Course Contents

COMM 432, Media in Film, is an entirely online, asynchronous course. In case you do not know, asynchronous means, in the context of online teaching, that we will NOT meet at regular times as a group. You will find online all the material you need to success in the course. You will have the flexibility to work whenever you can plan it in your schedule. It is, thus, very important that you regularly (at least once a day) log in to Blackboard Learn in order to keep up to date.

Media in Film has to be regarded as a complement to the existing departmental courses in Mass Communication (COMM 230 Intro to Mass Communication, COMM 405 Principles and Process of Mass Communication and COMM 431 Mass Media and Society). In those courses, we study the nature and development of Mass Communication and the impact of Mass Media on individuals and society.
This course explores how the same topics are treated in filmic fiction. The human being is, as defined by Walter Fisher, a narrative animal. We invent and tell stories in order to make sense of the world around us, our society, our lives. There is a rich tradition of movies that delve into the media industry. The filmmakers study through their characters’ fates the nature of mass communication and how media shape the life of the people who work for them or are exposed to them. Filmmakers do not want to establish theories, systematic explanation of what Mass Communication is and how it works. Their approach is much more intuitive. Narrators usually have a stronger sensibility that allows them to cast a personal glance on the issues they touch and describe in their stories. We will use this especial feature of storytellers to approach the study of mass communication from a new perspective.
The course will analyze how advertising, public relations, TV or Radio, are portrayed in the selected films. We will try to compensate the visions. We will combine critical movies with other stories that deal with the subject in a more positive – in some cases also ideal – way. Since digital communication technologies are introducing a new communication paradigm that blurs the traditional difference between mass and interpersonal communication, we will end the course with a reflection on the power of new media to establish virtual relationships.
In addition to watching the mandatory movies, the course has a reading intensive aspect. Our methodology will base on a constant comparison of the film contents with theoretical work of classic authors in Mass Communication. We want to see to what extent the intuition of the filmmakers coincides with the observations of the experts in the field.

Literature

Public Opinion

Lippmann, Walter, 1922.

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man

McLuhan, Marshall, 1964

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Postman, Neil, 1985

The Disappearance of Childhood

Postman, Neil, 1982

PR! A Social History of Spin

Ewen, Stuart, 1996

Positioning, The Battle for your Mind

Ries, Al & Trout, Jack, 1982

Captains of Consciousness. Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture

Ewen, Stuart, 1976

New Media: A Critical Introduction

Lister, M et all, 2009

Grading

Exams
	Midterm Exam	20%
	Final Exam	35%
Film Analysis Paper		25%
Participation		20%

Exams

There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. There will be no make-up exams (except for well documented medical emergencies). Exams will cover both the contents of the learning units and the readings. Midterm and Final Exam will be completed in Blackboard Learn.

Film Analysis Paper

You will have to write a Film Analysis Paper,  worth 20% of your final grade, following the APA style guidelines. The first step is to select a movie that deals with the subject of Mass Communication and analyze it on the basis of the theories discussed in the course. You can find a good selection of films in film collection page in this Website.
You can perfectly write your film analysis in 8-10 pages (doubles spaced, Times New Roman font size 12).

Papers are delivered online through the particular assignment’s page in Blackboard Learn. I will not accept papers sent through any e-mail system. Make sure that you attach you paper as a PDF or Microsoft WORD document. If you send the assignment in any other format, I may not be able to open it.

YOU CANNOT USE ANY OF THE MANDATORY FILMS FOR THE FILM ANALYSIS PAPER.

Participation

Each Student is expected to participate in the online discussion forums that will be announced every week in the course’s home page in Blackboard Learn. The participation grade will be based on the regularity of your participation and the quantity and quality of your entries.

Policies

Please Note: The instructor reserves the ultimate right to modify the schedule of activities, assignments and tests for the class as it deems necessary. In addition, the professor reserves his rights to assess the overall ability of the students to meet the expectations of the course and will exercise his right to pass or fail the student accordingly.

Incompletes: The University’s policy on the awarding of incompletes is discussed in the catalog and will be followed in this class.

Academic dishonesty: CCSU has a zero tolerance policy on academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on homework or exams, and also plagiarism. Demonstrated cases of academic dishonesty can result in severe penalties including receiving an “F” in the class.

To learn more about this subject, please read CCSU’s policy of academic misconduct at

http://web.ccsu.edu/academicintegrity/UndergradAcadMisconductPolicy.htm

Special Needs: Please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs if you believe you need course accommodations based on the impact of a disability, medical condition, or if you have emergency medical information to share. I will need a copy of the accommodation letter from Student Disability Services in order to arrange your class accommodations. Contact Student Disability Services, room 241, Copernicus Hall if you are not already registered with them. Student Disability Services maintains the confidential documentation of your disability and assists you in coordinating reasonable accommodations with your faculty. 

Diversity Statement: It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. We will present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, culture, perspective, and other background characteristics. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups.  In addition, we have attempted to avoid conflicts with major religious holidays. If, however, we have inadvertently scheduled an exam or major deadline that creates a conflict with your religious observances, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make other arrangements.

Date	Topic
Week 0 1/17-1/19	Introduction to the Course
Week 1 1/22-1/26	The Medium is the Message Broadcast News (James L. Brooks, 1987)
Week 2 1/29-2/2	Amusing Ourselves to Death Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
Week 3 2/5-2/9	The Disappearance of Childhood Being There (Hal Ashby, 1979)
Week 4 2/12-2/16	Muckrakers All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
Week 5 2/19-2/23	Mass Media and Democracy The Front Page (Billy Wilder, 1974)
Week 6 2/26-3/1	Radio Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)
Week 7 3/4-3/8	Midterm Exam Friday, 3/8
Week 8 3/18-3/22	Public Relations Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman, 2005)
Week 9 3/25-3/29	Political Communication Wag the Dog (Barry Levinson, 1998 /
Week 10 4/1-4/5	Advertising Advertising Rules (Lars Kraume, 2001)
Week 11 4/8-4/12	Cinema – Factory of Dreams The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen, 1985)
Week 12 4/15-4/19	Cinema: The Production Process La Nuit Américaine (Francois Truffaut, 1983)
Week 13 4/22-4/26	New Technologies The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010)
Week 14 4/29-5/3	5/3:Film Analysis Paper Due
May 6 – May 12	Final Exams