For the last paper, I'd like you to come up with a hypothesis or theory about how we interact with the mass media or how the mass media affects us and how you would test it (experiment, survey, focus group, case study, etc.)
For example:
My hypothesis is that students who use Facebook for more than 2 hours a day will have lower grades than those who don't use Facbeook.
I would explain why I think this is so, then I would explain how I would use a survey to measure this.
Also explain any other factors that might affect my outcome (for example, those without access to a computer wouldn't use Facebook at all, but their grades might be lower because of less computer access, etc).
That said, please don't use Facebook in your experiment. :-)
Use these sites to help you decide on a qualitative study (case study, ethnography, etc.) or a quantitative study (survey, experiment, etc).
http://wilderdom.com/research/QualitativeVersusQuantitativeResearch.html
http://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/demo/Content/activeinformation/tools/toolscontent/quantiativemethods.htm
http://www.wilderdom.com/OEcourses/PROFLIT/Class6Qualitative1.htm#Types
Remember, you don't have to do the experiment/case study/etc. only explain how you would do it.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Final due May 4
Here it is... due Tuesday May 4th by midnight
Pick two questions to answer. Each should be about two double-spaced pages.
1. (Chapter 16) You're the mayor of Des Moines and you believe the Des Moines Register has written something libelous against you! Explain what five things must you prove, what the paper can do to defend itself and whether the case of NY Times v. Sullivan will help YOU.
2. (Chapter 19) 2. Please describe how a media researcher would describe violence in the media and its effect on viewers according to these theories: socialization theory, catharsis theory, stimulation theory, and agenda setting theory.
3. (Chapter 18) Ownership of the press can be public (the government) or private (corporations). Control can be centralized (government controlled) or decentralized (little or no government control). This gives us four different possible combinations. The United States, the U.K., China, and Mexico each have a different combination of these two variables. Which combination would be best for modern-day Iraq and why?
4. (Chapter 17) You are the editor of the campus newspaper. One of your reporters has just written a series of articles describing apparent health-code violations in a popular off-campus restaurant. This particular restaurant regularly buys full-page ads in your paper. After you run the first story in the series, the restaurant owner calls and threatens to cancel all her ads unless you stop printing the series. The ads are a significant part of your paper's budget.
Take each of the five principles on p. 390-391. How would each tell you to act? Then, use the model for individual ethical decisions on p. 391-393 to decide your course of action.
Pick two questions to answer. Each should be about two double-spaced pages.
1. (Chapter 16) You're the mayor of Des Moines and you believe the Des Moines Register has written something libelous against you! Explain what five things must you prove, what the paper can do to defend itself and whether the case of NY Times v. Sullivan will help YOU.
2. (Chapter 19) 2. Please describe how a media researcher would describe violence in the media and its effect on viewers according to these theories: socialization theory, catharsis theory, stimulation theory, and agenda setting theory.
3. (Chapter 18) Ownership of the press can be public (the government) or private (corporations). Control can be centralized (government controlled) or decentralized (little or no government control). This gives us four different possible combinations. The United States, the U.K., China, and Mexico each have a different combination of these two variables. Which combination would be best for modern-day Iraq and why?
4. (Chapter 17) You are the editor of the campus newspaper. One of your reporters has just written a series of articles describing apparent health-code violations in a popular off-campus restaurant. This particular restaurant regularly buys full-page ads in your paper. After you run the first story in the series, the restaurant owner calls and threatens to cancel all her ads unless you stop printing the series. The ads are a significant part of your paper's budget.
Take each of the five principles on p. 390-391. How would each tell you to act? Then, use the model for individual ethical decisions on p. 391-393 to decide your course of action.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Reaction Paper #13
Sorry for another article about copyright but I thought this was an interesting topic and touches on ethics, which we talked about this week.
The first part of this article dealing with the ethics of downloading e-books:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/magazine/04FOB-ethicist-t.html
And this one:
http://www.teleread.org/2010/04/06/p-books-to-e-books-the-ethics-of-downloading-and-the-legality-of-scanning/
Please summarize both sides of the issue: whether it is ethical to download e-books that you own. What technology is coming about that will affect this issue?
Which side do you agree with and why? Please explain (and more than just a couple sentences).
The first part of this article dealing with the ethics of downloading e-books:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/magazine/04FOB-ethicist-t.html
And this one:
http://www.teleread.org/2010/04/06/p-books-to-e-books-the-ethics-of-downloading-and-the-legality-of-scanning/
Please summarize both sides of the issue: whether it is ethical to download e-books that you own. What technology is coming about that will affect this issue?
Which side do you agree with and why? Please explain (and more than just a couple sentences).
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Reaction Paper 12 due 4-16
This paper is worth up to 25 points (10 points + 15 extra credit).
Chapter 16 and the Internet will be your main sources.
A nuclear power plant located in Colorado Springs, CO. provides power to a 400-mile radius.
The plant is notable for being tied to the Defense Department's local network of "in-case-of-disaster" installations (the North American Aerospace Defense Command is located in Colorado Springs).
A journalist receives a tip from a source whose name they know but wishes to remain anonymous in print (or they won't give the journalist information). The tip concerns the lack of security at the plant, including sleeping guards and visibly broken security cameras.
The plant offers a tour to the public once a month. Of course, no cameras are allowed. The journalist goes undercover, posing as a regular citizen, and takes the tour. Once inside the journalist uses a special hidden camera to take still photographs.
The tipster was right. The journalist discovers many faults in the security at the plant.
The newspaper decides to go with it as a multi-part story, spanning five days. Different pictures and detailed notes from inside will be published.
After the first edition is released, the government immediately springs to action. The Defense Department launches an injunction against the paper, trying to stop further pictures and details from being published whatsoever and also to reveal the identity of the anonymous source. They also want to charge the journalist with trespassing.
The court will hear the opening arguments to decide if the paper has a right to publish this information and whether the journalist must reveal their source.
Take one side or the other. The side of the newspaper, arguing for the right to print it (and no trespassing), or the side of the Defense Department, arguing that it should not be allowed to go to print (and the journalist should be charged with trespassing).
**** Your best bet to win is to cite prior court cases that show that you are right. **** You can use court cases from your book (Chapter 16) or from the Internet (one idea, try Googling: reporter trespassing). If you want points beyond the normal 10, you'll want to build the strongest case you can using these court cases as precedent.
Chapter 16 and the Internet will be your main sources.
A nuclear power plant located in Colorado Springs, CO. provides power to a 400-mile radius.
The plant is notable for being tied to the Defense Department's local network of "in-case-of-disaster" installations (the North American Aerospace Defense Command is located in Colorado Springs).
A journalist receives a tip from a source whose name they know but wishes to remain anonymous in print (or they won't give the journalist information). The tip concerns the lack of security at the plant, including sleeping guards and visibly broken security cameras.
The plant offers a tour to the public once a month. Of course, no cameras are allowed. The journalist goes undercover, posing as a regular citizen, and takes the tour. Once inside the journalist uses a special hidden camera to take still photographs.
The tipster was right. The journalist discovers many faults in the security at the plant.
The newspaper decides to go with it as a multi-part story, spanning five days. Different pictures and detailed notes from inside will be published.
After the first edition is released, the government immediately springs to action. The Defense Department launches an injunction against the paper, trying to stop further pictures and details from being published whatsoever and also to reveal the identity of the anonymous source. They also want to charge the journalist with trespassing.
The court will hear the opening arguments to decide if the paper has a right to publish this information and whether the journalist must reveal their source.
Take one side or the other. The side of the newspaper, arguing for the right to print it (and no trespassing), or the side of the Defense Department, arguing that it should not be allowed to go to print (and the journalist should be charged with trespassing).
**** Your best bet to win is to cite prior court cases that show that you are right. **** You can use court cases from your book (Chapter 16) or from the Internet (one idea, try Googling: reporter trespassing). If you want points beyond the normal 10, you'll want to build the strongest case you can using these court cases as precedent.
Monday, April 5, 2010
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