Media, Propaganda, and Public Opinion     PLSI 328, Fall 2011

TR 3:10 to 5:15pm                  Office: BDC (COB) 239

Dr. Michael Ault                     Email: mault@csub.edu

Office Hours: TR Phone: 661.654.2022
and by appointment                         Website: www.csub.edu/~mault/classes.htm

Dirk Horn (Principal Teaching Assistant)

Office: BDC 240

Phone: 654-6344

Office Hours: TR 2:30 to 4:30 and by appointment.

The contents of this document will affect your performance in this class and ultimately your academic career. To ensure that you understand the classroom policies, the course requirements, and my professional expectations, please read the entire document carefully. You are responsible for any changes that may occur during the course of the quarter and you will be held responsible for all announcements that are made in class.

Course Description

This course is organized as a seminar for advanced undergraduate students in the humanities and social sciences. We will focus on the intersection of media (all forms), propaganda, and the social-political-economic links of media in America by reading core theoretical writings in politics that address such varied phenomena as the role of media in the formation of culture, the political/institutional structure of media, the use and implication of propaganda, observing the political world through the lens of television, and the public relations industry.  Themes will include classical conceptions of public opinion in a democratic state, the political economy of the media, political sociology, literature, and communications.

Course Requirements

Mid-term Exam 30%: The test format is short answer and essay, and will cover both the course readings, movies, and classroom lectures.

Final Exam 30%: Your final exam will be comprehensive and will count for 30% of your total grade. The test format is short answer and essay, and will cover both the course readings and classroom lectures. If you have an unexcused absence for your final exam, you will receive a 0 for that test -- this means you will fail the course.

**Final Exam is Located Here.**

Unannounced Quizzes and Reading Reflection Assignments 30%: It is impossible to do well in this course if you just simply read the material without thinking about it. The quizzes and class assignments are designed to engage you with the readings.  One way to try to make sense of the readings is by asking yourself questions. For example, What is the author saying? What are the major and minor points?  Does it make sense? What problems does it raise? The quizzes are designed to test: 1) whether or not you have read, and 2) whether or not you understand what you have read. There will be no advance notice of quizzes and there will be no make-up quizzes. For the class assignments, you will be asked to review an argument presented in class or the readings.  You will have to explain the argument, assess its merits, and identify its shortcomings. These assignments range in length from 1-6 pages.

Class Participation 10%: I expect all students to come to class prepared to engage in discussion and critique of the assigned material. I consider this to be a critical part of the educational journey - learning requires that you become actively engaged in your own educational development. This means when reading the material, you should take notes and you should come to class each day with at least two questions concerning the readings.

Academic Expectations and Attendance: I expect that every student is taking this class because s/he is interested in pursuing the study of important ideas and the analysis of our social and historical conditions.  Until proven otherwise, I’ll assume that every student in the class will receive an “A”.  Failure to complete any of the assignments, or assignments that in the estimation of the instructor represent minimal effort on the part of the student, will lead to deductions from that grade, as will a failure to attend class regularly and participate in class discussion.  It is impossible for you to do well in this class without attending regularly and your participation is required. 

Personal Conferences: I have office hours and I encourage you to take advantage of them to come and discuss any problems you may be having with this course or with University life in general. If you cannot see me during my scheduled office hours, please feel free to come by my office or schedule an appointment.

Texts

· PLSI at CSUB Books*

· Miscellaneous Readings. 

Class Schedule

Theme One: Introduction to the Class

Week One: 9/13 and 9/15.

Video: The Century of the Self

Theme Two: War and Propaganda

Week Two: 9/20 and 9/22.

Video: The Most Dangerous Man in America, Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.

Assignment: NMSSP (TBA)

Week Three: 9/27 to 9/29.

Read: Propaganda, by Edward Bernays. pp, 9-82.

Video: The Goebbells Experiment.

Week Four: 10/4 and 10/6.

Read: Propaganda, by Edward Bernays. pp, 83-145.

Video: Control Room.

Week Five: 10/11 and 10/13.

Midterm Examination (We will not be meeting in class this week).

Take home Midterm will be available 10/6.

Midterm is due 10/13.

Theme Three: Advertising and Public Relations

Week Six: 10/18 and 10/20

Video: No Logo.

Week Seven: 10/25 and 10/27

Video: Toxic Sludge is Good for You.

Theme Four: Television

Week Eight: 11/1 and 11/3

Video: The Electronic Storyteller: Television and the Cultivation of Values.

Week Nine: 11/8 and 11/10

Video: Class Dismissed: Race, Gender and Class.

Reading: Republic.com 2.0, pp 1-96.

Theme Five: “New Media” and The News

Week Ten: 11/15 and 11/17

Read: Republic.com 2.0, pp. 97-150.

Final Exam: 11/17.

Additional Information

The following points are intended to enhance the classroom environment.  Some of them are pre-existing regulations determined by the university, and others describe the basic expectations for anyone prepared to embark on an educational journey.

1. You are expected to work two (2) hours out of class for every unit (credit) received for this class, thus a total of approximately eight to ten (8-10) hours per week.  If you are working less than this, and find you are having trouble understanding the material, you need to spend more time reading, taking notes, asking questions, and visiting me during office hours.
2. All writing submitted must be typed; double spaced; 1” margins; type size no bigger than 12 point.  Please do not attach cover sheets or plastic bindings. 
3. This is not a composition class.  I expect that all students have a basic proficiency in reading and writing. I encourage all students who are concerned about their writing ability to contact The CSUB OASIS Writing Center for information regarding free tutorial services and writing assistance labs.  They are open Monday through Friday and offer a variety of services to CSUB students.
4. Please come to class on time, prepared to engage in attentive and active listening and respectful commentary.  Please turn off all electronic communications equipment (cell phones, etc.) which would provide a distraction to others in the class. 
5. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance. Plagiarism—the misuse of published or unpublished works of another by claiming them as one’s own -- is a serious offense and will lead to a grade of “F” for the class and disciplinary action by the university.

I have office hours and I strongly encourage you to take advantage of them to come and discuss any problems you may be having with this course or with University life in general. If you cannot see me during my scheduled office hours, please drop by my office any time, or call to see if I am there.  If not, leave a message and I’ll be back with you shortly to arrange a time to meet.  You may contact me through email, as well.

Students with demonstrated disabilities are encouraged to speak with me as soon as possible in order to identify any ways in which your disability may be accommodated.