Media History and Theory (AHI 212) Tuesday/Thursday 10:30 11:50 Dalrymple 25 Edward Stapel Phone: 887-7444 Email:

: edward.stapel@chestercollege.edu Office: PMAD Center Offices (2nd floor) Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 2:30 and by appointment This course will critically examine the production, dissemination and effects of media in contemporary society. To engage this complex dynamic, we will investigate media through various historical and theoretical lenses. We will focus on deepening our questioning of modes of communication that pervade most aspects of our daily lives. In the process of this examination, we will employ analytical strategies such as semiotics, structuralism and historical analysis to gain a more complex perspective on societal phenomena that are both ubiquitous and elusive. Ultimately, the goal of this class will be for students to become aware of various strategies of mediamaking and utilize those strategies to inform their own creative work. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: MediaMaking, Mass Media in a Popular Culture, Lawrence Grossberg, et al. 2nd ed. SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS: The Medium is the Message, by Marshall Mcluhan Poststructuralism and Semiotics, A primer on Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes Crisis of the Real, Andy Grundberg (STRONGLY) RECOMMENDED TEXTS: A dictionary (if you dont already have one) Dictionary.com (or similar website) bookmarked on your computer A Short Guide to Writing About Art (6th edition or later new or used) by Sylvan Barnet EXAMS: The Section 1 Exam and the Mid-term Exam will held on date to be determined and the full class time will be allotted. They will both consist of two parts: First, students will be required to define important terms discussed in class and included in the readings Second, students will be asked to write on essay topics based on class material. PRESENTATION AND PAPER: Team Presentations will require students to make two member teams and present a series of assigned readings to the rest of the class. Students will be asked to link their readings to a contemporary media phenomenon (Second Life, Face Book, etc.) and provide presentation material. Students will also submit a paper based on the presentation that formally outlines its thesis, provides supporting evidence and a

conclusion. First drafts will be submitted on the day of presentation. Final drafts will be submitted on the final exam date. FINAL EXAM: The final will be a take home essay exam given out on the last day of class (specific details to be determined). It will be due on the final exam date. EXTRA CREDIT OPTIONS: I do not offer extra credit to individual student who do poorly on exams or assignments as it is unfair to those who do well. However, I will offer extra credit options that are open to the entire class. If you do poorly on a given exam or assignment and would like to improve your grade it would behoove you to take advantage of any offered extra credit. ATTENDANCE AND GRADING POLICY: If you miss more than 3 classes, your final grade will be dropped one letter grade. If you miss more than 5 classes, you will fail this class. If you come to class 15 minutes late, you will be counted absent. There are no excused absences. Attendance is mandatory. If you have a conflict with a scheduled exam or due date it is your responsibility to make arrangements with me to turn in your work at another time. Readings and Assignments are to be completed by the beginning of class on the day that they are assigned. Since class discussion is a pertinent part of this class, class participation is mandatory and will be taken into consideration for grading. GRADING CRITERIA: Attendance and Participation Exam Mid-term Exam Presentation and Paper Final Exam

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ROUGH OUT LINE OF THE SEMESTER TUESDAY 8/31 Class intro and overview. 9/7 NO CLASS go to your Monday classes today! 9/14 Chapter 3 9/21 Chapter 4 9/28 Chapter 5 THURSDAY 9/2 Chapter 1 9/9 Chapter 2

9/16 Supplemental Reading: McLuhan 9/23 Exam 9/30 Supplemental Reading: Derrida and Barthes 10/7 Supplemental Reading: Grundberg 10/14 Review for Mid-term exam 10/21 Supplemental Reading: TBA 10/28 Chapter 8 11/4 Chapter 10 11/11 Chapter 11 11/18 Chapter 13 11/25 THANKSGIVING!

10/5 Chapter 6 10/12 Chapter 7 10/19 Mid-term exam 10/26 Supplemental Reading: TBA 11/2 Chapter 9 11/9 Supplemental Reading: TBA 11/16 Chapter 12 11/23 Presentation/Papers assigned and discussed 11/30 Presentation/Paper Team 1 12/7 Presentation/Paper Team 3 FINAL EXAM DUE DATE: TBA

12/2 Presentation/Paper Team 2 12/9 Final Exam Assigned