Chapter 5 - Magazines

DISCUSSION: We discussed how people are influenced by images in magazines. We discussed the three stages of media development, which apply to magazines and to other media we are studying: 

• Elite stage -- Only the most wealthy, most educated have access
• Popular stage -- Most people have access, but choices are limited
• Specialized stage -- Everyone has access, but choices are fragmented

SHOW AND TELL: We looked at examples of different types of magazines: Trade, public relations, consumer; and academic and professional journals, as well as Batman comics then and now.

MAGAZINE COVERS:  You can find out what was on the cover of Time on your birthday or any other day, here.

QUIZ 3 - Print (Chapters 3, 4 and 5) quiz will be on Wednesday. What to study: 
Books: Printing Revolution, Paperback Books, New Forms of the Book, Types of Books, The Reader, Censorship.
Newspapers: The First Newspapers, Zenger Case, The Associated Press and Objectivity, Yellow Journalism, Ida B. Wells-Burnett, Tabloids, Canons of Journalism, Alternative Press, Ethnic Press, Wire Services, The Reader: Changing Patterns, 
Magazines: Latina, Magazine Evolution, Muckrakers, Mass Circulation Magazines, Special Interest Magazines, Adapting to New Media, Types of Magazines, Promotion, New Product Development, The Reader, Impact of Images, Editorial Independence.

Sample student magazine (Kerry Prowse, 2012)

BLOG 4 - Magazine Proposal - 25 points (due Sunday midnight)

Write a proposal for a new magazine (either a print magazine or an online magazine), as if you were going to submit it to a publisher. Your proposal should include:

·         Name of magazine

·         Concept – how is your magazine different from existing magazines?

·         Readers – demographics and psychographics (may include age group, gender, ethnicity, income level, interests, self-image, self-identification, etc.)

·         Other magazines serving this demographic (your competition) – your investors will want to know how your magazine is different or better?

·         Five advertisers who you think would like to reach your readers

·         Five articles you might include in your premier issue

·         Describe the cover of your premier issue (photo, graphics, color, words, etc.)

·         Draw (or create electronically) your proposed cover, including the name of the magazine and highlighting top articles, and post it on your blog and/or bring it to class. Stick figures are OK. Here's a template to create a cover electronically.  You can also use PhotoShop, InDesign, etc.

TIPS:

• —Envision a group of people interested in a particular lifestyle or issue
• —Think about their lifestyle and buying habits
• —Which magazines do they already read?
• —Which advertisers would like to reach them?

I will give prizes for the best magazine proposal (most original and feasible) and for the most artistic.

Chapter 3 - Books

"Biography" named Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, as the most influential person of the second millennium. Do you agree? 


DISCUSSION:   Students discussed which books they consider influential on the whiteboard. Books included: The Bible, the Koran, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare plays and the Torah.

We compared our list of influential books with "100 Most Influential Books Ever Written" by Martin Seymour-Smith and a "100 Most Influential Books of the Century" from the Boston Public Library. We looked at lists of banned books.

POWERPOINT:  We looked at images and video illustrating the history of books, paper and printing. The Bible (in Latin) was the first book printed on the Gutenberg Press in the mid-1400s. Until that time, Bibles had been hand-copied by Christian monks. We watched “Introducing the Book” about a monk struggling to keep up with the "new" technology.

SHOW & TELL: 
Books mentioned in the text and historical books: 

• A reprint of an ornate manuscript from pre-printing

• Satanic Verses ( a death sentence was placed on the author by an Iranian leader)
  
• Captain Underpants 
  
• Where’s Waldo (a beach scene had a partially bare woman's breast; the book was reissued with a bikini top drawn on her.

 FOR WEDNESDAY:
Read Chapter 4, complete Workbook Chapter 4.

BLOG 3 Due Sunday night:

Name three books you have read (OR that someone read to you as a child) that had the most influence on you. In 2-3 sentences, describe why each one was influential. (Write in more detail than saying, “It was good” or “it made me laugh.” Say why it was good or made you laugh and how it stayed with you after you read it.) Add friendly links to the books on Amazon.com or another online bookseller, or authors’ Websites. 

 

Chapter 2 - Media Impact

POWERPOINT: We reviewed key concepts from the textbook:

* Research methodology to measure media impacts (some borrowed from scientific research)
* Social science perspectives
* Flow theories
* How new innovations move through society

* Marshall McLuhan's philosophies about media impact

Also videos about Dr. George Gerbner's research on TV movie violence and Dr. Frederic Wertham's flawed research on comic books.

QUIZ: Ch. 2 Media Impact

FOR MONDAY: Read and complete workbook activities for Chapter 3 (Books).

BLOG: Media Impact (15)
After reading Chapter 2 on Media Impact, can you think of a different example (not in the book or the videos we watched) you have heard about when someone blamed media for real-life problems? Describe the situation and find a website or web video that explains it more fully. Embed or use a friendly link. Include your comments on the validity of the claim. 

 

OR

 

Theorize about a mass media device using McLuhan's theory of "Technological Determinism" and its  the four effects (don't use one we examined in class). Technological Determinism in clearer language means "we shape our tools and they, in turn, shape us." You can chose older developments (printing press, photography, movies, radio etc.) or newer (iPad, electronic book reader, GPS, etc.) Here are the four effects:

OR

After reading Chapter 2 on Media Impact, propose a media research project based on what you learned in the chapter. You can research any aspect of how media impact people. E.g. Advertising, reality TV, movies, cartoons, magazine images, etc. Describe your project in 4-5 sentences, using some of the theories and techniques from the textbooks and our class discussion. What are you researching? What methodology would you use? How would you test your hypothesis? What results do you predict? 

Chapter 1 -

IN CLASS- We viewed the "Itchy, Scratchy and Marge" episode of The Simpsons to illustrate aspects of mass communication:

- The basic model of communication

- The feedback loop

- Changes in technology

- Censorship  

- Content analysis

- Media production

We discussed media conglomerates, vertical and horizontal integration, cultural imperialism and the First Amendment. 

DUE THURSDAY:

Read Chapter 2. Workbook Chapter 2

IN CLASS THURSDAY: Chapter 2 quiz

Introduction to Mass Media

"GET YOUR S--- TOGETHER" - We discussed the many dimensions of an email a New York University business professor sent to a student who showed up late on Day 1 of his class in 2010. 

- Encounter in class - person to person and group, not mediated

- Email to prof/prof's reply - Mediated, person to person/Internet

- Prof shares email with entire class - Mediated, person to group/Internet

- Email goes viral - Mass audience/Internet

- Online media and blogs report story - Creators and mass audiences/Internet 

- Someone sets prof's emails to music - Mediated, person (creator) to mass media/audio recording,

- NPR airs the the musical version - Mass media/radio, Internet (converged)

Fast forward to this week:

- A former student of mine posts a link to this blog post about the professor story on Facebook -Mediated, person to group OR mass audience/Internet (depending on his privacy settings

- I comment - Mediated person (creator) to mass media/Internet

- I overhear two professors discussing the case, wondering if it's real and if the professor will face any consequences - Not mediated, person to group

- I tell them that the story is three years old - same as above

Now one more:

- I find a story on New York Magazine's website that says that the prof's words became a slogan and his business students put out a T-shirt - story is mediated, magazine/Internet (converged)

What about the T-shirt?

Sender: Person wearing the T-shirt 

Media (device): T-shirt

Receiver: Group (unless the wearer is in a photo or video that's published, posted online or broadcast .... then it becomes a mass audience).

  

DUE MONDAY: Read Chapter 1, fill in workbook for Chapter 1.

QUIZ MONDAY: Chapter 1.

BLOG DUE SUNDAY MIDNIGHT: Media Autobiography. See syllabus or previous post. Email me your blog address!

First Day of Class

Welcome to JOUR 2!

From Rodman, Mass Media in a Changing World

Buy the textbook -- Rodman - Mass Media in a Changing World 4th ed. -- at the De Anza Bookstore or at the bookstore across Stevens Creek Boulevard in the Oaks shopping center. You can also buy the online version at http://coursesmart.com

IN CLASS:  We did introduction exercises, discussed the greensheet and assignment calendar (see tabs above) and discussed mass communications and media literacy.

DUE WEDNESDAY: Complete the Media Log on p. 3 of the Handbook and #1 on p. 4. Bring textbook to class. The concept of "media literacy" and the questions to ask yourself about media messages are discussed by the first speaker. on the YouTube above.


BLOG POST 1 (due Sunday April 14 at 11:59 p.m.)
Create your blog as described on the Greensheet. Please email me your blog address after you have posted your first post.

Media Autobiography

Write your short media autobiography. This should be a short essay (about 200-300 words) about you and your relationship with the eight types of mass media we are studying in this class: Books, Newspapers, Magazines, Movies, Recordings (Audio/Music), Radio, Television and the Internet.

o   Use bullets (point form) to discuss your background with each of these media, your experiences (use/habits) with them, your likes and dislikes and which ones are important to you now and when you were growing up.

o   Tell if you have, had or would like a job or career in the media.

o   If you have lived in another country, talk about the media there.

o   Mention your major, if it is related to the media, and the name of the university you want to transfer to, if appropriate.

o   Do not write about other aspects of your life, unless they relate to the media.