SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM COMM 203: Communication and Mass Media Spring 2014 Schedule/Syllabus Day and Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30-4:50 Classroom: ASC G26 Professor: Kjerstin Thorson Phone: 213-740-9610 Email: [email protected] Office: ASC 121D Office Hours: Thursdays 10-12 and by appointment Teaching Assistants: Raffi Sarkissian Diana Lee Jin Huang Course Description This course explores theory and empirical research on the impact of the mass media on individuals’ thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, with a focus on understanding media effects in the context of new media communication technology. While scholars take different approaches to addressing questions about the role of mass media in our lives, this course takes a social scientific approach. The aim of this course is to provide you with (a) a general understanding of scientific research on media use and effects and (b) a set of tools for thinking critically about the role of media in our lives. We will begin by exploring the history of media effects and (a little bit about) the research methods that make social scientific media research possible. Then, we will investigate theoretical perspectives used to explain the influences of the mass media (e.g., priming theory, social cognitive theory) and what we know about the specific effects of different types of media content on individuals. Course Objectives The course is designed to provide an extensive examination of the effects of the mass media. By the end of the semester you should be able to: 1) understand an array of effects associated with exposure to the mass media; 2) comprehend the way in which the mass media is studied; 3) recognize some of the unanswered questions in the field and offer possible answers to those questions; and 4) take the upperdivision media and entertainment courses offered in the School of Communication & Journalism. Required Reading 1

1) Sparks, G. G. Media effects research (4rd edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. 2) Articles available for download on Blackboard. Assignments & Grading Exam #1 Exam #2 Final exam Quizzes and participation Response papers (in and out of class)

40 points 40 points 60 points 20 points 40 points 200 points

Summary of assignments Exams. Exams will contain questions in multiple formats, including multiple choice, true-false questions, short answer, and essay questions. All exams cover information from lectures and the readings. Therefore, it is essential to attend all lectures and do all the readings. Quizzes. There will be six unannounced quizzes in class over the course of the semester. Quizzes cannot be made up, even if you have an excused absence from class. However, you may drop your lowest grade on a quiz. Response papers. You will be asked to write up four short response papers over the course of the semester. These papers will be approximately 2 pages in length. You may be asked to demonstrate your understanding of an assigned topic or offer a critique/analysis of a topic in the news based on what you’ve learned in the class. Options for response paper topics will be announced regularly in class. You must complete four response papers before the end of the semester—two in the first half of the semester (by March 6) and the other two by May 1. Each paper is worth 10 points. Participation. You are encouraged to participate during lecture, and to engage with the professor and TAs in and out of class. During class you might offer meaningful analysis or commentary related to the course. Outside of class, you might visit the professor’s office hours or those of your TA. You are also encouraged to attend relevant events (announced in class) and let us know your thoughts. Course Policies Classroom environment. It is important for all students to be in an atmosphere that fosters intellectual development. Students are expected to be respectful of others’ comments and contributions. You may use laptops during class, but only for taking notes and looking up course-related material. During some portions of the class and

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during guest lectures the professor will ask you to close your laptops. (As we will discuss in class, it turns out that people are not very good at multitasking, despite what we tend to believe.) Radios, music players, and cell phones should not be used during class time. Please, do not text or message during class. PDF versions of lecture slides will be posted to Blackboard by the end of each week. Exams. Each test is to be taken on the designated exam date. No make-ups are allowed except in the case of an emergency. In the rare event that an emergency arises, it is your responsibility to 1) inform your TA prior to the exam time, and 2) provide the TA with written documentation of the emergency (e.g., medical note from a certified physician). Job interviews and family vacations do not constitute emergencies. Statement for students with disabilities Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301. The phone number is 213 740-0776. Academic integrity The Annenberg School for Communication is committed to upholding the University’s Academic Integrity code as detailed in the SCampus guide. It is the policy of the School of Communication to report all violations of the code. Any serious violations or pattern of violations of the Academic Integrity Code will result in the student’s expulsion from the Communication major or minor. USC Statement on Academic Integrity USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located at http://scampus.usc.edu/universitygovernance. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The review process can be found at http://www.usc.edu/studentaffairs/SJACS Stress and angst. Students are under a lot of pressure. If you start to feel overwhelmed, it is important that you reach out for help. A good place to start is the USC Student Counseling Services office at 213-740-7711. The service is confidential, and there is no charge.

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Faculty Bio Dr. Kjerstin Thorson is an assistant professor in Journalism and Communication at USC Annenberg. Her research explores the effects of digital and social media on political engagement, activism and persuasion. Before going back to school, Kjerstin worked for several years in public relations and corporate communications. Most recently, she worked in corporate communications at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. from the Missouri School of Journalism.

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Course Schedule Note: This schedule is subject to change. Readings are due on the date they are listed in the syllabus. Week 1 Tues, Jan. 14: Introduction and the idea of media effects READ: Sparks Ch. 1 Thurs, Jan. 16: The history of media effects research READ: (1) The syllabus; (2) Sparks Ch. 3 Week 2 Tues, Jan. 21: The methods we use READ: (1) Sparks Ch. 2; (2) Understanding statistics handout (on Blackboard) Thurs, Jan. 23: Media effects in a changing media environment READ: Eveland, W. P. (2003). A “mix of attributes” approach to the study of media effects and new communication technologies. Journal of Communication, 53(3), 395410. Week 3 Tues, Jan. 28: Introducing “the audience” READ: (1) McQuail, D. (1997). Audience analysis (Ch. 1, pp. 1-11; Ch. 3, pp. 25-42). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (2) Livingstone, S. (2013). The participation paradigm in audience research. The Communication Review, 16(21-30). Thurs, Jan. 30: “The audience,” continued READ: (1) Sparks Ch. 4 (2) Knobloch, S., & Zillmann, D. (2002). Mood management via the digital jukebox. Journal of communication, 52(2), 351-366. Week 4 Tues, Feb. 4: Connecting audiences to effects Bring your questions for exam review! Thurs., Feb. 6: Exam 1 Don’t forget to bring a pencil. Week 5 Tues, Feb. 11: What we know about the world part 1: Learning from the news READ: (1) Jennings Bryant & Susan Thompson (2002). Fundamentals of media effects. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, Ch. 14, “News effects.” (2) Tewksbury & Rittenberg (2013). News on the Internet. Ch. 6, “Learning from online news” 5

Thurs., Feb. 13: How do we know what’s important? Agenda setting and the new media environment READ: Sparks, Ch. 9 Week 6 Tues, Feb. 18: What we know about the world part 2: Learning from entertainment READ: Segrin, C., & Nabi, R.L. (2002). Does television cultivate unrealistic expectations about marriage? Journal of Communication, 52(2), 247-263. Thurs, Feb. 20: What we know about the world, cont. READ: (1) Rice & Atkin, Public Communication Campaigns (2012). Ch. 22, “The Rising Tide of Entertainment-Education in Communication Campaigns” (2) Sparks, Ch. 8, pp. 174-186 ONLY Week 7 Tues, Feb. 25: Priming, basic concepts READ: Jennings Bryant & Susan Thompson (2002). Fundamentals of media effects. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, Ch. 5, “Priming effects.” Thurs, Feb 27: Applications of priming READ: Holbert, R.L. et al. (2003). The West Wing as endorsement of the U.S. presidency: Expanding the bounds of priming in political communication. Journal of Communication, 53(3), 427-442. Week 8 Tues, Mar 4: Multitasking: A debate? READ: (1) Pea, R., Nass, C., Meheula, L., Rance, M., Kumar, A., Bamford, H., ... & Zhou, M. (2012). Media use, face-to-face communication, media multitasking, and social well-being among 8-to 12-year-old girls. Developmental psychology, 48(2), 327. (2) Thompson, D. (2011) If Multitasking Is Impossible, Why Are Some People So Good at It? http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/ifmultitasking-is-impossible-why-are-some-people-so-good-at-it/248648/ Thurs, Mar 6: Wrap up and review session Don’t forget to bring your questions! Week 9 Tues, Mar 11: Exam 2 Bring your pencils Thurs, Mar 13: Yikes! Effects of fear and violence READ: (1) Sparks Ch. 5

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(2) Dmitri Williams, “Why The Violent Game Debate Actually Isn't Over.” http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-01-09-why-the-violent-game-debateactually-isnt-over SPRING BREAK March 17-22 Week 10 Tues, Mar 25: Fear and violence, cont. READ: (1) Sparks, Ch. 7 (2) Cantor, J., Byrne, S., Moyer-Gusé, E., & Riddle, K. (2010). Descriptions of mediainduced fright reactions in a sample of US elementary school children. Journal of Children and Media, 4(1), 1-17. Thurs, Mar 27: Thinking about persuasion READ: (1) Sparks Ch. 8, pp. 187-203 ONLY (2) READING TO BE ANNOUNCED Week 11 Tues, Apr 1: Thinking about persuasion READ: Duhigg, C. (2012). “How companies learn your secrets,” New York Times Magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shoppinghabits.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Thurs, Apr 3: Media and political participation READ: (1) The science behind those Obama campaign emails,” Businessweek, http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-29/the-science-behind-thoseobama-campaign-e-mails (2) Issenberg, S. (2012). The Victory Lab, Ch. 1 Week 12 Tues, Apr 8: Media and political participation READINGS TO BE ANNOUNCED Thurs, Apr 10: Portrayals of ethnicity and gender READ: Sparks, Ch 10 Week 13 Tues, Apr 15: Thin ideal READ: Ahern, A. L., Bennett, K. M., Kelly, M., & Hetherington, M. M. (2011). A qualitative exploration of young women’s attitudes towards the thin ideal. Journal of health psychology, 16(1), 70-79. Thurs, Apr 17: Sexual content in the media READ: (1) Sparks, Ch. 6

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(2) Aubrey, J.S. (2006). Effects of sexually objectifying media on self-objectification and body surveillance in undergraduates: Results of a 2-year panel study. Journal of Communication, 56, 366-386. Week 14 Tues, Apr 22: Media and children READ: Bickham, D. S., Wright, J. C., Huston, A. C. (2001). Attention, comprehension, and the educational influences of television. In D. G. Singer & J. L. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of children and the media (pp. 101-119). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Thurs, Apr 24: Media and children READ: Gutnick et al., (2011). “Always connected: The new digital media habits of young children.” http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/publication/alwaysconnected-the-new-digital-media-habits-of-young-children/ Week 15 Tues, Apr 29: The future of media effects READ: Sparks, Ch 11 Thurs, May 1: Wrap up and review FINAL EXAM: TBA

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