Journalism 200, Section 401 Journalism History, Roles and Structures Mondays and Wednesdays, 2 to 3:15 p.m. Room 1103, Knight Hall Spring 2011

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1 Journalism 200, Section 401 Journalism History, Roles and Structures Mondays and Wednesdays, 2 to 3:15 p.m. Room 1103, Knight Hall Spring 2011 Dr. John F. Kirch JKirch@towson.edu Office: Room 172, Stephens Annex Office hours: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; or by appointment INTRODUCTION Course description: An introduction to the study of journalism from the standpoint of media history. (REG/P-F/AUD) Pre- or corequisite: Journalism 100. For journalism majors only. In an age of almost instant communication, it s easy to forget that for most of human history news traveled slowly. When American and British troops clashed at Concord and Lexington in 1775 to begin the Revolutionary War, the so-called shot heard round the world took four days to reach New York and more than a month to reach Georgia. As recently as the 1960s, American reporters in Southeast Asia waited several days before the battle footage they filmed in Vietnam was flown to the United States and aired on the network news. Things have changed, of course and today Americans watch news events like the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on live television. But how did we get to this point of instant global communication and what impact does that have on us as a society? What was it like in past centuries when news of major events took days, weeks or months to reach an audience? And what social, political and technological forces have shaped the news media as it developed in America over the past 300 years? These are more than academic questions. The media is an engine of change, and it changes nothing as fast as itself. These changes tend to come in cycles media history even more than general history tends to repeat itself, though never in quite the same way, and always with some unexpected twist. The journalist who knows the past is at a competitive advantage in anticipating the future. These changes tend to occur around the themes of technological and social upheaval, which in combination lead to political change. Throughout the semester, we will discuss how each new technology from the printing press to the satellite drastically expanded the range of human communication and aided in the spread of sometimes revolutionary ideas. In addition, we will look at specific eras in media development, such as the penny press and the age of yellow journalism; we will track the evolution of media from small weeklies into mass circulation dailies; and we will look at how reporters have functioned and survived during times of war and crisis. More importantly, this course will attempt to explain the current state of journalism by tying today s media environment to its historical roots. We will also look at the forces of social change, sometimes driven by technology and sometimes driving the technology. We begin with the Big Bang of the Enlightenment, from which flowed the discipline of science and the concept of human equality. The idea that

2 knowledge was power was a great democratizing force: anyone, no matter of what class or rank, could observe the world and record scientific fact. That the knowledge of public affairs was fundamental to democracy was a concept that followed naturally and led to journalism both as a business enterprise and as a profession and as a threat and a spur to government. In the United States, which offered a climate for journalism to flourish, the dynamics of compulsory mass education and emancipation (and later the civil rights movement) also had profound impacts on what the media did and how it did it. REQUIRED READING 1. Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History (Second Edition) by Rodger Streitmatter (ISBN: ) 2. Getting it Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism by W. Joseph Campbell (ISBN: ) 3. Magazine and journal articles that are handed out in class or placed on Blackboard. RECOMMENDED READING 1. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian (ISBN: ) ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING Each class will be conducted in either a lecture or seminar format. Students will be expected to read the material assigned for that day and participate in the class discussion. On occasion, we will watch and discuss a video. Your grade will be based on the following criteria: Research Paper: You will write a 6- to 8-page research paper on a topic that you choose and I approve. Your paper should analyze some aspect of media history prior to (No sports history, please.) The paper must use proper footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical citations, and it should include a bibliography with at least two books, two articles and one credible online citation. No encyclopedias can be used, particularly online versions like Wikipedia. You should develop a paper topic by February 9, when you are required to a one- to two-paragraph proposal that explains the issue you will analyze and what sources of information you plan to use. The research paper proposal should focus on a very narrow topic and be as specific as possible. In most cases, your first (and possibly your second and third) paper proposal will either be rejected or you will be asked to narrow your focus. Therefore, it is imperative that you meet the February 9 deadline so that you have time to revise your proposal in the preceding weeks. Your term paper topic must be approved by me no later than March 2 or your final grade will be penalized by at least one letter grade. I reserve the right not to accept any paper that either (1) did not receive final approval from me or (2) received my approval more than two weeks after the March 2 deadline. The research paper will be worth 30 percent of your final grade. This is a semester-long project, and I will expect

3 semester-long quality. Please do not wait until that last one or two weeks to work on this paper. Some topic ideas include the following: 1) Select a person, living or dead, who you believe influenced journalism significantly. Write a paper that focuses on a specific moment in this person s life that illustrates the key contribution he or she made to journalism. 2) Select an era in media history, such as the age of yellow journalism or the partisan press. Write a paper that examines a specific and significant moment in this era. For example, you might write a paper that examines how one or two newspapers covered the Spanish-American War as a way to explain how the press operated during the period of yellow journalism. 3) Select a major event in history, such as the Mexican War or the stock market crash of Write a paper that analyzes how two or three newspapers covered the event. Exams: You will have two exams during the semester and a Final Exam. Each test will consist of several short answer and essay questions. The questions will be based on material from the lectures, readings, videos, and class discussions. The exams are worth 50 percent of your grade. The Final Exam will include material discussed during the entire semester. Quizzes: Quizzes will be given approximately every third class. They will begin at the beginning of class and will usually consist of one simple question taken from the books or the lectures. Quizzes are worth 10 percent of your grade. You cannot make up a quiz that you miss for any reason. Book Review: You will write a 3- to 4-page book review that analyzes a book on the reading list attached to this syllabus. The review should summarize the main thesis of the book and critique its significance for journalism. It should also point out the book s strong and weak points. Students may choose to review a book that is not on the enclosed reading list, but you should obtain special permission from me in advance. The book review is worth 10 percent of your grade. Class Participation: Because some classes will be conducted in a seminar format, it will be imperative that everyone participate in class discussions. Movies: You are required to watch three movies (on your own time) that we will discuss in class. The movies are: His Girl Friday (starring Cary Grant), Inherit the Wind (starring Spencer Tracey), and All the President s Men (starring Robert Redford). All three movies are available at Hornbake Library. His Girl Friday is also available online at DEADLINES Since this is a journalism class, it is imperative that you meet all deadlines concerning the book review and the research paper. A paper is considered late if it is not handed to me at the beginning of class on the day it is due. You will lose a letter grade for each day that a paper is

4 late. If you are late, it will be your responsibility to the paper to me and make sure that I have received it. I will NOT accept any paper that is more than four days late, and you will receive an automatic F for that paper. ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE Assignment Due Dates Percent of Grade Quizzes Throughout semester 10% First Paper Proposal February 9 Exam I February 21 10% Book Review February 28 10% Paper Proposal Approval March 2 Exam II March 16 15% Research Paper May 4 30% Final Exam May 16 25% ATTENDANCE You are required to attend every session. If you are ill, please contact me before class. Anyone with two or more unexcused absences will not receive an A in the class. Anyone with five or more unexcused absences will be in danger of failing the class. Excused absences: Personal illness with doctor s note; personal family emergency, such as the death of a loved one; or religious holiday. Anyone receiving an excused absence must make arrangements with me to fulfill outstanding writing assignments or quizzes in a timely manner. This means that the writing assignment must be handed in before the day of you absence and quizzes must be taken on your first day in class after an excused absence. OTHER RULES Please do NOT talk, read a newspaper, surf the Web, check , send text messages or take phone calls during class time. Anyone who falls asleep, reads a newspaper, or surfs the Web during class will be considered absent for the day. All cell phones MUST be shut off and put away at the beginning of class. Laptop computers are permitted as long as you use them for note taking only. Texting: I consider texting during class to be rude and a sign of disrespect. If I determine that texting is a problem, I will institute the following policy: Anyone caught texting during class will receive a warning for the first offense. After that, I will penalize your final grade average by one point for every day you are caught texting after the initial warning.

5 ACADEMIC HONESTY The University of Maryland, College Park, has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit

6 Course Outline Unit I: The Role, Structure and Foundation of American Journalism Jan. 24 Jan. 31 Feb. 2 Feb. 7 Feb. 9 Feb. 14 Feb. 16 Feb. 21 Introduction: Review Syllabus and Themes of Course What is History? Reading: Who Owns History? By Spencer Crew; Streitmatter, Introduction and Chapter 16 Defining Journalism in the 21 st Century: Terrorism and Media Frames Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 15 The Economic Structure of News Reading: Are Newspapers Doomed? by Joseph Epstein; David Simon Testimony on the Future of Journalism. Cultural Transformation: The Black Death, Science and Zenger First term paper proposal is due today NO CLASS Class Discussion: His Girl Friday Assignment: Please watch this movie before coming to class today Exam I Unit II: Media Heritage: Development of the Early American Press Feb. 23 Feb. 28 March 2 March 7 March 9 March 14 March 16 The Press During Colonial and Revolutionary Times Reading: Ideals, Interests and Civil Liberty: The Colonial Press and Freedom, , By Clark Rivera; and Streitmatter, Chapter 1 The New Nation: Rise of the Partisan Press Book reviews are due today The Penny Press: Mass Circulation Dailies Term paper topic must receive final approval from me by today The Press and the Fight Over Slavery Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 2 The Newspaper Barons and the New Journalism Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 5; Campbell, Chapter 1 Challenging Power: The Muckrakers Reading: Streitmatter, Chapters 6 and 7 Exam II

7 March SPRING BREAK NO CLASS Unit III: The Modern American Media March 28 March 30 April 4 April 6 April 11 April 13 April 18 April 20 April 25 April 27 May 2 May 4 May 9 May 16 Radio: The Rise of Broadcasting Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 8; Campbell, Chapter 2 Class Discussion: Inherit the Wind Assignment: Please watch this movie before coming to class today The Left-Wing Media in America Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 3 The Press and Two World Wars Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 9 The McCarthy Era: Television s Finest Hour? Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 10; Campbell, Chapter 3 The Establishment Press and the Consensus of the 1950s NO CLASS The Literary Journalism Movement of the 1960s The 1960s: Civil Rights, Vietnam and Social Revolt Reading: Streitmatter, Chapters 11 and 12; Campbell, Chapter 5 Class Discussion: All the President s Men Assignment: Please watch this movie before coming to class today Reading: Streitmatter, Chapter 13; Campbell, Chapter 7 Ronald Reagan and the Press: The Battle for a Dominant Narrative The Age of Media Consolidation Research papers are due today New Technology and the Postmodern Journalist FINAL EXAM Monday, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.