Sp 312: Media Literacy
Tuesday and Thursday 12-1:50 p.m.
BHB 222

Instructor: Jil M. Freeman
Phone: (503) 725-5358
Office: NH 36
e-mail: jil@pdx.edu
Office Hours: T/Th 10-11:45 p.m., and by appointment
Fax: (503) 725-5385

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Silverblatt, A., Ferry, J., & Finan, B. (1999). Approaches to media literacy: A handbook. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.

You will be asked to consult various other media texts throughout the term. These texts can be found in the PSU Library. If you are not familiar with academic journals or the PSU Library, you should visit the library during the first week of the term.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Have a clear understanding of the central issues in media literacy
2. Deconstruct, analyze, evaluate and even construct media messages and meanings
3. Understand the influence of media in social, political and personal lives
4. Evaluate and analyze media as a socialization tool
5. Construct media artifacts in democratic and socially responsible ways

ASSIGNMENTS:

There are 4 graded assignments in this course. The projects will be evaluated separately, but are interrelated and collaborative.

Media Monitoring Log:

Each week you will be asked to complete a different assignment for your media monitoring log. In order to help you become an informed citizen and critical consumer of media, these assignments will require you to engage with the media in some fashion. Assignments will be handed in each week and must be typed! Assignments will be handed out on Tuesday and will be due on the Tuesday of the following week. Details will be explained in class. (100 points)

"Big 9" & FCC Project:

In a group of 5-6 of your peers, you will be assigned one of the nine large media corporations in the US. Your group will be asked to put together a poster illustrating the media holdings and assets of the corporation. One group will be assigned to research the FCC instead of a corporation. In addition to the poster, your group will be asked to give a brief 5-minute presentation highlighting the key assets of your given corporation. A detailed project sheet will be handed out when the corporations are assigned. While this project will focus on information gathering, it will also address the implications of concentrated media ownership in both personal and social contexts. (25 points)

Group Analysis Project:

You will be asked to complete a media analysis paper with a group of 4-5 of your colleagues. In this project, you will pick one media artifact and analyze it using several of the critical questions presented in class and the methods described in Silverblatt, et al. Media artifacts can include advertising campaigns, television shows, films, websites, albums, newspapers, magazines, etc. One member per group will be assigned a chapter in Silverblatt and your group will be responsible for teaching your colleagues about the analytical method described in the text. More details will follow during the third week of class. (100 points)

Media Development Project:

This class will focus not only on your role as a media consumer, but also your role as a media producer. For your final class project, you will work in a group of 4-5 students to develop a media artifact in light of democratic and critically minded media literacy. Previous students have used this project as an opportunity to make magazines, produce television shows, make educational films, produce radio shows, create new advertising campaigns, develop websites, etc. I will hand out specific guidelines and discuss possible projects during the fifth week of class. Project proposals are due during the seventh week of class. (75 points)

A note on group work:

These assignments are done in collaborative groups, and you will be given limited in-class time to meet and discuss your efforts. Therefore, you will be expected to meet outside of class to complete the assignments. Evaluations will be group based, but each individual is responsible to their group. In order to encourage fair, responsible and ethical group experiences, each individual will be asked to complete peer evaluations for the latter two group assignments.

GRADING POLICY:

Grades are based on a standard A-F scale.

Total points in the course: 300 points.