English 288.5

an evolving schedule

Fall 2002

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Reading assignments marked "(ER)," are on electronic reserve at CUL. Go there via this page of instructions.

week

of (M)

  

0

8/29

R 8/30: Introductions, business meeting

1

 

9/1

Where do I get my news?

T 9/3: Paper #1 due. (Where do I get my news, and what do I do with it?)

War imminent?

R 9/5: Read Scarry, "Watching and Authorizing the Gulf War" (ER) and the linked news and opinion pieces (the "Iraq debate") on the U.S. role in "regime change" in Iraq.

2

 

9/9

When was the public sphere?

T 9/10: Update on the Iraq debate: read foreign commentary.
        Question (once again): is this a debate, and in what sense? Jermaine reports on the U.S. President's war powers.

R 9/12: Read articles by Habermas, Schudson, and Smith (ER). Robbins (ER) is recommended.

3

 

9/16

 T 9/17: Paper #2 due (on the debate or on the "public sphere.).
Andrew reports on the faculty panel on "The Weapons of Terror."

the media monopoly and the propganda model


R 9/19: Bagdikian, "The Endless Chain" (ER); Mark Crispin Miller's "What's Wrong With This Picture?" The Nation, 7 January 2002; "The Big Ten," interactive page with Miller's article; and Ken Auletta's "American Keiretsu" (ER). Bagdikian's"Introduction" to the Sixth Edition" of The Media Monopoly is recommended.

4

 

9/23

T 9/24: Herman and Chomsky, Introduction, Preface, and Chapter 1 ("A Propaganda Model") of Manufacturing Consent.

R 9.26: Paper #3: A revision of Paper #2. In class: clips from the Necessary Illusions/CNFB's film Manufacturing Consent.
See the handout posted on-line, Notes on Revision.

5

9/30

T, 10/1: Herman and Chomsky, chapters 5 and 6 ("The Indochina Wars") and "Conclusion."
Your preference sheet for in-class report time is due.

R, 10/3: In-class work with Lexis-Nexis and other search resources.

6

 

10/7

T, 10/8: Paper #4 due in class.
Jaime and Missy reports on Israeli-Palestinian peace plans and the USN&WR college rankings, respectively.

democracy, the Internet, and free speech

R, 10/10: McChesney, Preface, chapter 2 ("Will the Internet Set Us Free?"), chapter 6 ("The New Theology of the First Amendment"), Rich Media, Poor Democracy. Chapter 1, "U.S. Media at the Dawn of the 21st Century," is recommended for those who can't get enough news about media concentration. ;-)

7

 

[10/14]

[M14 T15 break]

R 10/17: McChesney, "Conclusion" to RM,PD; Sunstein, "The Daily We" in the "New Democracy Forum" of The Boston Review, 2001. Read Sunstein's piece and the responses by Rosen, Garfinkel, Jenkins, and McChesney
Lisa reports on graduate student unionization at Cornell. Aaron reports on Sunstein's Republic.com.

8

 

10/21

T 10/22: Paper #5: on the Sunstein thesis about the Internet (follow Garfinkel's example and create a blog), or reconcile a strong First Amendment position with McChesney's views on regulation or the public interest, or arrive at a formulation of the clash between Internet utopians and intellectual property law.
Jaime reports on Israel-Palestine peace plans. Jacob reports on Internet utopians and intellectual property law.

the poetics of newswriting

R 10/24: read Darton, "Writing News and Telling Stories" (ER); Romano and Carey articles in Manoff and Schudson, eds. Reading the News

9

 

10/28

T 10/29: Sigal, Schudson articles in Reading the News

R 10/31: reading the (current) news: stories brought to class.

10

 

11/4

 M 11/4: Showing of All the President's Men (dir. Alan Pakula, 1976) in UH g28: 7:00-9:15.

T, 11/5: Watergate class: ATPM and Epstein, Did the Press Unocver Watergate?" (ER)
Arianna reports on Schudson's "Watergate and the Press" (from The Power of the News (1995).

R, 11/7: Watergate, continued. Read original coverage at The Washington Post. Check out http://www.watergate.info

11

 

11/11

T 11/12: Paper #6 due (reading newswriting codes/ Watergate as the big story).
Stuart reports on missile defense and the Space Command concept.

Is anything CENSORED?


R 11/12: Exploring Phillips' and Project Censored's Censored 2003: frontmatter, selected stories in Chapter 1 and Chapter 3.In more detail . . .

12

 

11/18

The final project

T 11/19: Paper #7 due: prospectus and source list for the final project. In class: on with Censored 2003.
Robert reports on media and political reception of Card and Krueger's 1995 Myths and Measurements.

R 11/21: Some talk about defining and investigating topics.
Adam reports on Eldred v. Ashcroft and current copyright law.

    In this week or the next, everyone should make an appointment to talk with SD about the developing final project.

13

 

11/25

T 11/26: Paper #8, an optional revision of paper #4, #5, or #6. See the handout Notes on Revision.
Dan reports on oil as a motive in Iraq war initiatives and debate.

R 11/28: Thanksgiving

14

 

12/2

T, 12/3: Paper #9 (6-8 pp.): draft of the final paper.
Aaron S. and Sean report.



R, 12/5: Last day of class: evaluations and farewells.

   

M 12/16: Paper #10 (10-12 pp) due at my office, GS g39

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