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 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:

  • Mondays and Thursdays: 5:00 - 6:00 PM
  • Tuesday and Fridays: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Use the Google Meet in the email to connect to the conference.

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.

You can buy a print book from Textbookx or Amazon. 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Note: this book is woefully out of date, but we’re using it because it’s available as an Open Educational Resource.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 contemporary media.

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.

As this course takes place in the summer, I apologize for my voice sounding hoarse. In this heat, it is appropriate for me to drink seltzer water to keep my throat hydrated and my voice sounding smooth. Thanks for understanding.

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 a rolling basis and are due the following Monday, meaning that…

  • Quizzes 1–4 are due on Monday, July 6, 11:59 PM
  • Quizzes 5–8 are due on Monday, July 13, 11:59 PM
  • Quizzes 9–12 are due on Monday, July 20, 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 and due on Google Classroom, according to the following schedule:

  1. Exam 1, available July 8, due July 13, 12:00 PM
  2. Exam 2, available July 13, due July 16, 11:59 PM
  3. Exam 3, July 20, due July 23, 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.

Getting Started, June 29

  1. Get the required textbook: Understanding Media and Culture.
  2. Activate your Google Apps at QC account
  3. Join the class on Google Classroom
  4. After reading the welcome message and the course website, please complete the Welcome Survey by Friday, July 3, 12:00 PM. If you cannot complete this last step by July 3, 12:00 PM ET, 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, June 30

Assignments

Module 2 • Books, July 1

Assignments

Module 3 • Newspapers, July 2

Assignments

Module 4 • Magazines, July 3

Assignments

Exam 1, July 6

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

  • Available: Wednesday, July 8
  • Due: Monday, July 13, 12:00 PM.

Module 5 • Music, July 7

Assignments

Module 6 • Radio, July 8

Assignments

Module 7 • Movies, July 9

Assignments

Module 8 • Television, July 10

Assignments

Exam 2, July 13

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

  • Available: Monday, July 13.
  • Due: Thursday, July 16, 11:59 PM.

Module 9 • Internet, July 14

Assignments

Module 10 • Advertising and Public Relations, July 15

Assignments

Module 11 • Media Economics, July 16

Assignments

Module 12 • Media Regulation, July 17

Assignments

Exam 3, July 20

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

  • Available: Monday, July 20
  • Due: Thursday, July 23, 11:59 PM.