Mcmaster University Undergraduate Course

Sociology 3AA3E THE SOCIOLOGY OF MASS MEDIA Fall, 2001 Instructor: Dr. David Young Course Outline Contact Information My name is Dr. Young, and my office is KTH 629. My office hours are Mondays, 5:30-6:30 pm and Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 pm. Please note: I would appreciate it if you could, as much as possible, consult with me when I am scheduled to be in my office (not at the beginning of a class, during a break, or at the end of a class). If you are unable to speak with me during scheduled office hours, you may ask me to arrange an appointment for you. My office hours will not be in effect on holidays, during the term-end examination period, or during Reading Week. My office telephone number is 905-525-9140, Ext. 23615. Please note: Leave your name, a telephone number (spoken slowly), and a very brief message. My email address is [email protected]. Please note: Any email message should deal with something short and simple (such as setting up an appointment). Complicated matters (such as assistance with assignments) can only be addressed in my office. Course Description The first objective of the course is to help students develop a sociological understanding of the mass media that is based on critical perspectives. These critical perspectives are political economy (which focuses on the ownership and control of the mass media) and cultural studies (which focuses on the ideology in the content of the mass media). Both perspectives are influenced by the work of Karl Marx and his followers and well as others who are critical of the kind of society we have and advocate social change. We will therefore be critical of the impact that capitalism has had on the mass media. We will be critical of audience research that aims to enhance the power and profits of private corporations. We will be critical of the growing power of private corporations over the mass media through ownership concentration and globalization. We will be critical of the capitalist, patriarchal, and racist ideology that is embedded in the content of the mass media. The second objective of the course is to help students develop an understanding of the mass media in Canadian society. Consequently, the issues identified above will frequently be addressed in relation to critical Canadian research. Some uniquely Canadian topics will also be examined. We will be critical of the role played by motion pictures and broadcasting in the historical domination of Canada by the United States. We will be critical of the role played by public broadcasting in the historical domination of Quebec by Canada. With regard to issues involving the mass media, we will be critical of Canadian private corporations and the Canadian state which serves the interests of these corporations.

Course Format This is a lecture course. It is scheduled to run for three hours one night a week. You will be given a 15 minute break at a convenient point (toward the middle of the class period), but you should be prepared for the class to run the full three hours on many nights. I will be showing a number of videos in addition to giving lectures, and the videos necessarily add to the class time. There is no tutorial for the course. However, depending on the number of students in the class and the quality of the classroom, I may try to incorporate some discussion of points raised in the lecture or discussion of the videos. Course Requirements The course requirements, and the weights attached to them in the calculation of your final grade, are as follows: In-Class Test Critical Media Journal Final Examination

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During the first few weeks of the term, you will be given a handout which provides comprehensive instructions for completing the critical media journal. The journal is due on Nov. 26. Through this assignment, you will demonstrate your understanding of critical perspectives on the mass media. The in-class test will be held on Oct. 15, and the final examination will be scheduled by the Registrar=s Office for sometime between Dec. 5-18. The in-class test will cover all material up to that point in the course while the final examination will cover the material between the in-class test and the end of the course. The test and examination will be based on a combination of multiple choice questions and essay questions. Additional information about the test and examination will be supplied shortly before they are held. No information about the test or examination will be released to individual students before this information is announced to the entire class. You will only be permitted to write a missed test or examination if you provide official documentation of medical or compassionate conditions which explain your absence (e.g., a doctor=s note or a death certificate). Similarly, if you do not submit the critical media journal on time, a penalty (2% per day) will be imposed unless you provide official documentation of medical or compassionate conditions which explain the lateness. The official documentation must cover the relevant course date, and it must be presented to the instructor within ten days of the missed date. You should be aware that any course material may end up on a test or examination. This material includes lectures, readings, videos, reviews or summaries of course material, etc. Any videos that are shown will not be made available for students who miss them, so you are advised to be in class and take notes on this material.

Grades Many of the grades in this course will be letter grades. However, for purposes of interpretation and calculation of a final course grade, the numerical mid-point (or approximate numerical mid-point) of a letter grade will also be provided. In the case of a failing grade (ie., an F), the numerical equivalent (between 0%49%) will be the decision of the marker. The penalty for lateness (2% per day) will be deducted from the numerical equivalent attached to your letter grade. Academic Ethics You are advised to familiarize yourself with the university=s regulations on academic ethics. Please see the AStatement on Academic Ethics@ in the Senate Policy Statements (which are distributed at registration and available in the Senate Office). Please see as well the ASenate Resolutions on Academic Dishonesty@ (which are also available in the Senate Office). Student Responsibility It is your responsibility to attend all classes in this course. The instructor bears no responsibility for difficulties experienced by students who do not attend classes. The instructor will not provide copies of overheads or lecture notes. The instructor will not brief students on what they have missed (including announcements regarding the in-class test, the final examination, or other important matters). Like the instructor, the teaching assistant for this course is not responsible for supplying you with material or information that you have missed. It is your responsibility to ensure that any travel plans you make do not conflict with the scheduled classes in this course or the term-end examination period. The instructor bears no responsibility for difficulties experienced by students who ignore this requirement. It is your responsibility to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner during each class. You must not engage in any behaviour which is disruptive or distracting. This behaviour includes (but is not limited to) arriving late for class or after a break; talking to someone during the class; reading a newspaper, magazine, book, etc. during the class; sleeping during the class; and leaving before the class is over. If there are circumstances when you absolutely must leave before the class is over, you are required to inform the instructor at the beginning of the class. Finally, the class must not be interrupted by the ringing of cellular phones, and such phones must not be used inside the classroom (even during a break). It is your responsibility to listen to the lectures and take good notes. Unless a student has official documentation of special needs, no audio taping of the lectures will be allowed. Course Readings 3

All of the required readings for this course (which are set out in the schedule below) have been assembled in a Custom Courseware package. The package is available for purchase through the McMaster Bookstore.

Course Schedule The course schedule below identifies the course topics, the dates when the topics will be addressed, and the required readings for the topics. You will be given reasonable notice if any significant change has to be made in the schedule. Part I: Toward a Critical Sociological Analysis of the Mass Media Theoretical and Methodological Issues (Sept. 10) Reading: Vincent Mosco, ACommunications Studies in North America: The Growth of Critical Perspectives@ Issues in Research on Audiences (Sept. 17) Reading: Liss Jeffrey, ARethinking Audiences for Cultural Industries: Implications for Canadian Research@ Part II: Political Economy, Cultural Studies, and the Impact of Capitalism on the Mass Media Ownership and Globalization (Sept. 24) Reading: Edward S. Herman and Robert W. McChesney, AThe Rise of the Global Media@ Ideology and the News (Oct. 1) Reading: Graham Knight, ANews and Ideology@ No Class on Oct. 8 (Thanksgiving) In-Class Test (Oct. 15) Part III: The Political Economy of Canadian Mass Media Canadian Motion Pictures (Oct. 22) Reading: Seth Feldman, AAnd Always Will Be: The Canadian Film Industry@

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Canadian Broadcasting I: Americanization (Oct. 29) Reading: Dallas W. Smythe, AMedia of Canadian Cultural Submission III: Broadcasting@ Canadian Broadcasting II: National Unity (Nov. 5) Reading: Marc Raboy, APublic Television, the National Question, and the Preservation of the Canadian State@ Part IV: Cultural Studies, Social Inequality, and the Mass Media Representation of Race (Nov. 12) Reading: Marc Grenier, ANative Indians in the English-Canadian Press: The Case of the >Oka Crisis=@ Representation of Gender (Nov. 19) Reading: Carol M. Dole, AWoman with a Gun: Cinematic Law Enforcers on the Gender Frontier@ Representation of Class (Nov. 26) Reading: Richard Butsch, AClass and Gender in Four Decades of Television Situation Comedy: Plus ça Change...@ Part V: Overview of a Critical Sociological Analysis of the Mass Media Course Review and Strategies for Change (Dec. 3) Reading: None Final Examination (Dec. 5-18)

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