SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS
Voyage: Fall 2013
Discipline: Media Studies
MDST 2559-101: Journalism History and Ethics
Division: Lower
Faculty Name: Jessica Roberts
B Day 9:25-10:40 a.m.
Pre-requisites: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an introduction to the study of journalism from the standpoint of media
history, examining the forces of social, political and technological change that have affected media.
We will consider what it means to be a journalist in the age of mobile communication, studying
individuals who blazed the trail for today’s journalists and thinking about how journalism differs
from other forms of mass communication, in terms of ethics and work practices. We will also
cover business and technological changes that have resulted in different ways to reach audiences,
drawing connections between the present and the past. We will compare professional journalism
ideologies around the world to gain a better understanding of how the roles, tools, and ethics of
journalists vary from the U.S. in the UK, Russia, continental Europe, South America, and
particularly considering the importance of radio and mobile tools for communication in Ghana and
South Africa.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Develop an understanding of journalism, what journalists do, and how the major themes of
journalism history relate to the present day media of mass communication.
2. Examine how news and information are disseminated in countries around the world, how
the processes of news-making and news distribution are influenced by culture, geography,
political institutions, and technology.
3. Examine the events and individuals who have shaped journalism over time, focusing on
journalism’s unique role in the history of the U.S, its economic evolution, its relationship
with diverse populations and interests, and the development of the laws and ethical
standards that guide the profession.
4. Gain an understanding of the professional ideology and ethical codes of journalists in the
United States and other nations.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
AUTHOR: Ralph Hanson
TITLE: Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
PUBLISHER: CQ Press
ISBN #: 978-1-4522-0299-0
DATE/EDITION: 4th
1
AUTHOR: Donald Ritchie
TITLE: American Journalists
PUBLISHER: Oxford
ISBN: 978-0-1953-2837-0
Additional book and journal articles listed in Electronic Resources
TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE
(Readings are to be completed prior to the session in which they are listed)
B1- August 27: Review syllabus and course objectives and expectations
Lecture/discussion: Roles and habits of the press: What is a journalist? What is the role of a free
press in a democracy? What are the ethical responsibilities of journalists? Where do citizens fit?
St. Petersburg: August 29- September 1
B2-September 2: Early print media: The printing press and the spread of literacy in Europe
Reading: Hanson ch. 1
B3- September 4: Early print media: The First Amendment and a free press
Lecture/discussion: Gutenberg, the Zenger trial and its relevance in modern journalism
Reading: Hanson ch. 4, Ritchie on Zenger, Franklin
Hamburg: September 5-8
B4- September 10: American Colonial and revolutionary press, the birth of news in the U.S.
Lecture/discussion: Partisan press, penny press, yellow journalism
Reading: Hanson ch. 6 up to p. 132, Ritchie on Draper, Pulitzer, Hearst
Due: Blog Entry #1
Antwerp and Le Havre: September 12-16
B5- September 17: European Press
Lecture/discussion: European Journalism Ethics, comparing American and European models
Readings: Journal articles by Hafez and Marzolf
B6-September 19: Growth of the American news industry, news barons and professionalization
of the press
Lecture/discussion: Timeline of American journalism history, economic influences, changing
professional ideology, introduction of objectivity, developing a national newspaper
Reading: Journal article by Schudson, Hanson ch. 6 p. 132-end, Ritchie on Neuharth, Murdoch
Dublin: September 20-23
B7- September 25: Exam #1
2
Lisbon and Cadiz: September 27- October 1
Casablanca: October 3-6
B8- October 7: Photography
Lecture/discussion: The introduction of images to the newspaper, the importance of images in
the news and shaping public perception
Reading: Zelizer ch. 12, Chapnick ch. 1 & 2, Ritchie on Nast or Luce
Due: Blog Entry #2
B9- October 9: Broadcasting: Radio news, the press and two world wars
Lecture/discussion: Changes brought about by radio, war reporting
Reading: Hanson ch. 7, Ritchie on Murrow
B10- October 12: Broadcasting: Television news and the rise of the news anchor
Lecture/discussion: The origins of television and the changes wrought in journalism by television
Reading: Hanson ch. 9, Ritchie on Cronkite
Due: Research paper topic
B11- October 14: Radio around the world
Lecture/discussion: Community radio in Africa, the importance of radio in the developing world
Reading: Journal articles by Kivikuru, Fraser and Restrepo-Estrada
Takoradi/Tema: October 15-18
B12-October 21: Alternative press: American Suffragist and Abolitionist Press, Alternative
newspapers
Lecture/discussion: Activist and advocacy journalism
Reading: Journal article by Atton, Ritchie on Tarbell
B13- October 24: Journalism in South Africa
Lecture/discussion: From Apartheid to the present: Serving a multi-ethnic, varied socioeconomic
population, a journalist’s responsibilities and ethics
Readings: Journal articles by Wasserman and Berger
Due: Research paper outline
Cape Town: October 26-30
Field Lab-October 30: The Cape Times and Bush Radio in Cape Town
B14- November 1: Threats to journalism: Media suppression around the world
Lecture/discussion: The role of journalists in politically oppressive regimes, the importance of free
press in social uprising
Reading: Freedom House “Freedom of the Press 2012” Report, CPJ Special Report “Getting Away
With Murder”
Due: Blog Entry #3 (Reflection on Field Lab)
3
B15- November 3: Watchdog or lap dog? Media in the late 20th century
Lecture/discussion: Revisiting the responsibilities of journalists, evaluating the news
Reading: Hanson ch. 3, Pew’s State of the News Media 2013 report
B16- November 6: Online news
Lecture/discussion: The transition to online news and the “converged” newsroom
Reading: Hanson ch. 10
B17- November 9: The business of news: Global media consolidation
Lecture/discussion: Media ownership by corporations, limited diversity in the news
Reading: Hanson ch. 11
B18- November 11: Exam #2
Buenos Aires: November 12-16
B19- November 18: Citizen journalism: The Internet and “mass self-communication”
Lecture/discussion: Technological and economic influences on growth of citizen journalism,
ethical and social considerations
Reading: Journal articles by Allan, Bird and Brabham
Due: Blog Entry #4
Rio de Janeiro: November 20-22
B20- November 24: Social media and the changing role of the audience
Lecture/discussions: The Arab Spring, Twitter and harnessing mass participation
Reading: Hanson ch. 15
Due: Field lab paper
B21- November 26: Informal regulation: Journalism ethics around the world
Lecture/discussion: The professed ethical stances of journalists, how they vary around the world
Reading: Hanson ch. 14, Journal article by Laitila
B22- November 29: Formal regulation: U.S. media law
Lecture/discussion: The laws that affect journalists in the U.S., the limitations of U.S. media law
in a global context
Reading: Hanson ch. 13
Manaus: December 2-5
B23- December 7: Connecting the past and the present, lessons for the future
Lecture/discussion: Redefining journalists and citizens, or taking back old definitions of free
press
B24- December 9: Present research papers
4
Due: Research papers
B25- December 13: B Day Finals
FIELD WORK
Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Please do not book
individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of our field lab.
FIELD LAB
A visit to The Cape Times and Bush Radio in Cape Town, where students will learn about
the operation of each news organization, how journalists inform their audiences through
these different media, and the differences and similarities in work practices, routines and
ethics
FIELD ASSIGNMENTS
Students will be asked to write a personal reflection blog entry on the experience on the day
of the field lab.
Students will write a 4- to 6-page paper discussing the role of a particular medium of
communication in another port and comparing it to the role of radio in South Africa,
analyzing how technology shapes the job, responsibilities, and ethics of journalists.
Students will gain first-hand experience of the operation of a newspaper and radio station,
and gain an understanding of the role of these media in Africa, and the differences in
communication media among the various countries visited.
Student papers will be evaluated as the other paper.
METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC
Grading
Field lab paper – 25 percent
Research paper – 25 percent
Exams– 30 percent (10 percent each of three exams)
Blog entries – 20 percent (5 percent each)
Field lab paper: A 4- to 6-page paper comparing the use of a particular medium in two nations
visited on the trip, and analyzing the role of that medium, how it has influenced the roles and
responsibilities of journalists, and how it shapes the ethics of journalists in the nations.
Research paper: A 5-page paper on a topic of your choice (with instructor approval), analyzing
some aspect of media history prior to 1990, and considering how this event, person, publication,
or technology has (or does not have) a continuing effect on modern journalism. You may choose
as the focus of your paper an individual not profiled in the text, a publication, or an event
significant to journalism history.
Exams: There will be three exams over the course of the semester, with both short answer and
essay questions.
Blog entries: A 300- to 500-word reflection on a reading, port call, or class discussion (or
5
drawing on all three). There will be four over the course of the semester.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory, and class participation will affect your final grade; although it does not
officially constitute any portion of your grade, it can be used to help or hurt your grade when on
the edge. Participation means actively listening and responding to the lectures, as well as
comments from classmates. If you have a legitimate excuse for your absence, please make a
reasonable attempt to inform the instructor in advance.
Rubric
What earns an A (90 to 100 percent)? Your submission was entertaining and insightful and
addressed the topic thoroughly. It was well-written and free of grammatical and spelling errors
(or nearly so.)
What earns a B (80 to 89 percent)? Your submission appropriately addressed the topic and
provided thoughtful information. The sentence structure was good, and while the writing could
have been better, it had very few spelling or grammar errors.
What earns a C (70 to 79 percent)? Your submission met the requirements of the assignment, but
no more. You responded to the topic, but your response was perfunctory and thin. Sentence
structure was not perfect. There were several grammar and/or spelling errors.
What earns a D (60 to 69 percent)? Your submission was off topic or left out information. It was
poorly written, with many grammar and/or spelling errors.
What earns an F (0 points)? You didn’t submit the assignment or it was falsified/inaccurate.
RESERVE LIBRARY LIST
AUTHOR: Michael Schudson
TITLE: Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers
PUBLISHER:
ISBN #: 0-465-01666-9
DATE/EDITION:
AUTHOR: Tim Crook
TITLE: International Radio Journalism
PUBLISHER: Routledge
ISBN #: 978-0-415-09673-7
DATE/EDITION: 1997
AUTHOR: Stephen J.A. Ward
TITLE: Global Journalism Ethics
PUBLISHER: McGill-Queen’s Press
ISBN #: 0773536930/978-0773536937
DATE/EDITION: 2010
6
AUTHOR: John Calhoun Merrill
TITLE: Global Journalism: A Survey of International Communication
PUBLISHER: Longman Publishers
ISBN #: 0801314917
DATE/EDITION: 1995
AUTHOR: Franz Kruger
TITLE: Black, White and Grey: Ethics in South African journalism
PUBLISHER: University of Chicago Press
ISBN #: 1919930957/978-1919930954
DATE/EDITION:
AUTHOR: Paschal Preston
TITLE: Making the News: Journalism and News Cultures in Europe
PUBLISHER: Routledge
ISBN #: 978-0-415-46189-4
DATE/EDITION: 2008
ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS
AUTHOR: Kai Hafez
ARTICLE TITLE: Journalism Ethics Revisited: A Comparison of Ethics Codes in Europe, North
Africa, the Middle East, and Muslim Asia
JOURNAL TITLE: Political Communication
VOLUME: 19
DATE: 2002
PAGES: 225-250
AUTHOR: Marion T. Marzolf
ARTICLE TITLE: American “New Journalism” Takes Root in Europe at End of 19th Century
JOURNAL TITLE: Journalism Quarterly
VOLUME: 61 (3)
DATE: 1984
PAGES: 529-536
AUTHOR: Michael Schudson
ARTICLE TITLE: The objectivity norm in American journalism*
JOURNAL TITLE: Journalism
VOLUME: 2 (2)
DATE: August 2001
PAGES: 149-170
AUTHOR: Barbie Zelizer
CHAPTER TITLE: Journalism through the camera’s eye (Chapter 12)
BOOK TITLE: Journalism: Critical Issues, Stuart Allan (ed.)
7
DATE: 2005
PAGES: 167-176
AUTHOR: Howard Chapnick
CHAPTER TITLE: Photojournalism as Eyewitness to History, Realism and the Receptive Eye
(Chapter 1 & 2)
BOOK TITLE: Truth Needs No Ally: Inside Photojournalism
DATE: 1994
PAGES: 7-19
AUTHOR: Ullamaija Kivikuru
ARTICLE TITLE: Top-down or Bottom-up? Radio in the Service of Democracy: Experiences
from South Africa and Namibia
JOURNAL TITLE: The International Communication Gazette
VOLUME: 68, No. 1
DATE: February 2006
PAGES: 5-31
AUTHOR: Colin Fraser and Sonia Restrepo-Estrada
ARTICLE TITLE: Community Radio for Change and Development
JOURNAL TITLE: Society for International Development
VOLUME: 45 (4)
DATE: August 2001
PAGES: 149-170
AUTHOR: Chris Atton
ARTICLE TITLE: News Cultures and New Social Movements: radical journalism and the
mainstream media
JOURNAL TITLE: Journalism Studies
VOLUME: 3 (4)
DATE: 2002
PAGES: 491-505
AUTHOR: Herman Wasserman
ARTICLE TITLE: Globalized Values and Postcolonial Responses: South African Perspectives on
Normative Media Ethics
JOURNAL TITLE: The International Communication Gazette
VOLUME: 68 (1)
DATE: 2006
PAGES: 71-91
AUTHOR: Guy Berger
ARTICLE TITLE: Towards an Analysis of the South African
Media and Transformation, 1994-991
JOURNAL TITLE: Transformation
VOLUME: 38
8
DATE: 1999
PAGES: 82-116
AUTHOR: Freedom House
REPORT TITLE: Freedom of the Press 2012: Breakthroughs and Pushback in the Middle East
JOURNAL/BOOK TITLE:
http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Booklet%20for%20Website_0.pdf
DATE: 2012
AUTHOR: Committee to Protect Journalists
ARTICLE/CHAPTER TITLE: Special Report: Getting Away With Murder
AVAILABLE AT: http://cpj.org/reports/2012/04/impunity-index-2012.php
DATE: April 17, 2012
AUTHOR: Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism
REPORT TITLE: The State of the News Media 2013
AVAILABLE AT: http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/
DATE: 2013
AUTHOR: Stuart Allan
ARTICLE TITLE: Citizen Journalism and the Rise of “Mass Self-Communication”: Reporting the
London Bombings
JOURNAL TITLE: Global Media Journal
VOLUME: 1 (1)
DATE: 2007
PAGES: 1-20
AUTHOR: S. Elizabeth Bird
ARTICLE TITLE: Are We All Produsers Now? Convergence and media audience practices
JOURNAL TITLE: Cultural Studies
VOLUME: 25 (4-5)
DATE: 2011
PAGES: 502-516
AUTHOR: Darren Brabham
ARTICLE TITLE: The Myth of Amateur Crowds
JOURNAL TITLE: Flow
VOLUME: 13
AVAILABLE AT: http://flowtv.org/2011/01/the-myth-of-amateur-crowds/
DATE: 2011
AUTHOR: Tiina Laitila
ARTICLE TITLE: Journalistic Codes of Ethics in Europe
JOURNAL TITLE: European Journal of Communication
VOLUME: 10 (4)
DATE: 1995
9
PAGES: 527-544
HONOR CODE
Along with certain rights, students also have the responsibility to behave honorably in an
academic environment. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating
academic dishonesty and plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Adhering to a high ethical standard is
of special importance in the world of journalism, where reliability and credibility are the
cornerstones of the field.
Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or writing and passing them off as your own. If you use
someone else’s work, use proper citations. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the class.
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. It’s not worth it.
Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of
Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University’s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of
lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager’s Handbook for further explanation of
what constitutes an honor offense.
Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: “On my honor
as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.” The pledge
must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed “[signed].”
10