All students will do a research paper or project, which will count for about 65% of their grade. Everyone will turn in a proposal, an annotated bibliography, and do a class presentation on their subject at the end of the semester. Beyond that, students have two options:

1. A traditional research paper of 12 to 20 pages.
2. A video or flash documentary/essay on an aspect of media and society (perhaps sort of like this.)

Number 2 should probably be done in groups; talk to me early in the semester if you are interested in this possibility.

The research project has five parts:

1. A proposal, due 10/3 (ungraded, but subject to revision);
2. An annotated bibliography, due 10/31 (10% of course grade);
3. A rough draft, due 11/12 (20%);
4. An in-class presentation, scheduled between 11/14 and 12/3 (10%); and
5. The final draft, due 12/9 (20%).

Possible Topic Areas: The following are some possible topic areas. They are too broad for specific topics, but might help give you some ideas that you can then focus down into something manageable. These are just suggestions intended to give you the flavor of possible topics. Topic areas that are not listed here may be well worth consideration.

Sports coverage and gender issues

Christian Evangelical Media

Media and War: the case of the Falklands, the Grenada Invasion, WWII and Hollywood, Afghanistan, Iraq War I, Iraq War II

Abortion and the Media: a liberal bias?

The Chinese Film and Television Industry: Poised to become the next Hollywood?

Did television news turn the American public against the US involvement in the Vietnam war?

The original hackers: the role of radio amateurs in the early history of broadcasting