SEMINAR IN MASS MEDIA HISTORY
JOUR
610-0101; Fall 2006
Place: 1102
Instructor: Maurine H. Beasley, professor of
journalism
Office Hours: W8-9; 12-2; 5-6; F2-5 and by
appointment
Office: Room 3115 (o) 301-405-2413; (h)
301-320-3469; no calls after 10 p.m., please
Email: mbeasley@jmail.umd.edu
Course Description: A seminar for graduate students to engage in
individual research projects emphasizing the history of mass communication. Topics to be examined will include the nature
of historical study, the role of the mass media in American history as well as
internationally, and differing perspectives on the writing of mass media
history. The course will provide for study of mass communications technology in
connection with socio-cultural trends. Although class material will be based on
the history of
Students will be expected to examine
communications artifacts -- personal papers, manuscript collections, pictures,
newspapers, magazines, books, newsreels, movies, records, tapes and other
materials - available at varied libraries and museums in the
Goals and Objectives: To give students experience in applying an
historical approach to the study of mass communication issues by (1) developing
understanding of the way historians collect and present evidence, (2)
presenting history as a useful frame for understanding the present, 3)
facilitating the exchange of ideas regarding history as a tool for research in
mass communications and (4) becoming familiar with the content of standard
courses in mass communications history.
Students will be required to identify and carry out individual research
projects that utilize an historical approach. Students also will be expected to
develop a familiarity with historical resources that are available on the World
Wide Web.
Assignments: Each student is expected to do the assigned reading and to come to
class prepared to discuss it. Students will take turns serving as seminar
leaders. The schedule for leaders will
be drawn up during class discussion. The instructor recommends that leaders
distribute questions to guide discussion at least one week in advance of the
sessions they are to conduct.
Students also will be required to develop an
individual class project such as a term paper of about 15 to 20 pages in length
based at least in part on primary source materials, preferable from archives. The instructor should approve all project
proposals before student begin work on them.
The proposal should include (1) purpose of project; (2) research plan
including bibliography; (3) tentative outline, and (4) relation of project to
personal academic/career goals.
In
addition, students will be required to write a take-home final exam of five to
eight pages describing at least four repositories for historical research in
the College Park-Washington, D.C. area and explaining how collections there can
be of use to those doing research in the mass communications field. In addition to the four repositories,
students will be expected to describe how historical research can be conducted
via the internet.
Grading: Class work will consist of discussion of assigned reading and the
presentation of projects. Grading will be according to this scale: Class
participation, 30 percent; project presentation, 10 percent; project, 40
percent; evidence of familiarity with historical research via new technologies
and library research, 10 percent; final paper, 10 percent. The final deadline for submission of the
project and the take-home exam is Thursday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m.
Students with Disabilities: Students with specific disabilities (permanent
or temporary, physical or learning) needing special accommodation during the
semester should make an appointment with the instructor to discuss their needs.
Academic Integrity: 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 abridgement 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. 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).”
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Knowlton, Steven R. and Karen L. Freeman, eds. Fair
& Balanced:
A History of Journalistic Objectivity.
Startt, James D. and Wm. David Sloan. Historical
Methods in Mass Communication. Rev. ed.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Altschull, J. Herbert. Agents of Power: The
Media and Public Policy. 2nd ed.
Altschull, J. Herbert. From
Beasley, Maurine H. and Sheila Gibbons. Taking
Their Place: A Documentary History of Women and Journalism. 2nd
ed.
Fang, Irving. A History of Mass Communication:
Six Information Revolutions.
Nerone, John. Violence Against the Press:
Policing the Public Sphere in
1994. Sees the press performing a necessary but
not necessarily popular function in a democratic society.
*Sloan, Wm. David, ed. Media in
Solomon, William S. and Robert W. McChesney, eds.
Ruthless Criticism: New Perspectives in
Stephens, Mitchell. A History of News.
Stevens, John D. and Hazel Dicken Garcia. Communication
History.
Watson, Mary Ann. Defining Visions: Television
and the American Experience Since 1945.
SEMINAR PLAN
Part
One: What is "mass media history"?
Topics
Week One: Aug. 30, Introduction
Students are to prepare questions for instructor
On how
to make the course useful to them
Week Two: Sept.6, Why Study Media History?
Chapman,
1-8
Knowlton,
7-22
Sloan
& Startt ix-20
Sloan
xi-16 (recommended)
No
office hours Sept. 8
Week Three: Sept.13, Can We Make “Use” of the Past?
Discussion
Leaders: Eric Easton, Andrew Kaplan, Wenjing Xie
Historical
Text Archive (organized by geography and topic)
http://historicaltextarchive.com
Sloan
& Startt 21-74
Week Four: Sept.20, Can Archival Resources Shape History?
(Tentative) 3:30
Library Instruction Period R. 2109 McKeldin Bob Garber, reference librarian in
charge
Sloan
& Startt 75-155
Week Five: Sept.28, What Is the Difference Between Methods
Used
by Journalism Historians and by Journalists?
Sloan
& Startt 157-261
Week
Six: Oct.4, Can We Study Journalism History Roots? Asking Crucial
Questions
http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/doing/gutenberg/
Chapman 1-42
Knowlton 23-35
Sloan
17-34 (recommended)
Week Seven: Oct.11, Can We Trace the Origins of the First Amendment and Political Communication?
Journalism history listserv allows exchange of ideas
Chapman 43-68
Knowlton
36-63
Sloan 35-122 (recommended)
Part
Two: What Impact Does New Technology Have on Existing Media?
Week Eight: Oct.18 How Did the Newspaper Evolve?
History
Net features eyewitness accounts of historical events
Chapman 71-100
Knowlton
65-115
Sloan
123- 197 (recommended)
Week Nine: Oct.25 How Did Globalizing Evolve?
History
Buff is devoted to media coverage of events in
American
History
Chapman 101-139
Knowlton 117-148; 206-220
Sloan
199-248; 283-342 (recommended)
Week Ten: Nov.1 What Led to Mass Marketing?
Chapman
143-179
Knowlton
149-191
Sloan
249-282; 338-440 (recommended)
PROJECT PROPOSAL DEADLINE
Part
Three: What Perspectives Do You Bring to
Media History?
Week Eleven: Nov.8 What Has Been the Impact of Broadcasting?
Possible field trip to Library of American
Broadcasting
Chapman 180-204
Knowlton 192-205
Sloan
343-388; 441-464 (recommended)
Week Twelve: Nov.15 How Do We View the Contemporary Scene?
Women
in Journalism oral history project tells the struggles
of
women to cover the news
Chapman
207-237
Knowlton
221-235
Sloan 465-486 (recommended)
Week Thirteen: Nov. 22 Project Presentations
Chapman 238-265
Week Fourteen: Nov. 29 Project Presentations
Week Fifteen: Dec. 6 Final discussion & party at instructor's home in
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS!