Course Description

A survey of contemporary media industries including their technical, economic, social, political and cultural implications. We will also examine the economic underpinnings of media, the role of advertising and public relations, and the policies that govern contemporary media industries.

Remote Online Asynchronous Course

This course will be conducted remotely over the Internet.

All course material is available on the course website at https://juanmonroy.com/contemporarymedia. Assignments are available on Google Classroom. We will not be using Blackboard.

All learning activities will be asynchronous, meaning that students complete learning activities on their own time by the deadlines noted on this course website.

This course consists of twelve modules on contemporary media. For each module, there will be:

  1. assigned readings from the textbook, listed in the schedule on this course website,
  2. a short pre-recorded lecture, available on Google Classroom, that you will watch at the time of your choosing,
  3. a quiz, available on Google Classroom, about the material you just covered.

After four modules, there will be an exam on the material you covered.

Although the course is asynchronous, you must complete each module, each quiz, and each exam by the deadline specified on this syllabus and on Google Classroom.

Instructor

Juan Monroy

Office Hours

Office Hours will be held remotely on Google Meet by appointment only.

Log into a Google account, preferably not your QC Google Account, and sign up for an appointment at https://juanmonroy.com/qcofficehours. Appointments are available at the following times:

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays: 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Use the Google Meet link in the email to join the meeting.

Ask-Me-Anything Sessions

I will be holding three live sessions in advance of the midterm exams to answer any questions you may have. Please send in your questions ahead of time. The sessions will be Zoom at the following times:

  1. Friday, September 25, 10:00 AM: Register in advance
  2. Friday, November 6, 11:00 AM: Cancelled due to low enrollment
  3. Friday, December 11, 11:00 AM: Cancelled due to low enrollment

Sign up for each session using your CUNY Zoom account.

Counseling Services at Queens College

Counseling Services are available to any Queens College student. They assist students with personal concerns that can affect their enjoyment of and success in college. Services are free and confidential. All sessions take place on Zoom or by telephone, depending on student preference.

To make an appointment, students should call 718–997–5420 and leave a message with their phone number and CUNY ID. You can also e-mail counselingservices@qc.cuny.edu to set up an appointment.

https://www.qc.cuny.edu/studentlife/services/counseling/counseling/Pages/default.aspx

Assignments

Please complete all of the assignments by the date noted on this schedule.

Readings

Required readings, listed in the course schedule below, are available in the textbook:

  • Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication.

Downloadable editions are available from the Open Textbook Library.

Note: this book is woefully out of date, but we’re using it because it’s available as an Open Educational Resource. The video lectures are vital for learning about contemporary media as I update a lot of that material referenced in this book.

Lectures

For each module, I will post links to the video recordings. Each one corresponding to a part of the course material. The links will be available on this course schedule below and on Google Classroom.

To make sure you’re reading this syllabus, note the name of this cat and enter the name on the Welcome Survey, noted below.

Quizzes

After watching the recorded lectures and reading the relevant material from the textbook, you will take a quiz. Each quiz consists of a mix of true-false and multiple-choice questions. The quiz will be available on Google Classroom as a Google Form.

Quizzes are assigned on Tuesdays and are due the following on Monday, 11:59 PM.

Note the quiz deadlines. No late quizzes will be accepted.

All twelve quizzes are required and constitute 40% of your final grade.

Exams

There will be three exams. Each exam will consist of subjective questions, requiring answers in the form of explanations. Your answers to the exam questions should synthesize what you learned in the recorded lectures and the textbook readings.

Exam are available on Google Classroom, according to the following schedule:

  1. Exam 1, available October 6, due October 13, 12:00 PM
  2. Exam 2, available November 10, due November 16, 11:59 PM
  3. Exam 3, available December 15, due December 21, 11:59 PM

All three exams are required and constitute 60% of your final grade.

Course Schedule

As this course is asynchronous, you may complete each module as your schedule permits. However, the due dates for each assignment—including quizzes and exams—are firm and must be completed on-time in order to receive credit. Please plan accordingly.

Module 0: Getting Started,

  1. Get the required textbook: Understanding Media and Culture.
  2. Read the policies governing this course.
  3. Activate your Google Apps at QC account
  4. Join the class on Google Classroom
  5. After reading the welcome message and the course website, please complete the Welcome Survey by Monday, September 14, 11:59 PM. If you cannot complete this last step by the deadline, please contact me. Otherwise I will have to report you as not attending the class and you will be dropped.

Module 1 • Media, Communication, and Culture, September 1

Assignments

Module 2 • Books, September 8

Assignments

Module 3 • Newspapers, September 15

Assignments

Module 4 • Magazines, September 22

Assignments

Exam 1 • October 6

Exam 1 covers the material for the Modules 1–4 and is available on Google Classroom.

  • Available: Tuesday, October 6.
  • Due: Tuesday, October 13, 12:00 PM.

Module 5 • Music, October 13

Assignments

Module 6 • Radio, October 20

Assignments

Module 7 • Movies, October 27

Assignments

Module 8 • Television, November 3

Assignments

Exam 2, November 10

Exam 2 covers the material for the Modules 5–8 and is available on Google Classroom.

  • Available: Tuesday, November 10.
  • Due: Monday, November 16, 11:59 PM.

Module 9 • Internet, November 17

Assignments

Module 10 • Advertising and Public Relations, November 24

Assignments

Module 11 • Media Economics, December 1

Assignments

Module 12 • Media Regulation, December 8

Assignments

Exam 3 • December 15

Exam 3 covers the material for the Modules 9–12 and is available on Google Classroom.

Update, December 10: Because the Provost announced an earlier grading deadline than I was expecting, the dates for the exam are now as follows. Also, no late exams will be accepted.

  • Available: Monday, December 14.
  • Due: Friday, December 18, 11:59 PM