The basic assignments are a midterm (25%, Oct. 13) and final exams (25%, Dec. 13), reading journals turned in regularly during the semester (20%), a critical media analysis essay (20%), and attendance (10%). Also, every Monday morning you should read a major news story about the elections so we can discuss it at the beginning of class on Tuesday.
Reading Journals (25%, collected several times throughout the semester)
For EVERY reading/video clip/audio clip/internet site on the syllabus, you will write a SEPARATE, typed/printed summary highlighting its key ideas and the most important points (a paragraph to a ½ page, single-spaced, for each). Please use a separate page of paper for each entry. You will put your name on the top and title each of your summaries with the author’s last name & title and staple them together. At various points throughout the semester, I will collect your journals (I will give you a short warning so keep up with them!). Often, you will want to clearly explain the author’s principle point or argument, particularly if the work is scholarly. If it is a news clip or article, you will probably want to discuss both the subject matter and the way it is presented, or framed. When asked to turn them in, please put page numbers on each page, and staple them all together.
Weekly News reading Assignment
Read the news: top – highest, most prominent on the page -- story related to the U.S. election on Monday morning between 8 and 11 am, on cnn.com, nyt.com, or http://www.foxnews.com, every week, and come to class prepared to discuss on Tuesday every week.
Critical Media Analysis Essay Assignment (4-7 pages, due Nov. 10, 20%)
Either 1) explain and evaluate a theory of media and elections, and provide a literature review of the theory in question; or 2) do a frame analysis of the news coverage of a particular election related event or candidate over a roughly five day period.
Exams (midterm, Oct. 13, 25%; final Dec. 13, 25%)
Exams will be a mixture of true/false and multiple choice questions, addressing all readings and lecture materials.
