IC Senior Seminar Spring 2015: January 2015

Here is a sample TPM:

Sample TPM

Putting It All Together: Rules/Norms

To get a clear picture of the role of media in the lives of young people, it is necessary to examine their overall media exposure as well as their home media environments.

When looking at the amount of time children and teens spend with media, it is important to make the distinction between media exposure and media use. Media exposure refers to the total amount of time spent with each medium while media use measures the amount of time devoted to media overall. The latter takes into account children and teenagers’ ability to multi-task and consume more than one medium at a time. For example, a teenager who spends an hour flipping through a magazine while watching TV would have two hours of total media exposure, but would only one hour of media use. A study conducted by Roberts and colleagues indicates that among eight to 18-year-olds, in one day overall media exposure totals eight hours and 33 minutes, and media use equals six hours and 21 minutes. These figures suggest that young people “will spend more time with media than with any other activity besides sleeping” (28).

Since it is clear that young people spend a great deal of time consuming media, it is critical to explore environment where they are exposed to the most media: the home. Exploring the media environment of the home means looking at the prevalence of media (the number of television sets, computers, etc.) and the attitude surrounding the use of media. For households containing a person aged eight to 18, 99 percent of homes have a television and the average number of television sets for these households is 3.5. With such access to TV (as well as other media), the study suggests that the most accurate term to describe today’s youth is “media saturated.” This kind of “media saturation” continues into the bedroom where 68 percent of eight to 18-year-olds have a TV and 49 percent have a video game system. The presence of media in the bedroom indicates that these kids will have a higher level of overall media exposure.

Differences in the importance of media in the home along with parental rules governing the use of media creates six distinct groups to classify youth media consumption: media lite, VidKid, interactor, restrictred, indifferent, and enthusiast. Each of these categories take into account access, interest in media, and amount of time spent with media, as well as the general attitude toward media in the home. While the differences between these groups indicate differences in media consumption amongst young people, an analysis of overall media exposure indicates that on the whole, consuming media makes up a large portion of a young person’s free time and maintains a position of centrality in many home environments.

When spelled out on the page, the eight hours and 33 minutes that young people spend with media in one day and the fact that 68 percent have televisions in their bedrooms is initially shocking. However, when looking at my own media consumption, these numbers make more sense. In my four-person apartment there are four TVs, four computers all equipped to play DVDs, three DVD players, and two video game systems. And I am sure that we are closer to the norm than the minority. This coupled with the idea that young people are more wired and connected to media than ever before, makes these numbers seem less surprising.

Furthermore, the speculation that these numbers “may represent a ceiling in the amount of time young people can or will devote to using media,” is, in my opinion, inaccurate. For one, the Kaiser study published in 2009 indicates that youth media exposure has increased. Furthermore, the concept of media multi-tasking and increased portability of media indicates that simultaneous media use and overall media exposure can continue to increase. While actual media use probably cannot increase much (as there are only 24 hours in a day), there is still room for overall media exposure to grow. As media continues to take on a central position in the home, it is only fitting that youth media exposure will remain high.

-Do you have a TV in your bedroom at home? If so, at what age did you get one? How do you think this impacted your media consumption? Why did you want your own TV?

-Of the six media classifications (media lite, VidKid, interactor, restrictred, indifferent, and enthusiast), how would you classify yourself? What factors do you think contributed to this?

-How effective do you think parental rules governing media consumption are for kids?

-Which measurement (media exposure vs. media use) do you think says more about media centrality and youth media usage? What do you think each of these measurements demonstrates?

Ithaca College

Senior Seminar
Socialization of Children via Mass Media
TVR 46000
Fall 2015

Instructor: Dr. Jack Powers
Office: Park #368
E-mail: jpowers@ithaca.edu
Office Hours:

Mondays: 11:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; and 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Wednesdays: 11:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; and 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Additional hours may be available by appointment.

Course description:
Children and the Media is a survey course designed to explore the role of media in the lives of children and adolescents—primarily from a social science perspective. Specifically, the course deals with three areas:

1) how the popular media socialize children;

2) the future media environment; and

3) policy issues and advocacy.

Through lectures, class discussions, debates, presentations, and assignments, we shall critically examine the impact the mass media have had on children in America (primarily—with some emphasis on the effects of media on children outside the United States).

Course Objectives/Goals:
By the end of the term, students enrolled in this course should be able to

1. Discuss and argue points of view related to children and media in the United States.
2. Understand and discuss the emergence of mediated learning in children’s lives.
3. Understand and discuss the impact of mass media on the lives of children.
4. Know the developmental stages in a child’s development and the role the media play at each stage.
5. Synthesize research material regarding children and mass media.

To achieve these goals, students will read extensively, write summary/reaction pieces, make formal presentations, actively participate in intellectual discussions, and write and present a research paper about children and the media.

Required texts:
Comstock, G., & Scharrer, E. (2007). Media and the American child. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Suggested texts:

Gentile, D. (Ed.) (2014). Media violence and children: A complete guide for parents and professionals, 2nd edition. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Shrum, L.J. (Ed.) (2012). The psychology of entertainment media: Blurring the lines between entertainment and persuasion, 2nd edition. New York, NY: Routledge.

Additional reading material will be made available to you throughout the term. Most of that material will be posted on the blog.

Evaluation and grading:
Overall grades will be based on the following percentages:

93 – 100 A
90 – 92 A-
87 – 89 B+
83 – 86 B
80 – 82 B-
77 – 79 C+
73 – 76 C
70 – 72 C-
67 – 69 D+
63 – 66 D
60 – 62 D-
00 – 59 F

Academic Integrity: Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. This includes plagiarism, passing off someone else's work as your own, and submitting the same papers/assignments for credit to multiple classes. Please refer to the Ithaca College student handbook for the college’s official stance. Feel free to speak to me concerning this subject.

Attendance:
Here is the official Ithaca College stance on attendance:

College Policy

Students at Ithaca College are expected to attend all classes, and they are responsible for work missed during any absence from class. At the beginning of each semester, instructors must provide students in their courses with written guidelines regarding possible grading penalties for failure to attend class. Students should notify their instructors as soon as possible of any anticipated absences. Written documentation that indicates the reason for being absent may be required. These guidelines may vary from course to course, but are subject to the following restrictions:

1. In accordance with New York State law, students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. Such students must notify their course instructors at least one week before any anticipated absence so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination without penalty. Faculty will not schedule examinations or quizzes on designated religious holidays on the calendar day following the designated holidays. Designed holidays are Rosh Hashanah (2 days), Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

2. Any student who misses class due to a verifiable emergency - such as an illness requiring attention by the health center, or hospitalization, death, or serious illness of a family member, or required appearance in a court of law - shall be excused. Students may notify the Office of Student Affairs about any emergency, and that office will notify the appropriate faculty member.

A student may be excused for participation in college-authorized co-curricular and extracurricular activities such as athletic events, musical and theatrical performance, and professional conferences if, in the instructor's judgment, this does not impair the specific student's or the other students' ability to succeed in the course.

The course instructor has the right to determine if the number of absences has been excessive in view of the nature of the class that was missed and the stated attendance policy. Depending on the individual situation, this can result in the student being removed from or failing the course.

This is my addendum to that policy--

Obviously, a seminar does not work if students aren’t in class to engage in lively, intellectual discussion. The goal is to create an environment so that students will “want” to attend. Students who regularly miss class will see their participation grades suffer.

Standards of Academic Conduct:

A.	Academic honesty is a cornerstone of the mission of the College. Unless it is otherwise stipulated, students may submit for evaluation only that work that is their own and that is submitted originally for a specific course. According to traditions of higher education, forms of conduct that will be considered evidence of academic misconduct include but are not limited to the following: conversations between students during an examination; reviewing, without authorization, material during an examination (e.g., personal notes, another student's exam); unauthorized collaboration; submission of a paper also submitted for credit in another course; reference to written material related to the course brought into an examination room during a closed-book, written examination; and submission without proper acknowledgment of work that is based partially or entirely on the ideas or writings of others. Only when a faculty member gives prior approval for such actions can they be acceptable.
B.	It is the responsibility of instructors to inform students clearly in writing specific rules, procedures, and/or expectations pertinent to their particular course that differ from those identified in paragraph A of this section. In those courses where limited consultation among students is permitted in the preparation of assignments, it is extremely important for instructors to clarify the guidelines for appropriate conduct.
C.	In situations where a student may have difficulty in distinguishing between acceptable behavior and academic misconduct, it is the responsibility of the student to confer with the instructor. This is particularly important for avoiding plagiarism when written sources are used in the preparation of papers or take home examinations.
	Because Ithaca College is an academic community, ignorance of the accepted standards of academic honesty in no way affects the responsibility of students who violate standards of conduct in courses and other academic activities.
D.	All members of the academic community are expected to assist in maintaining the integrity of Ithaca College, which includes reporting incidents of academic misconduct. Such instances may be reported to a faculty member, the dean of the school involved, or the director of judicial affairs.

Plagiarism:

Whether intended or not, plagiarism is a serious offense against academic honesty. Under any circumstances, it is deceitful to represent as one's own work, writing or ideas that belong to another person. Students should be aware of how this offense is defined. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's published or unpublished ideas, whether this use consists of directly quoted material or paraphrased ideas.

Although various disciplines follow styles of documentation that differ in some details, all forms of documentation make the following demands:

That each quotation or paraphrase be acknowledged with a footnote or in-text citation;
That direct quotations be enclosed in quotation marks and be absolutely faithful to the wording of the source;
That paraphrased ideas be stated in language entirely different from the language of the source;
That a sequence of ideas identical to that of a source be attributed to that source;
That sources of reprinted charts or graphs be cited in the text;
That all the sources the writer has drawn from in paraphrase or direct quotation or a combination of paraphrase and quotation be listed at the end of the paper under "Bibliography," "References," or "Works Cited," whichever heading the particular style of documentation requires.

A student is guilty of plagiarism if the student fails, intentionally or not, to follow any of these standard requirements of documentation.

In a collaborative project, all students in a group may be held responsible for academic misconduct if they engage in plagiarism or are aware of plagiarism by others in their group and fail to report it. Students who participate in a collaborative project in which plagiarism has occurred will not be held accountable if they were not knowledgeable of the plagiarism.

What, then, do students not have to document? They need not cite their own ideas, or references to their own experiences, or information that falls in the category of uncontroversial common knowledge (what a person reasonably well-informed about a subject might be expected to know). They should acknowledge anything else.

Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty

Other violations of academic honesty include, but are not limited to, the following behaviors:

Handing in to a class a paper written by someone else;
Handing in as an original work for a class a paper one has already submitted to another course;
Handing in the same paper simultaneously to two courses without the full knowledge and explicit consent of all the faculty members involved;
Having someone else rewrite or clean up a rough draft and submitting those revisions as one's own work.

These offenses violate the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect necessary the process of learning.

Note: Students who would like help in learning how to paraphrase or document sources properly should feel free to come to the Writing Center in Smiddy 107 for assistance.

Students with disabilities:

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide appropriate documentation to the College before any academic adjustment will be provided.

Dealing with Stress while at College:

Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic performance. The source of symptoms might be strictly related to your course work; if so, please speak with me. However, problems with relationships, family worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic performance.

Ithaca College provides a Counseling Center to support the academic success of students. The Counseling Center provides cost-free services to help you manage personal challenges that threaten your well-being.

In the event I suspect you need additional support, I will express my concerns and the reasons for them, and remind you of resources (e.g., Counseling Center, Health Center, chaplains, etc.) that might be helpful to you. It is not my intention to know the details of what might be bothering you, but simply to let you know I am concerned and that help, if needed, is available.

Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do -- for yourself and for your loved ones.

Title IX:

Title IX is a federal act mandating that educational institutions must provide sex and gender equity. All students thus have the right to a campus atmosphere free of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and gender discrimination. For questions about sexual misconduct, see the Ithaca SHARE website (Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education): http://www.ithaca.edu/sacl/share/). To report or discuss sexual assault or harassment, or general issues, please contact Tiffani Ziemann, Title IX Coordinator; tziemann@ithaca.edu 607-274-3300.

Student safety:

You must respond to and report conditions and actions that may jeopardize your safety, or that of other people and/or equipment. Report to the responsible College employee. During class sessions that person would be your instructor or lab assistant. Outside of class the person might be your instructor, lab supervisor, co-curricular manager, equipment and facilities manager, or one of the engineering support staff. You must be aware that misuse of equipment or use of damaged equipment can create the risk of serious injury, infectious contamination, and expensive damage. You may be liable for damage or injury resulting from such use. Unsupervised use of facilities puts you at risk. Failure to be alert to safety problems, or to report them, may have serious consequences for you or others.

Course material:

Assigned readings should be completed prior to class. Lectures and assignments are intended to enhance and/or supplement the readings. Some of the material will come from sources other than the assigned readings. You are responsible for this material as well as for the material in the readings—even if it is not specifically covered in class. If you have any difficulty understanding the material, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification. Often, I will ask if anyone has any questions.

Make-up policy:

As a general rule, make-up assignments are not allowed except in cases of emergency. It is your responsibility to complete the assignments. If an emergency does arise, it is imperative for you to contact me PRIOR to the scheduled due date. Do not expect to make-up a missed assignment without clearing it with me ahead of time. Incompletes are rarely given. In fact, an incomplete is only given if you are unable to complete the coursework because of a serious illness, accident, emergency, or other crisis. A formal request must be made prior to the end of the term. An incomplete can only be granted with permission from the Dean.

Late Assignments:

As a general rule, late assignments are not accepted. In specific circumstances, late assignments may be accepted, but with a substantial penalty.

Assignments:

Each student is required to submit:

1) Five summary reaction pieces.

The summary reaction pieces must deal with the assigned readings for that current week. Once a week has passed, you may not submit a reaction for that article. This will help us to stay current. You may only submit/post up to one summary reaction piece per week.

2) In addition, each student is responsible for two Talking Points Memo presentations on the assigned articles.

3) Students must complete two online class assignments.

4) Finally, working in teams of 2 or alone, students will write a seminar paper and present his or her findings in a formal setting. Details of the assignments and paper will be further discussed in class during the first two weeks.

Grading:

Overall grades will be based on the following:

Participation— (50 points)
Summary/reaction pieces— (100 points) (20 points each)
Talking Points Memos — (50 points) (25 points each)

Talking Points Memos Facilitation—(50 points) (25 points each)

Online class assignments—(50 points) (25 points each)
Final paper and presentation— (100 points)
__________
Total: 400 points (100%)

Letter Grade Breakdown:

372 – 400 A

360 – 371 A-

352 – 359 B+

340 – 351 B

320 – 339 B-

312 – 319 C+

300 – 311 C

280 – 299 C-

272 – 279 D+

260 – 271 D

240 – 259 D-

000 – 239 F

There is no curve.

Tentative Course Schedule:

Week of August 24

Course overview; Syllabus; Introductions; The Role of Media in Our Lives

Week of August 31

The Role of Media in Our Lives, Continued

Week of September 7

1. Mass Media and Comedy

2. Media Preferences

3. Media and Fear in Children & Adolescents

4. Cyberbullying

Week of September 14

5. Extraordinary Appeal of Screen Media

6. Examining Popular Misconceptions regarding Media

7. Cognitive Stage of Development

Week of September 21

Online Assignment- Media Socialization

8. World as Portrayed by Media

9. Media and Childhood Obesity

Week of September 28

10. Media and Body Image

11. Behavior of Media Characters

12. TV as an Effective Teaching Tool

Week of October 5

13. Media Portrayals of Minorities

14. Exposure to Educational TV

15. TV’s Influence on the Developing Intellect

Week of October 12

16. Media and Alcohol Consumption + Media and Smoking

17. Media and Drug Use

18. Sex and TV

Week of October 19

19. Music and Sex

20. Sex and Media

21. ‘Friends’ and Condom Use

Week of October 26

22. Kids and Advertising

23. Scholastic Achievement

24. Violence and Aggression

Week of March 30

25. Kids and Violence

26. Learning Rules and Norms

27. Theoretical Explanations for How Media Affect Us

Week of November 2

28. Children and Media Policy

29. Media Ratings
30. Kids and Music

Week of November 9

31. Effects of Music

32. Romantic Relationships and Mass Media

33. Mass Media and Politics

Week of November 16

34. Kids and Video Games

35. Media Violence and Video Games

36. Knowledge for What?

Week of November 23

Thanksgiving Break- No Classes

Week of November 30th

37. Contemporary issues

38. Contemporary issues

39. Contemporary issues

Week of December 7

40. Contemporary issues

41. Contemporary issues

42. Contemporary issues

Monday, December 14, 2015

Formal Presentations of Final Papers

10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

(During our Final Exam slot)

The instructor reserves the right to amend this syllabus as necessary. It is meant as a guideline. Any changes will be announced in advance.

IC Senior Seminar Spring 2015

Friday, January 30, 2015

Media Preferences Chapter

Cyberbullying (Paige)

Media and Fear (Matt)

Media and Comedy (Spencer)

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Topics for TPM

Sample TPM (Talking Points Memo)

Monday, January 19, 2015

Syllabus and Course Schedule