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CMS 3101: Media & Culture

Instructor information

Instructor: Dr. Virginia Bonner
Semester: Fall 2008
Office: Music Bldg., room 105
Office hours: online by email & by appt.
Phone: 678-466-4713 L
Email: vbonner@clayton.edu J
Teaching Interns:
Ms. Virginia Bevill vbevill@student.clayton.edu
   Office hours: MW 9-11 a.m. and T 3:30-5 p.m. in the Bent
                       Tree Office (SAC 205) and by appointment
Mr. Kamau Waweru kwaweru@student.clayton.edu
   Office hours: TR 11:00 am-1:00 pm outside Music 215 and
                       M 2:15 pm-4:15 pm 4th Floor UC (by seats)
                       and by appointment

The class roll is now available.

Required texts

The following texts are available from the University Bookstore or from online retailers such as Amazon (direct links below). If you choose to order online, be sure you order the correct edition and that you order it WELL before class starts!

McLuhan, Marshall and Quentin Fiore. The Medium is the Massage. Paperback, Gingko Press; New ed (Oct 2005) http://www.amazon.com/
Glassner, Barry. The Culture of Fear, 2000. http://www.amazon.com/
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin, 1972. http://www.amazon.com/
Selected PDF articles available online
Selected films screened either during class meetings or viewed outside of class

Required films

You are responsible for screening these films outside of class by the dates listed on the schedule. You may purchase these titles and add them to your collection, or you may rent them from a vendor of your choice. Or, to save money, you can always view them for free on reserve in the CSU library.

Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999; 139 min.)
Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002; 125 min.)
Office Space (Mike Judge, 1999; 90 min. min.)
Disney's The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994; 90 min.)

The following films may be screened in class.

Killing Us Softly 3 (Jean Kilbourne, 2000; 30 min.)
Color Adjustment (Marlon T. Riggs, 1991; 90 min.)

Other required media

Macromedia Shockwave and Flash players (free download)
DVDs, CD-ROMs, videotapes, and other materials may be placed on reserve at the library.
Photocopies and Web sites may be announced in class and linked from the schedule.

Course Description & Goals

This course focuses on the theories and practices of visual, aural, and written communication. We will survey the interrelationships among the current major forms of global communication and media, including cinema, television, advertising, print, and digital media. In addition, we will explore issues related to communication within culturally diverse communities and within new media environments, including the impact of cultural contexts and audience expectations on aesthetic and ethical interpretations. We will then question how we, as a society, learn to respond to and interpret these messages.

A central idea in our class is that knowledge and images conveyed through media texts are not neutral; rather, they socialize and discipline us even as they entertain and inform us. In this course, then, we will closely analyze several texts and discuss how cultural media work to create meanings. Through this process, we will become more thoughtful readers, viewers, and consumers of those messages.

Course Format

The format of this class is largely discussion-based (class and small group), with some lecture, films, in-class and out-of-class assignments, a group presentation, weekly quizzes, and a final examination.

I believe that the most productive teaching/learning experience results from an interactive process. Ultimately, this is your class; each of you will contribute to this learning experience through active contemplation and discussion. Though I will lecture on occasion, I will not be reading you facts that you will then regurgitate by rote. Instead, we will explore topics together, and we will all challenge ourselves to think critically about these ideas.

Since everyone will contribute to the teaching/learning experience this semester, this means that you must contribute to the class discussion daily. It also means that if you see or hear something outside of class that you think is relevant to what we've been discussing, please bring it to class and share it with us.

Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 214, 770-961-3719, disabilityservices@mail.clayton.edu.