Mass Media & Society. Distance-Learning Course Proposal. Brent Neumeier. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock

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1 Running Head: Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 1 Mass Media & Society Distance-Learning Course Proposal Brent Neumeier The University of Arkansas at Little Rock

2 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 2 A specific distance-learning course I would like to see offered in a distancelearning setting is Mass Media and Society. The course title is MCOM 2330 Mass Media & Society and is an actual course offered on campus in a traditional classroom environment but could easily be converted into a distance-learning format course. The purpose of this course is to teach students the relationships involving mass media, culture, and various other interconnected systems, both nationally and globally (UALR, 2011, p. 146). Mass Media & Society should be offered in a distance-learning environment not only to assist students with course scheduling but also to allow students to learn at a distance, since a majority of mass media comes from a distance. The two different delivery methods for Mass Media & Society are: (1) A traditional in-class lecture style course and (2) A distance-learning, e-learning style course. The traditional synchronous style course will require students to meet two or three times a week, listen to lectures, take notes, take exams, and write research papers. The same course offered in a distance-learning environment will require students to post weekly online discussions, research and write papers online, complete a portfolio project, and take a midterm and final exam. The assessments in these two methods of instruction are basically the same but the learning will take place in different ways. An example is students in a distance-learning course will learn more independently and this method has a more student-centered approach. The intended audience for MCOM 2330 Mass Media & Society is college level sophomores and juniors enrolled in a Mass Communication, Journalism, or RTVF (Radio, Television, Film) program at a four-year university. The grade level for this course is above 18 years old. There are no prerequisites for this course and this course is

3 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 3 required in all School of Mass Communication majors and some minors at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR, 2011, p. 146). This course is a prerequisite for other courses in the Mass Communication program, which is one reason it should be offered at a distance, to accommodate students who might not be able to attend a traditional in class environment due to scheduling conflicts (Work, Travel, or Family Obligations). The time frame for this course is a full 15-week semester. The course objectives for Mass Media & Society are to learn the definition of mass media, the types of mass media, learn the important terms of mass media, and analyze the roles of mass media and how it affects society. Important media terms that are taught are: bias, media politics, presidential campaigns, public opinion, public agenda, political cartoons or satirical media, like the Daily Show, censorship, television, and media violence. Students will be required to have weekly online discussions of functions, freedoms, and responsibilities of mass media and effects on individuals and groups (UALR, 2011, p. 146). Course objectives for Mass Media & Society are: 1. Definition of Mass Media 2. Types of Mass Media 3. Terms and Topics of Mass Media 4. Analyzing & Applying Roles of Mass Media A course outline is an essential aspect in designing a distance-learning course. This outline can be used to design the course syllabus. Each course objective is broken down into smaller separate learning modules within that objective. This course outline is based on Mass Media & Society being taught as a traditional 15-week college course.

4 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 4 Mass Media & Society Distance Learning Course Outline I. Define Mass Media Week 1 A. Discussion 1 1.) What do you think Mass Media is? B. Assignment 1 1.) Write a 2-page paper: What is Mass Media? II. Types of Mass Media A. Print Media - (Books, Newspapers, & Magazines) Week 2 1.) Discussion 2 a.) Research a major print media company (Newsweek, TIME, New York Post) b.) Why do you think this company is so successful? 2.) Assignment 2 a.) Find news article from a newspaper b.) Find article on the same topic from a magazine c.) Write a 2-page paper comparing the media coverage of the topic B. Broadcast Media (Television) Week 3 1.) Discussion 3 a.) Watch local television news each night for a week b.) Watch a cable news show for a week c.) Compare and contrast the difference in the two 2.) Assignment 3 a.) Write a 2-page paper explaining the difference: b.) How cable news covers an issue & how local news covers it? C. Internet Media (WebPages, Blogs, & Social Networking) Week 4 1.) Discussion 4 a.) How have WebPages, blog, & Social Media affected Mass Media? 2.) Assignment 4 a.) Create a Blog using Wordpress b.) This Blog will be used for further assignments c.) Post Assignment 1, 2, & 3 as the first 3 blog entries

5 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 5 III. Mass Media Terms & Rules A. Bias Week 5 1.) Discussion 5 a.) Research & find a print media article with bias b.) Why do you think the article is bias? 2.) Assignment 5 a.) Write two brief news articles on the same topic b.) 1-that has a bias slant, 1-that does not have bias B. Media Politics & Presidential Campaigns Week 6 1.) Discussion 6 a.) How has the mass media affected politics? b.) What role does the Internet play in a presidential campaign? 2.) Assignment 6 a.) Research a specific broadcast or print media. b.) Write a blog post: Does that specific media sway towards a political party? Why? (Fox News sways as Republican) C. Public Opinion & Public Agenda Week 7 1.) Discussion 7 a.) How does the public affect the media? b.) How has social media affected news selection? 2.) Assignment 7 a.) Write a blog post: b.) Do you think Mass Media gets news from social media? Why? D. Political Cartoons or Satirical Media Week 8 1.) Discussion 8 a.) Watch The Daily Show, Colbert Report, or Tonight Show b.) What was your favorite bit? c.) Do you think there is truth to satirical news? 2.) Assignment 8 a.) Write a blog post: b.) Does satirical news or political comedy have merit? E. Censorship Week 9

6 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 6 1.) Discussion 9 a.) How does the media censor news? 2.) Assignment 9 a.) Write a blog post: b.) Explain how news organizations get news c.) Why do you think an organization chooses one story over another? F. Violence on Television, News, and Media Week 10 1.) Discussion 10 a.) Do you think violence in news has gone too far with violence? Why? 2.) Exam 1 a.) Online exam on types of mass media terms & topics IV. Analyzing & applying rules of Mass Media A. Analyzing Mass Media Week ) Discussion 11 a.) Which type of mass media do you prefer? b.) Where do you get your news? (TV, Internet) Why? 2.) Project 1 a.) Choose a type of mass media: (Television, Internet etc.) b.) Analyze and examine how that media selects its stories c.) Build your own news organization. d.) What type of media? What stories would you cover? (Politics, Entertainment, Satirical News, etc.) e.) How would you do it? Would you use the public interest? f.) A paper or Powerpoint Presentation to explain Work Week Week 13 B. Applying rules of Mass Media 1.) Project 2 a.) How does the mass media apply rules to the Week 14 production of news stories? Like bias? b.) Complete a news story using your news organization c.) Post the news story to your blog d.) Apply the rules to your story: bias, public interest etc. Work Week Week 15

7 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 7 Along with this course outline, the instructor will need to develop rubrics for all papers and projects and change online discussion topics according to the textbook used in the course. Some additional information that will need to be added to this course proposal is a textbook for Mass Media & Society. The textbook I will use is MassCommunication: Living in a Media World by Ralph Hanson. However, after reviewing the textbook this course outline will need to be updated according to that specific textbook. The chapter readings do not fit my outline. Along with a textbook, a course management system will need to be administered for a distance-learning course. The course management system that would be appropriate for Mass Media in Society is Blackboard. Blackboard is the course management system that UALR uses. Blackboard offers all the tools and functions needed to administer this course in a distance-learning format. Blackboard allows students to have weekly discussion forms about topics and reply to other students work. Blackboard offers a test and quiz option and allows students to post assignments. More importantly Blackboard allows the instructor to organize the course, assignments, discussion boards, learning modules, videos, web links, rubrics, and other material so the student can easily find the material. Based on a study done earlier this year between five different universities, Blackboard proved to be the most widely used course management system, as the lead course management system in all five institutions. One of the benefits of offering Mass Media and Society as a distance learning course is that students whom are unable to meet the specific time frame of a traditional in-class course will not be left behind and can take courses the next semester that require Mass Media and Society as a perquisite. A second advantage of offering this

8 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 8 course from a distance is that mass media is all produced from a distance; news organizations across the globe gather and transmit information from a distance. What better way to study mass media at a distance then in a distance-learning course. However, with this advantages comes a disadvantage, with this course being offered as a distance learning course the students will have to be self disciplined, stay on track, and the instructor needs a strict outlined course. By using this course design with these course objectives and this course outline, Mass Media & Society can be issued as a distance-learning course. A common complaint I hear from students in the Mass Communication program is that they cannot take a course because they need Mass Media & Society as a prerequisite for that course. So, by offering Mass Media & Society as a distance-learning alternative to a traditional in class course, students will have the opportunity to take this course early and further their education as a benefit from that.

9 Mass Media and Society Distance Learning Course Proposal 9 References University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Undergraduate Catalog. ( ). Courses in School of Mass Communication. p Retrieved from: