Media Literacy
Syllabus
Ms. Gina Bailiff
2005-2006 Academic Year
PURPOSE:
The primary focus of this course is to examine
various forms of media in popular culture and to understand
their impact on American culture, in terms of both their
advantages and their limitations. Students will be encouraged to
think critically about how media are used to manipulate and
shape public opinion and attitudes. More specifically, the
following objectives will be taught through projects, tests,
writing, journaling, and oral presentations: critical analysis
of various forms of mass media (development of critical reading
and viewing skills); to discover how “facts” can be manipulated
to shape perception; to create an awareness of the different
types of media, their historical backgrounds and various
purposes; and an understanding of the technical aspects of film
(camera, light, and sound).
TEXTS AND MEDIA RESOURCES:
A great deal of the material in class will be
articles, essays, handouts, and videos taken from the Center for
Media Literacy and the Media Education Foundation. Class notes
and other written work is based on my own reading and research
on the subject. For the film component of the course, students
may use the text Understanding the Film. Another textbook,
Communication Matters, may be used for some units of study.
Understanding Mass Media, edited by Bill Jawitz and published by
the National Textbook Co., will be the primary textbook used. As
part of a unit of study, students may read Henry David Thoreau’s
Walden and a novel that was later made into a film.
Other: newspaper clippings and magazine
articles/advertisements, recordings of television programs and
commercials, documentaries or instructive videos related to
censorship, advertising, television, and film.
FILMS: Many of the films or film excerpts that
are shown in class will be selected from the attached list.
Because of time constraints, all of these films will not be
used. I have also included the director and film rating. If time
permits, the class may choose one film that we study in class,
as long as the movie meets the purpose of the course as stated
above. This list does not include educational videos that may be
used to enhance understanding of the various units of study.
Educational videos may examine political, social, and economic
factors related to the media and show clips or segments from
film, television, magazines, and other media that are part of
popular culture.
TOPICS FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION:
Specific examples will be used to examine the
following topics. For each form of media, we will evaluate: 1.
characteristics of that particular form of media; 2. how that
form is used to communicate in our culture and its impact, both
positive and negative; and 3. advantages and limitations of such
a medium.
commercial and magazine advertising television
programs
comics and animation music
censorship in relation to books and films film
newspaper and television news internet
corporate control, responsibility and issues
related to media
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
class journal
homework
class work (both individual and group)
essays
oral presentations
class discussion and seminar
projects (both individual and group)
tests
quizzes
critiques
semester exam
*For each topic listed above, a specific project
or assignment will be required that will encourage students to
take the information learned and discussed in class and use it
in a way that reveals creativity and critical thinking skills.
GRADING POLICY:
The final average consists of daily grades, which
are 30% of the overall average, and major grades, which are 70%
of the student’s overall average.
Please see the attachment on English Department
Policy for late work; this is crucial to your child’s success.
Each nine weeks, students will receive an assignment sheet that
will allow them to track their grades in class. It is their
responsibility to keep up with this sheet, which allows them to
know their average at all times. Please ask to see this sheet
frequently in order to stay informed of your child’s progress in
class.
Students will receive a participation grade each
nine week grading period that is based on being on time and
prepared for class as well as staying on-task during class.
Students may receive up to twenty extra credit points each nine
weeks that can be added to the participation grade.
There is a notebook with class assignments for
each day that students need to consult if absent. This is the
student’s responsibility.
MATERIALS:
* classroom journal
* Textbook or classroom handouts
* Students are expected to bring a notebook, pen
or pencil, and the appropriate text to class every day. This is
crucial to classroom participation. If unprepared, this will
affect the student’s daily average.
CLASSROOM RULES:
* Come on time to class and find a seat before
the bell rings.
* Be fully present in class. Reading materials
unrelated to class, doing homework for another class, napping,
talking to your friends, passing notes, playing on the
calculator, etc. will cost you participation points.
* You are responsible for and expected to give
your very best work.
* Listen.
* Respect the dignity and worth of every person
in the classroom. This includes
your peers, your teacher, and the perspectives of
those individuals studied
in class. Use “I” statements in class discussion.
