his/her birthday and the birthday of his/her mother and/or grandmother and
preparing a paper (of eight to 12 pages ) on what appeared that day pertaining
to women in a specific publication or
broadcast. (Ex. – if a student were born
on Jan. 28, 1985, and her mother on Feb. 4, 1955 the student might write a
paper on what was in the BALTIMORE SUN, the LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL or NBC radio
on that day - or during that month
- pertaining to women and compare and
contrast those findings. The paper
should conclude with what appears on women in that same publication on a specific
day this year.) Students may wish to
use the non-print media section of Hornbake Library that has an extensive
collection of broadcast resources. The
idea is to explore whether media depictions of women have changed or remained
the same over a period of several decades.
Good papers can be written by careful analysis of one specific
publication on one day of one year. The paper should be footnoted or end-noted
with at least three citations from assigned readings from the texts and/or
other appropriate material. Appropriate
style should be used for the references.
Footnote style: 1. Sally Smith, Gender
and Mass Media (New York:
Dolan Publishing, 1997), 200. (Second reference, Smith, 204.) Endnote style: This relates to an in-text
reference such as this: (Smith, 1997, 200).
Then the end-note reference would
read: Smith, Sally. 1997. Gender and Mass Media. Dolan Publishing:
PROJECT PAPERS SHOULD SHOW THE KNOWLEDGE OF CORRECT GRAMMAR AND SPELLING EXPECTED FROM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS; THOSE THAT DO NOT WILL BE GRADED DOWN. PAPER COPIES ARE TO BE TURNED IN; ELECTRONIC COPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Graduate Students: The instructor would like to meet with each of them on a regular basis to discuss topics of special concern to advanced students.
Required
Beasley, Maurine H. and Sheila J. Gibbons. Taking Their Place: A Documentary History of Women and Journalism. (
ISBN 1-8911366-07-0
Recommended
Douglas, Susan J. Where
the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. Introduction by Anna Quindlen.
Kitch, Carolyn. The Girl on the Magazine Cover (
Nelson, Jill. Volunteer Slavery.
Robertson,
Streitmatter, Rodger. Raising
Her Voice: African-American Women Journalists Who Changed History.
PART I: ISSUES FACING
WOMEN IN A MEDIA WORLD
Aug. 30 Why Should We Look at Gender & Media?
Special Guest:
Lucinda Fleeson, director, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowships
Assignment for Sept. 6: Check out http://www.wifp.org/DWM/DirectoryWomensMedia.html; look for MEDIA REPORT TO WOMEN on the web
Read B&G Introduction, pps. 1-4, 5-7, 31-33, 117-121, (also TIMELINE, 293-97)
“Why Do We Have Gender-Specific Journalism?”
Special Guest: Sheila
Gibbons, coauthor, class text, and editor, MEDIA REPORT TO WOMEN
Sept. 6 Lecture, discussion
Assignment of discussion leaders
Assignment for Sept. 13: Read B&G Chapter 5, 31-37; Chapters 17-19, 141-182
Sept. 8 (No office hours)
“Are Contemporary Women Conflicted Over Media Careers?”
Sept. 13 Lecture, discussion
Assignment for Sept. 20 B&G, Chapters 16, 132-140, 21, 215-230, and 23, 247-261
“How Have Women Made a Place in Print and Broadcasting?”
Sept. 20, Lecture, discussion
Special Guest: Indira Somari, TV producer & Ph.D. candidate
Assignment for Sept. 27 : B&G Chapters 20, 183-210 and 22, 231-246
Week Five
“How Have Minority Women ‘Made It’ in Journalism?”
Special Guest: Dr.
Alice Bonner, former
Sept. 27 Lecture,
discussion
Oct. 4
Review for Mid-Term
Week Seven
Oct. 11
Mid-Term
Assignment for Oct. 18 B&G, Chapter 4, 25-30; Chapter 15, 122-131
PART II: CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN WOMEN, MEDIA AND PUBLIC POLICIES
Do Old Ideas and Images Really Change?” (We will start to move back in history, but we will look for connections between women’s experience in the past and their experience today in broadcasting and print media)
Oct. 18 Lecture, discussion
Assignment for Nov. 1 B&G, Chapters 6-7, 38-52; 13, 98-107
“How Have Women Journalists Fought to Express
Themselves? Part I”
Nov. 1 Lecture, Discussion
Assignment for Nov. 8 B&G, Chapters 8, 56-63; 11, 81-86, 12, 67-97 and 14, 109-116
Assignment for Nov. 15 B&G Chapter 24
Week Twelve
“How Sexist Is the Mass Media Today?”
Nov. 15
Highlights of birthday papers
Week Thirteen
Women and Journalism in
Special Guest:
Wenjing Xie, Ph.D. student, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Nov. 22 Lecture, Discussion
Nov. 29 Lecture and discussion TBA
Week Fifteen
“What Have We Learned”
Dec. 7 Lecture and Review
Class party in honor of all graduating seniors (please identify yourselves!)
FINAL EXAM TIME: TBA
Academic Integrity: Each student must do all work for this class individually unless the instructor assigns collaborative work. Along with certain rights, students also have the responsibility to behave honorably in an academic environment. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any abridgment of academic integrity standards will be referred directly to the campus judiciary. Confirmation of such incidents will result in the earning of an “XF” grade for the course, and may result in more severe consequences such as expulsion. Students who are uncertain as to what constitutes academic dishonesty should consult the university publication entitled Academic Integrity available online at http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Depsartments/IPO/. The University Senate requires that students include the following signed statement on each examination or assignment: “I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination (or assignment).
NOTE: For the journal one signed statement from each student at the start of the class should cover this assignment.