Journalism Ethics JMC-40010-003-201310 Kent State University Spring Semester 2013 Instructor: Arnold Brian Dengler, JD EMMY Winner,

former Vice President of AOL, Attorney, Editor of Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates Kent Email: Phone: AIM: Office Hours: adengler@kent.edu 330.931.3820 (This simultaneously rings my phone in Columbus and my cell). DenglerLegal TBD

Required Text: Media Ethics, Issues and Cases, 7th Edition, by Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011. I will provide you with additional material. You will be quizzed on the material.

Goal of this Course

Are you taking the course because you have to? Do you simply want to get this over with? Do not approach this course with a mediocre attitude. The world is getting a tougher place to thrive and survive. My experience is that simply getting by means the individual will not get by. This course will give you a chance to think creatively and develop some career capital. Building creative skills ultimately will lead to a compelling career, but it takes effort. Ethics is the branch of study dealing with what is the proper course of action for man. It answers the question, "What do I do?" Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our meerans of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random and aimless. This course has three goals: (1) This is a thinking class. You will be asked to apply models to give you some framework to analyze a problem. (2) This is a writing class. My goal is that you are able to analyze a problem and express a solution in an organized, well written paper. (3) As a former Vice President of AOL and current counsel for AOL, I am going to

cover cutting edge issues in new media. At the end of the course, there will be emphasis on behavioral advertising, mobile products, content marketing, and issues with big data.

Class Format
1. Online and Live Classes. The class will be a mix of live in-class meetings and lectures distributed through the Internet. I use my own technology so that you can access the lectures from laptops, desktops, mobile smartphones and tablets. You will be required to take a quiz after each online lecture. There will be ten (10) quizzes throughout the semester. 2. Class participation is important. Get engaged; it will improve your grade. You also will have to post discussions at designated times on Blackboard to discuss a point in class. There will be six discussion assignments. 3. Writing Assignments. You will have six (6) writing assignments. Each assignment must be approximately 1,000 words. There will be a final assignment that will require extra research efforts. Except for the first week, you will have two weeks to complete a writing assignment. 4. Quizzes. You will take 10 quizzes, online. They are multiple choice, five per quiz. My goal is to make sure you are keeping up with the material. There will be no mid-term or final. 5. Final Writing Assignment. You will have a final writing assignment worth fifty (50) points. You will be able to pick an assignment based on several case studies. You will need to engage in extra research to complete this assignment. I will provide you with more detail as we approach the assignment date.

Class Participation
I expect you to show up at every class and post comments on the discussion board when assigned by me. Also, I will have each one of you go before the class throughout the term and give us a synopsis of one of your papers. Why? Some students like to hide in the back of the class. This gives each member of the class the opportunity to earn credit for participation. It works, and its not uncomfortable, as it may seem. When you enter the working world, you will have to sit in meetings and pitch your idea. So, let us build some skills in this area.

Cell phones, tablets, etc. must be OFF (not just muted) and NO texting or emailing in class. It is rude, distracting, and totally fails your purpose of getting value out of the class, building career capital for yourself and to make to make a contribution to the world. Multi-tasking is a myth.

How You will Earn Credit

Total Points that can be earned in this course is 300 points under the following formula: 1. 2. 3. 4. Quizzes. 10 quizzes, taken online, 10 points each = 100 points. Online and class discussions: 6 assignments, 5 points each = 30 points. Writing Assignments: 6 assignments, 20 points each = 120 points. Final Writing Assignment = 50 points.

I will grade writing assignments based on clarity of thought, organization, a punchy lead, and good grammar. YOU MUST PROOFREAD!!! Edit, edit, and edit! Assignments must be provided to me in electronic form either as a Word Document, Open Office Document, or Apple Pages. I will NOT accept papers in an email. Warning: Except for the first week, you are given 2 weeks to complete a writing assignment. Your failure to meet a deadline means you will get a ZERO for that assignment. Period. The world lives on deadlines.

Grading:
Here is the grading scale: A is 93% or above. A- is 90 to 92% B+ is 87% to 89% B is 83% to 86% C+ is 77% to 79% C is 73 to 76% C- is 70 to 72% D+ is 67% to 69% D is 60 to 66% Below 60%, well, you know.

Kent Core, WIC, Diversity, Experiential Learning, SAS and Plagiarism Statements
For Kent Core courses: This course may be used to satisfy a Kent Core requirement. The Kent Core as a whole is intended to broaden intellectual perspectives, foster ethical and humanitarian values, and prepare students for responsible citizenship and productive careers. For WIC courses: This course may be used to satisfy the Writing Intensive Course (WIC) requirement. The purpose of a writing-intensive course is to assist students in becoming effective writers within their major discipline. A WIC requires a substantial amount of writing, provides opportunities for guided revision, and focuses on writing forms and standards used in the professional life of the discipline. For Diversity courses: This course may be used to satisfy the University Diversity requirement. Diversity courses provide opportunities for students to learn about such matters as the history, culture, values and notable achievements of people other than those of their own national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, physical and mental ability, and social class. Diversity courses also provide opportunities to examine problems and issues that may arise from differences, and opportunities to learn how to deal constructively with them. For Experiential Learning Requirements: This course may be used to fulfill the universitys Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) which provides students with the opportunity to initiate lifelong learning through the development and application of academic knowledge and skills in new or different settings. Experiential Learning can occur through civic engagement, creative and artistic activities, practical experiences, research, and study abroad/away. Student Accessibility Statement University policy 3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures). Statement on Cheating and Plagiarism: The School of Journalism and Mass Communication deals in publishable works and educates its students for various aspects of publishing and other communications professions. Within this framework, every student must be aware of the following

rules and definitions while in school or on the job: Fabrication is, in phrasing first used by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the cardinal sin. Faking quotations, faking facts, reporting things that did not happen are not only reprehensible; they could be actionable in court. Plagiarizing, as defined by Webster, is to steal and pass off as ones own the ideas or words of another. It is unethical and, in cases involving creative work, usually illegal. One of the worst sins a communications practitioner may commit is to plagiarize the work of another to steal his/her words, thought, or outline and pass them off as his/her own. Duplicating work is defined as submitting the same work to more than one instructor (or publication) without the prior knowledge and agreement of both. Commission of any of these offenses while in school is grounds for disciplinary action. If the complaint is upheld, a variety of punishments may be imposed, from a reprimand to a lowered or failing grade in the course to dismissal from the university. Please refer to Kent State Universitys Policy Register Section 3-01.8 regarding plagiarism http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529= 2037779 And now, ladies and gentlemen, the assignments

Week One (January 15)

January 15, 2013 -- Why Ethics? Introduction to Food Lion Case and introduction of first writing assignment. Writing Assignment 1 Case Study No. 1. Due January 22, 2013. January 17, 2013 Discussion of Food Lion Case, and discussion of expectations on presenting writings. Introduction to Ethical concepts.

Week 2 January 22, 2013

Review Food Lion Writing Assignment. An Introduction to Ethical Decision Making Media Ethics Read Chapter 1. Writing Assignment 2 - Case Study 2. Due February 5, 2013.

Week 3 January 29, 2013

Information Ethics: A profession seeks the truth. Media Ethics Read Chapter 2 Online Lecture 1 Take Quiz 1 Discussion Session 1 Participate in online discussion assignment.

Week 4 February 5, 2013

Strategic Communications: Does Client Advocacy Mean Consumer Adversary? Media Ethics Read Chapter 3 Online Lecture 2 Take Quiz 3 Writing Assignment 3 - Case Study Advertorials Due February 19, 2013.

Week 5 February 12, 2013

Loyalty Choosing between Competing Allegiances. Media Ethics Read Chapter 4 Online Lecture 3 Take Quiz 3 Discussion Session 2 Participate in online discussion assignment.

Week 6 February 19, 2013

Privacy Looking for Solitude. Media Ethics Read Chapter 5 Online Lecture 4 Take Quiz 4 Writing Assignment 4 Case Study, Due March 5, 2013.

Week 7 February 26, 2013

Mass Media in a Democratic Society Keeping a Promise. Media Ethics Read Chapter 6 Online Lecture 5 Take Quiz 5 Discussion Session 3 Participate in online discussion.

Week 8 March 5, 2013

Media Economics. Media Ethics Read Chapter 6 Online Lecture 6 Take Quiz 6 Writing Assignment 5 Case Study, due March 19, 2013.

Week 9 March 12, 2013

Picture This: The Ethics of Photo And Video Journalism Media Ethics Read Chapter 8 Discussion Session 3 Participate in Online Discussion. Online Lecture 7 Take Quiz 7.

Week 10 March 19, 2013

Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. I will provide materials. Writing Assignment 6 - Review of Case Study. Due April 2, 2013. Online Lecture 8 Take Quiz 8 --- Spring Break! ---

Week 11 April 2, 2013

New Media Continuing Questions and New Roles. Media Ethics Read Chapter 9 Online Lecture and additional reading. Take Quiz 9. Discussion Session 4 Participate in Online Discussion

Week 12 April 9, 2013

New Material, continued. I will provide material.

Issues with blogging. Issues with citizens journalism. Issues with syndication of content. 8

Issues with curating content.

Online Lecture 10 Take Quiz 10 Assignment of Final Writing Project, which will require additional research. Due May 6, 2013.

Week 13 April 16, 2013

April 16, 2013. Advertising Ethics. Materials will be provided. Sponsored Stories Tracking user behavior. Review of Digital Marketing Association Principles. Live Presentation Chuck Curran, Executive Director, Network Advertising Initiative April 18, 2013 Mobile Issues Mobile advertising and location based services. Review of Digital Marketing Association Principles. Review of Mobile Marketing Association Principles. Live Presentation, Jules Polonetsky, Director, Future of Privacy Forum Discussion Session 5 Participate in Online Discussion.

Week 14 April 23, 2013

April 23, 2013 Content Marketing/Public Relations Materials will be provided. Issues with Brand Journalism.

April 26, 2013 Big Data. I will provide materials. Discussion Session 6 Participate in Online Discussion.

Week 15 April 30, 2013

April 30, 2013 - The Ethical Dimensions of Art and Entertainment Media Ethics Read Chapters 10, 11 May 2, 2013 One-on-one sessions to review draft of final paper with class. Final Writing Assignment Due May 6, 2013.

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