SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS
Voyage: Fall 2013
Discipline: Media Studies
MDST 2559-101: Journalism History and Ethics
Division: Lower
Faculty Name: Jessica Roberts
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 #: 978-1-6042-6600-9
DATE/EDITION: 3rd
1
AUTHOR: Donald Ritchie
TITLE: American Journalists
PUBLISHER: Oxford
ISBN: 978-0-1953-2837-0
Additional magazine and journal articles to be assigned throughout the semester
TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE
A1- August 26: 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?
A2-August 28: Early print media: The printing press and the spread of literacy in Europe
Reading: Hanson ch. 1
St. Petersburg: August 29- September 1
A3- September 3: Early print media: The First Amendment and a free press
Lecture/discussion: Gutenberg, the Zenger trial and its importance in modern journalism
Reading: Hanson ch. 4, Ritchie on Zenger, Franklin
Hamburg: September 5-8
A4- September 9: 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. 197, Ritchie on Draper
Due: Blog Entry #1
A5- September 11: Alternative press: American Suffrage and Abolitionist press,
Lecture/discussion:
Reading: Ritchie on Tarbell,
Antwerp and Le Havre: September 12-16
A6- September 18: European Press
Lecture/discussion: The North Atlantic/Liberal Media Model v. the Northern
European/Democratic Corporatist Media Model v. the Mediterranean/Polarized Pluralist Media
Model
Readings: PDFs to be assigned
Dublin: September 20-23
A7- September 24: Growth of the American news industry, news barons and professionalization
of the press
Lecture/discussion: Timeline of American journalism history, economic influences, changing
2
professional ideology, introduction of objectivity, developing a national newspaper
Reading: Hanson ch. 6 p. 197-end, Ritchie on Pulitzer, Hearst, Neuharth, Murdoch
A8- September 26: Exam #1
Lisbon and Cadiz: September 27- October 1
Casablanca: October 3-6
A9- October 8: Rise of photography
Lecture/discussion: The importance of images in the news, public perception
Reading: Zelizer, “Journalism through the camera’s eye,” Chapnick, “Inside Photojournalism”
ch 1 & 2, Ritchie on Nast, Luce
Due: Blog Entry #2
A10- October 11: 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
A11- October 13: Radio around the world
Lecture/discussion: Community radio in Africa, the importance of radio in the developing world
Due: Research paper topic
Reading: Articles to be assigned
Tema: October 15-18
A12- October 20: 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
A13- October 22: Online news
Lecture/discussion: The transition to online news, and
Reading: Hanson ch. 10
Due: Blog Entry #3 (Reflection on Field Lab/move to A-15 if lab in Cape Town)
A14- October 25: 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
Readings: Articles to be assigned
Cape Town: October 26-30
A15- November 2: Journalism in South Africa
Lecture/discussion: From Apartheid to the present: Serving a multi-ethnic, varied socioeconomic
population, a journalists’ responsibilities and ethics
Reading: Articles to be assigned
3
Due: Research paper outline
A16- November 5: Watchdog or lap dog? Media in the late 20th century
Lecture/discussion: Revisiting the responsibilities of journalists, evaluating the news
Reading: Hanson ch. 3
A17- November 7: The business of news: Global media consolidation
Lecture/discussion: Media ownership by corporations, limited diversity in the news
Reading: Hanson ch. 11
A18- November 10: Exam #2
Buenos Aires: November 12-16
A19- November 17: Citizen journalism: The Internet and “mass self-communication”
Lecture/discussion: Technological and economic influences on growth of citizen journalism,
ethical and social considerations
Reading: Articles to be assigned
Due: Blog Entry #4
A20- November 19: Social media and the changing role of the audience
Lecture/discussions: The Arab Spring, Twitter and harnessing mass participation
Reading: Articles to be assigned
Rio de Janeiro: November 20-22
A21- November 25: 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, article to be assigned
A22- November 28: 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 modern, global context
Reading: Hanson ch. 13
A23- November 30: Connecting the past and the present, lessons for the future
Lecture/discussion: Redefining journalists and citizens, or taking back old definitions of free
press
Due: Blog Entry #5
Manaus: December 2-5
A24- December 8: Present research papers
Due: Research papers
A25- December 11: A Day Finals
4
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 (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the
instructor.)
A visit to The Cape Times in Cape Town, and a Community Radio Station in Kayelitsha,
using contacts the professor made during her time at the Cape Times. Or a visit to a
newspaper and community radio station (Ada) in Ghana.
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 Ghana or South
Africa, analyzing how technology shapes the job, the responsibilities, and ethics of
journalists.
Students will gain first-hand experience in 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
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
drawing on all three). There will be five over the course of the semester.
5
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: Georgios Terzis (Editor)
TITLE: European Journalism Education
PUBLISHER: University of Chicago Press
ISBN #: 978-1-84150-235-9
DATE/EDITION:
ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS
AUTHOR:
ARTICLE/CHAPTER TITLE:
JOURNAL/BOOK TITLE:
VOLUME:
DATE:
6
PAGES:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
None
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].”
7