fall2011mdst3040

Course Description

Taking an inter-disciplinary approach, this course critically examines how the media is implicated in the construction, proliferation, and maintenance of social and political relations of power within contemporary public life. The links between media-created perception and social and political power are examined. Students are encouraged to address their roles both as citizens and future media practitioners.

This course pays careful attention to the role of language through a general semantics approach. Language is examined as the major symbol system through which humans codify experiences.  The relationships among symbols, mind, meaning, and language, thought, and culture are emphasised. Language is also examined as a specific tool which can help sharpen critical reading, thinking, and reasoning skills. Thus my objectives in this course are twofold: to stimulate student thinking about and knowledge of the ways in which symbols related to and influence human thinking and behaviour, personally, historically, and culturally; and to help students sharpen critical skills as symbol users.

To this end, the course interrogates concepts of power from a number of points of view. We look at how different forms of power operate via a range of thematic categories of “the media” that shape perceptions about culture, politics, democratic participation, class, race, gender, ethics, and our everyday lives. Examples from print, photojournalism, online and alternative media, war reporting, and advertising will be solicited from students. In each case, students critically examine media messages and assess how particular forms of communication enable and/or disable an audience’s meaningful participation in the decision making process.

Throughout the course, students apply critical skills for close reading of various forms of media by applying an informed and politically engaged frame, so as to gain a better understanding of the underlying power dynamics that shape different forms of media and media messages. A goal is to develop an awareness of the tactics employed by media institutions, and to consider how these tactics construct and manage, in both positive and negative ways, human perceptions of the world. Students also consider possible ways in which they might participate with and/or intervene in these power dynamics, resisting a model of passive consumerism. Activities are employed to simulate and provide models for civic participation.

MDST 3040 Fall 2011 Lipton Syllabus

Hans Magnus Enzensberger’s 1970 essay Constituents of a Theory of the Media. <http://www.tcnj.edu/~miranda/classes/topics/reading/enzensberger.pdf> or   <http://tinyurl.com/5jxehq>.

Marshall McLuhan’s 1969 interview with Playboy Magazine. <http://www.nextnature.net/2009/12/the-playboy-interview-marshall-mcluhan/>or <http://tinyurl.com/y9c49le>.

S. I. Hayakawa’s short addressed delivered at the Florida Council of Teachers of English Confernece (1966) and as published in the Florida English Journal. <http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED024664.pdf>.

Kenneth G. Johnson’s Institute of General Semantics publication (3^rd edition, 2004), “General Semantics: An Outline Survey.”<http://www.psybernet.co.nz/files/kj-outline-survey.pdf>.

Al Seckel and Shin Shimojo, “Ames Room.” <http://www.psychologie.tu-dresden.de/i1/kaw/diverses Material/www.illusionworks.com/html/ames_room.html>.

Martin Jay’s 1980 essay The Scopic Regimes of Modernity <http://beauty.gmu.edu/AVT307/AVT307-001/martin%20jay%20vision%20and%20visuality%20copy.pdf> or <http://tinyurl.com/3d5xf2d>.

Semir Zeki’s 2001 article Artistic Creativity and the Brain <http://pg2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/artistic-creativity-and-the-brain.pdf>.

Michel Foucault’s chapter “The Body of the Condemned” in his 1975 book Discipline and Punish <http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~davis/crs/e321/Foucault-D&P.pdf> or <http://tinyurl.com/3kdavx6>

Liam Kennedy’s 2009 essay “Soldier Photography: Visualising the War in Iraq.” Review of International Studies35. 4(Oct 2009): 817-833. <http://search.proquest.com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/docview/204922913/fulltextPDF/131832509821A50B02B/6?accountid=11233> or<http://tinyurl.com/3mgpb5y>

Paul Koring, “Canada’s role in Libya its biggest military gambit in decades” The Globe and Mail, Monday, Jun. 20, 2011. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/canadas-role-in-libya-its-biggest-military-gambit-in-decades/article2068533/>.

David J. Climenhaga,“Canada’s role in the Libyan intervention: An ill wind that blows no good” Rabble.ca, MARCH 21, 2011. <http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/djclimenhaga/2011/03/canadas-role-libyan-intervention-ill-wind-blows-no-good>.

Michael Hardt and Antio Negri’s 2000 book Empire; read chapter 1.2 Biopolitical Production <http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/negri/>.

Deepa Kumar’s 2006 essay Media, War, and Propaganda: Strategies of Information Management During the 2003 Iraq War Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 2006, pp. 48/69.

John Ibbitson’s Ottawa shortens leash on lobbyists From The Globe and Mail, Published Monday, Sep. 20, 2010. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-shortens-leash-on-lobbyists/article1715633/>

Steve Rennie’s “Mining industry lobbied nine of 24 MPs who helped kill ethics bill,” The Canadian Press, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mining-industry-lobbied-nine-of-24-mps-who-helped-kill-ethics-bill/article1795614/>.

John Goddard’s “U.S.-backed company proposes mega-quarry north of Orangeville,” The Toronto Star, April 24, 2011.<http://www.thestar.com/news/article/979570–potato-farmer-proposes-mega-quarry>.

Meg Borthwick’s “Monster mine plan cuts deep into Ontario farmland,” Rabble.ca, June 9, 2011. <http://rabble.ca/news/2011/06/monster-mine-plan-cuts-deep-ontario-farmland>.

Grade Determination

Assignment #1 Images of God or Power

Students are asked to bring to class a visual representation of their perception of “God”—however defined.  Write 2 sentences about your selected image. 150 words max. This work will be assessed during class. (Value 10%) due: Sept 14^th.

Assignment #2 Self Portrait

Make a self-portrait using whatever media you choose. What is your self-perception? Write 2 sentences about your selected image. 150 words max. This work will be assessed during class. (Value: 10%) due: Sept. 21^st.

Assignment #3 Language

Articulate a specific example of your own language use.  Describe an occasion when you have altered your vocabulary use.  Explain how you did this, and then why this was necessary. Argue why such a change is important; why should I follow your example?  300 words max. (Value 20%) due: Sept. 28^th.

Assignment #4 Curating War

Make and/or Select a War Photograph to share with class. Analyze the image’s significance.

1 image, 3 sentences. 175 words max. This work will be assessed during class.  (Value 10%) due: Oct. 5^th.

Assignment #5 Your Role as a Lobbyist:

Pg 1. Your point form notes used during the class exercise. What did you prepare?

pg 2. An Annotated Bibliography. Please research then annotate 3-4 sources of related research.

pg 3. A Written Statement. All roles will be asked to write some kind of statement for public or private consumption. Please prepare a 100-300 word statement depending on your assigned role.

pg 4. Reflection. Please consider the value of this exercise and reflect on this process. (Value: 40%) due: Nov. 2^nd.

Assignment #6 Final Letter in lieu of exam (Value: 10%) due: Nov 23^rd.

Nota Bene: All work must be submitted on paper at the beginning of the class session on the due date—unless you have a physician’s note or you have made prior arrangements with me. If an assignment is not turned in on the due date, the grade will be reduced by 5% on the day and by 2% for every day from then onward.  If you cannot avoid submitting your assignment late, you must make arrangements with me first. Do not simply drop your assignment in the drop box on the second floor in the Learning Commons as I may not know to pick it up. Additional details of all assignments and expectations will be discussed fully in the class.