Representation, Reporting and the Stories We Tell

INSTRUCTOR(S) Sarah Brand, B-415

:

COURSE CODE(S) AND MINISTRY OBJECTIVES

• 345-LPH. To apply a critical thought process to ethical issues relevant to the field of study

1. To situate significant ethical issues, in appropriate world views and fields of knowledge.
2. To explain the major ideals, values, and social implication of ethical issues.
3. To organize the ethical questions and their implications into coherent patterns.
4. To debate the ethical issues.

REQUIRED TEXT(S) / MATERIALS

1. Students must purchase the Coursepack from Eastman online: https://epacks.eastman.ca
2. Students must have internet access.
3. The instructor will attempt to minimize the software required to successfully complete this course;
however, students must submit all Lea assignments as either a Microsoft Word or Libre Office
(https://www.libreoffice.org/) document. While students can use programs like Pages in order to complete
assignments and then convert the file format via “save as,” PDF files will not be accepted. Students are also
expected to register with Linkr (https://www.linkreducation.com/en/). For Linkr assignments, students
must upload their work to Linkreducation.com and then Mio the teacher a link. Work will not be
considered submitted unless a MIO has been received!
4. In addition, students must be familiar with the MLA guidelines for citation purposes.

For more information on citation styles, consult the Marianopolis Library’s citation style links under the
“Citation and research help” heading on www.marianopolis.edu/campus-life/library/.

COURSE CONTENT AND METHODOLOGY

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 1

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
Studies suggest that the average Canadian spends 19 hours online and 28 hours watching TV every week.
Many of us also listen to the radio while driving, read the newspaper in the metro, and are bombarded with
advertising everywhere we go. And arguably, we are consuming even more media now that we’re at home all
the time! It is therefore hard to deny that the media plays a major role in our lives. But the media is hardly
ethically neutral and it presents us with moral conundrums on a daily basis. Journalists struggle to balance the
need for privacy with the public interest when reporting a story; Hollywood Blockbusters have raised questions
about the place of sexism and consumerism in popular culture; and communities struggle with the issue of
universalism versus particularism in an increasingly global era.

This course is designed to engage with these and other issues. Conceptually, it is organized into 4 sections: 1)
An Introduction to Ethics, 2) The Media and its role in Creating Normative Values, 3) Ethics and the Media in
the Global Era, 4) and The Media, Democracy, and a Just Society.

This course does not aim to provide simple answers to difficult ethical questions. Instead, it is designed to
introduce you to ethical questions surrounding the media and to provide you with the skills necessary to begin
to find your own answers. Although I have my own opinions, no particular position will be deemed “correct” in
this class and students are encouraged to put forward any opinion that is backed by evidence and critical
thought.

EVALUATION
Due Date Assignment Platform Value Competency
code
February 7 Reading Response Lea Classroom 5% 1,2
March 7 Program-Specific Dilemma Linkr 15% 1,2,3
April 11 Position Paper Lea Classroom 25% 1, 2, 3, 4
Final Evaluation*
May 2 (A) Media Ethics Dilemma Proposal Lea Classroom 10%
TBD (B) Media Ethics Dilemma Linkr 35% 1,2,3
=45%
P.A.C.E. (Preparation, Autonomy,
Conduct, Engagement)
10% 1,2,3,4
Students provide a self-evaluation,
but teacher determines the final Lea Classroom
N/A
grade.
* Final Evaluation

For further information about evaluation, please consult the Institutional Policy for the Evaluation of Student
Achievement (IPESA) and the Language Policy available at www.marianopolis.edu/policies

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 2

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
READING AND LECTURE SCHEDULE
Readings should be completed before the class for which they have been assigned.

Section 1: “Intro to Ethical Frameworks”

January 31
Introduction to the Course

February 3
Terminology and Moral Dilemmas
 COURSEPACK READING: John Deigh, “What is Ethics,” 4-16 in An Introduction to Ethics (New York:
Cambridge, 2010)
 COURSEPACK READING: START John C. Merril, “Overview: Theoretical Foundations for Media Ethics,”
3-32 in A. David Gordon, John M Kittross, John C Merrill, William Babcock, and Michael Dorsher (eds.),
Controversies in Media Ethics, 3rd Edition (New York: Routledge, 2011)
***NOTE: THE MERRIL READING IS MEANT TO BE USED AT THE STUDENT’S DISCRESSION, AND
STUDENTS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO READ IT THOROUGHLY. RATHER, IT PROVIDES A RESOURCE WITH
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT FRAMEWORKS THAT A STUDENT MIGHT NEED EXTRA HELP WITH!!!!

February 7
Ethical Rationalism
 COURSEPACK READING: CONTINUE Merrill
 COURSEPACK READING: Excerpt. Kant, Immanuel. Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals.
1785.
 READING RESPONSE DUE (Deigh)

February 10
Ethical Relativism
 COURSEPACK READING: William Graham Sumner, "A Defense of Cultural Relativism," and Carolyn
Fluehr-Lobban, "Cultural Relativism and Universal Rights," in Christina and Fred Sommers (eds.), Vice
and Virtue in Everyday Life (Cengage, 2013): 219-231

February 14
Utilitarianism
 COURSEPACK READING: FINISH Merrill
 COURSEPACK READING: Excerpt. Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. 1861.

February 17
Virtue Ethics
 ONLINE READING: Scotty Hendricks, “Virtue Ethics: A Moral System You’ve Never Heard of but
Probably Use.” Big Think. 12 December 2016. Web. http://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/virtue-ethics-
the-moral-system-you-have-never-heard-of-but-have-probably-used
 BRING YOUR COURSEPACK TO CLASS: We will be referencing it

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 3

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
February 21
Section 2: “The Media’s Role in Creating Normative Values – What are the Ethical Issues?”
From Theory to Practice

February 24
The Ethical Limits of Advertising
 COURSEPACK READING: Lisa Shaw et al., (eds.) “Advertising Ethics,” 323-337 in Shaw et al., Sage Guide
to Business Ethics (Los Angeles: Sage, 2012).

February 28 – March 4 ****STUDY WEEK: COLLEGE CLOSED!!!****

March 7
Race and Marginalization in the Mainstream Media I: Introduction
 ONLINE READING: Carvell Wallace. “Why Black Panther is a Defining Moment for Black America.” New
York Times. 12 February 2018. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/magazine/why-black-
panther-is-a-defining-moment-for-black-america.html
 If you are having trouble accessing the article, MIO your teacher
 PROGRAM-SPECIFIC DILEMMA DUE

March 10
Race and Marginalization in the Mainstream Media II: Telling Indigenous Stories
 SCREENING: What does the media get right, wrong, and how it can improve telling Indigenous stories?,
John Abbott College Panel Discussion, April 2019.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/indigenous-stories-media-panel-tir-1.5085666

March 14
Gender I: Women and the Media
 COURSEPACK READING: Joan Tronto, “An Ethic of Care,” 251-263 in Ann Cudd and Robin Andreason
(eds.), Feminist Theory: a Philosophical Anthology (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005).

March 17
Gender II: Men, Masculinity, and the Media
 ONLINE READING: "Breaking Out of the Man Box.” Blackburn Center. Web.
https://www.blackburncenter.org/post/2018/05/02/breaking-out-of-the-man-box

March 21-29 ***MIDTERM EVALUATIONS: NO CLASSES!!!***

March 31
Section 3: “The Media in an Increasingly Global Era – Navigating Diversity and Difference”
The Internet I: Abuse in the Virtual World

April 4

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 4

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
The Internet II: Regulation in the Virtual World

April 7
Culture Clashes in the Global Village
 COURSEPACK READING: Mohamed, Ali. “Journalistic Ethics and Responsibility in Relation to Freedom
of Expression: An Islamic Perspective,” in Stephen Ward and Herman Wasserman (eds.), Media Ethics
Beyond Borders: A Global Perspective (New York: Routledge, 2010): 142-156.

April 11
In- Ethical Universalism and Non-European perspectives
 COURSEPACK READING: Excerpt. J Fourie, Pieter. “African Ubuntuism as a Framework for Media Ethics:
Questions and Criticism,” in Stephen J.A. Ward and Herman Wasserman (eds.) Media Ethics Beyond
Borders: A Global Perspective (New York: Routledge, 2010): 108-109.
 POSITION PAPER DUE

April 14
In-Class Debate

April 18 ****HOLIDAY: COLLEGE CLOSED!!!****

April 21 MONDAY SCHEDULE

Section 4: “The News Media, Democracy, and a Just Society”
An Introduction to the Concept of the Public Sphere
COURSEPACK READING: Excerpts from “Habermas’ Public Sphere,” Media Studies 101. And Jürgen Habermas,
The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1991).

April 25
Sensationalism

April 28
Good and Bad Frames vs. Fake News
 ONLINE READING: Sander van der Linden, Jon Roozenbeek and Josh Compton. “Innoculating against
Fake News About Covid-19.” Frontiers in Psychology, 23 October 2020.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566790/full

May 2
War Journalism
 FINAL EVALUATION: MEDIA ETHICS DILEMMA PROPOSAL DUE

May 5
Violent Images and the News
 ONLINE READING: Photographers Without Borders, “Code of Ethics,” Web.
https://www.photographerswithoutborders.org/code-of-ethics

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 5

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
May 9
WikiLeaks
 COURSEPACK READING: Benedetta Brevini, “WikiLeaks: Between disclosure and whistle-blowing in
digital times,” Sociology Compass 11 (2017): e12457.

May 12
Surveillance I

December 5 *** TEACHER-STUDENT DAY ***

Date TBD (May 16-30)

 FINAL EVALUATION: MEDIA ETHICS DILEMMA DUE

June 2 *** TEACHER-STUDENT DAY ***

COLLEGE POLICIES
All College policies can be found at: www.marianopolis.edu/policies/

Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement (IPESA)

The Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement (IPESA) reflects the College’s philosophy on
education and guides the assessment of student achievement by way of progressive and systematic evaluation.
This policy describes the goals and objectives of such evaluation, documents the means taken to arrive at
comprehensive and fair evaluation, and establishes the rights and sharing of responsibilities for all participants.
All students and faculty, administration and staff members are responsible for knowing the provisions of the
policy. The IPESA is available online on the College website and in “Documents” within Omnivox.

Academic Integrity
In keeping with the principles of fairness and honesty and consistent with the standards upheld by
institutions of higher learning, the College is committed to promoting and protecting academic
integrity. Students are expected to submit work that is entirely their own and properly acknowledge
any other person’s contribution to their work, when such contributions are permitted, in conformity
with the guidelines provided by the teacher.

Cheating, whether intentional or unintentional, constitutes a serious academic offence. It includes, but
is not restricted to, being in possession of or making use of material, tools, or services that have not
been authorized by the teacher or are not permitted under the College’s Examination Rules, obtaining
or providing unauthorized assistance for any submitted work, making or implying false claims about the
submission of work, plagiarism, making false claims or submitting false documentation related to
evaluations or other academic activities, or attempting to do any of the above.

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 6

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
 Plagiarism is a form of cheating that occurs when a student presents or submits the work of another, in
whole or in part, as their own. It includes but is not limited to using material from any source that is not
properly cited, submitting someone else’s paper as one’s own and receiving assistance from tutors,
family, or friends that calls the originality of the work into question. Plagiarism also includes presenting
or submitting one’s own work when such work has already been submitted for evaluation in another
course.

Suspected instances of cheating and plagiarism may be discussed with the Department Chair and will
be reported to the Associate Dean, Student Success. The sanction shall be decided by the Associate
Dean, Student Success and may include, but is not limited to, a grade of zero on the evaluation, a grade
of zero in the course, suspension, and/or expulsion from the College. The severity and nature of the
infraction, as well as any prior or concurrent infractions, will be taken into consideration when
determining the sanction. For work in which cheating, including plagiarism, has been found, the
teacher cannot permit a student to rewrite or re-submit the work, nor accept any replacement for the
work. The teacher also cannot adjust the grading scheme of the course, and the work is excluded from
the right to a grade appeal. Regulations related to cheating and plagiarism are available online in the
IPESA at www.marianopolis.edu/ipesa, Section 4.

Language Policy
The Marianopolis graduate shall be prepared to bring the powers of thought and language not only to the
challenge of academic studies but also to that of personal and public leadership in the contemporary world. In
all course activities, attention shall be paid to the structure of thought and the language characteristic of the
discipline; to reinforcing and integrating the language objectives of the different programs; and to the criteria
of the ministerial exit examination in language: comprehension and insight, organization of response, and
expression. High standards in the quality of written and spoken language shall be maintained. The Language
Policy is available online on the College website.

Student Code of Conduct

This document outlines expectations for student behaviour. The Student Code of Conduct is available online on the
College website.

Copyrighted Material
Any digital files of print copyrighted material, (including selections from books, journals, magazines,
newspapers, or other print copyrighted sources), shared by the teacher to the students in this course are
intended for the student’s personal use only. The student is permitted to make a single print copy of the digital
file. The student may not share the digital files with anyone outside this course.

POLICIES SPECIFIC TO THIS COURSE

Use of Electronic Devices:
Cell phones may not be used in class, unless the student suspects that there may be a family emergency, in
which case the ringer may be left on. In these situations, students must inform me in advance.

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 7

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.
Laptops are permitted, but students are asked to use them responsibly. Responsible use includes note-taking,
googling of terminology, or searching for alternative sources. Students found to be watching movies, using
Instagram, or engaging in other non-class activities on their laptop may lose the privilege of bringing it to class
in the future.

Students who wish to may be allowed to record lectures, but they must ask permission in advance. Students
are expressly prohibited, however, from publishing this material online.

Assignment Submissions and Late Policy:

Extensions will only be granted, in advance of the due date, if the student is able to demonstrate sufficient
cause for needing the extension. Assignments submitted after the due date will be penalized at a rate of 5% per
day, including weekends. No papers will be accepted after the last day of class.

All assignments must be uploaded as a Microsoft Word or Libre Office document to Lea by 11:59pm on the day
they are due, but you are strongly encouraged to submit earlier in the day, as the quality of papers generally
suffers late at night.

Any papers that are under or over the word count by more than 200 words will be penalized 5%. Students are
expected to use MLA formatting for citations, should double space their work and must use 12-point font.

Conduct:
As this course will involve difficult conversations, it is absolutely imperative that students approach each topic,
their peers, and the instructor with respect. Respectful disagreement is OK – in fact, it is desired – but hostile or
disrespectful words or actions will not be tolerated. Students who fail to respect Netiquette guidelines will be
asked to disengage, and those who infringe on the rights or privacy of other students or the instructor (for
example, by recording and sharing content without permission) will be reported to the Dean.

Students who are disrespectful during in-person classes will be given a warning. If the behaviour persists, they
will be asked to leave the classroom.

Omnivox/Léa:
The college’s course management system will be used to communicate with you throughout the term. Log on
to the system daily during the school week to make sure that you are aware of new messages sent by MIO. The
teacher will respond to MIOs within one work day.

345-LPH-MS, s. 18 Winter 2022 8

Marianopolis  is located on traditional  unceded Indigenous lands, with the  Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation
recognized as the custodians of the lands.  This class will therefore incorporate discussion of indigenous
experiences whenever it is possible to do so respectfully and without appropriating indigenous voices. Students
are invited to learn about indigenous knowledges and activism and consider their implications for an ethical
life.