ENGL 320: History and Theory of Media 2
Prof. Aimée Morrison
269 Hagey Hall
Virtual office hours: Thursday 2:00-4:00, or by appointment
Course description:
This course explores the social, political, and cultural contexts and consequences of mass media technologies such as newspapers, movies, radio, recorded music, and television. We will take a historical as well as theoretical overview of mass and broadcast media.
Course modality:
This is a blended class that is being split equally between online and in-person components. We meet in a classroom for 1.5 hours per week, instead of the usual 3 for a fully on-campus course. The expectation is that the other 1.5 hours of “class time” takes place asynchronously online. (There are also, of course, assigned readings beyond class times.) The in-person and the online components are complementary rather than redundant: they do different things, in different ways, that only in combination produce the full course. It is not possible to do the course fully online, nor is it possible to do so only by attending in person and neglecting the online component.
The course is organized into weeks, a repeating rhythm of readings, group work, assignments, and quizzes, in person meetings and online content. Familiarize yourself with this structure as soon as possible. Use it to plan what you can. Weeks start on Wednesday, and end on Tuesday.
Pandemic note:
We’ve never had a fall semester like this before, again, even if it now feels like we have been doing … (*gestures fruitlessly at everything*) this for what feels now like forever. We are building this together. Again. (Still?) Someday, we will tell our grandchildren about these times. Let’s make something we can all be proud of, together.
The course has been designed with COVID-times realities in mind, particularly the wholesale changes to our usual living arrangements, work arrangements, financial opportunities, health concerns, child-care duties, and sense of reality, and looming possibility of new lockdowns. I have tried to make it possible for you to manage your needs and constraints without having to ask me for permission. If you require flexibility or assistance beyond what’s provided, please let me know and we’ll try to figure something out.
Contact information
If you email me, put ENGL 320 in the subject line, or email me directly through Learn. If your email is longer than a paragraph, it’s too long (unless you’re just telling me a story. I love stories.) If you need help understanding some part of the content of the course (“I don’t understand what ‘syndication’ means in television, or “How is broadcasting different from cable?”) then you will be using email to set up an appointment with me. If you need help understanding when things are due, check the online calendar on Learn, or the assignment sheets. If you need help understanding the course structure, check the syllabus.
New content is added to the class website all the time: that’s the best place to find me. The AMA forum is always open and if you put a question in there, I’ll be answering them weekly in class. You can attend my open virtual office hours. Many questions can be answered by looking at the web site, the textbook, or the syllabus. Ask group members for help. I love having appointments to talk with students “live” rather than writing pages and pages of email.
You Need the Textbook
We are reading this entire book. It is the anchor content of the entire course. Get it: print book shipped from W Store, print book or e-book available from Amazon and from the W Store, ebook course reserve online at the UW Library. It’s $45 bucks print, $35 electronic, $26 to e-rent, free online through the library.
Kortti, Jukka. Media in History: An Introduction to the Meanings and Transformations of Communication over Time. 2019.
Assignments and Mark Distribution
The following are the graded components of the course:
| Activity | Weight | Due |
|---|---|---|
|
Quizzes (5) |
15% |
(week 2 – week 11) |
|
Group Assignments (5) |
25% |
(week 3 – week 12) |
|
Mid Term Take Home Exam |
25% |
October 22 (week 7) |
|
Final Take Home Exam |
25% |
December 13 |
|
Individual Participation |
10% |
(week 2 – week 11) |
The “Assignments and Handouts” page under the Content tab on Learn has detailed handouts listing requirements and instructions for each graded component of the course. Go look at those right now. Some of them are lengthy, so take your time. Some of them preview work for the end of term: the start of term will go better if you read those, too.
Attendance and Late Policy
To succeed in the course, you will need to work on it every week, online and in person. I will take attendance at each class meeting. We meet 12 times: if you miss more than two class meetings, you will lose an individual participation ordinal (that is, “1” out of “10”) for each additional unexcused absence. (That is, you get two freebies.)
All course deadlines are in the syllabus on day 1. Plan your efforts and manage your time. The two take home exams will give you ample time to complete them on your own. There is no reason to hand in late work, because you have so much freedom to choose when and how you will allocate your own time and energy. If you require further accommodation beyond this, please let me know.
Access
I strive to make my classes accessible for all of us. Everyone has a right to the full experience of the university education they have earned by admission and/or tuition payment. Night owls, English learners, introverts, rebels, loud-talkers, assault survivors, grieving students, anime fans but-only-like-the-subs-and-not-the-dubs, students who use a potato as their Teams avatar, disabled students, people with dial up internet. If there’s something you need to help you succeed, lemme know. If something in this document is freaking you out, let’s talk. If you’re registered with AccessAbility Services (man, that’s a LOT of paperwork to fill out!!!!) you can have them send me whatever. Or talk with me. Me, I’m autistic with a very large side order of ADHD so, yeah: academic excellence doesn’t mean your body and brain have to be superhuman. It takes all kinds. Let me help you out here.
Rights and Responsibilities
Every member of this class—instructor as well as students—has rights and responsibilities to ensure a pleasant and productive experience for all. We are all answerable to University policies governing ethical behaviour (Policy 33) and academic integrity (Policy 71), as well as to those outlining grievance or dispute procedures (Policy 70). Here are some more specific expectations for this course:
You will:
- know the university policies that govern your behaviour
- participate actively in your own learning, while respecting the rights of others to learn as well: this means staying in contact with your assigned group, and doing your part in shared, which includes doing assigned readings.
- give thoughtful consideration to instructor feedback on written and oral work • ask for help when you need it
I will:
- adhere to the university policies that govern my behaviour
- make myself available for consultation online
- return assignments of 1 page or less within one week, and all others within 2 weeks
- provide helpful and respectful feedback on student work
- be ready to offer help when something technical or intellectual goes awry
A final word
Once more, welcome to the course! I hope you find as valuable as it will be challenging. I am looking forward to a productive and exciting semester, and to getting to know all of you, or at least the top half of your faces.