Springfield College in Illinois/Benedictine University
www.sci.edu/classes/ellertsen/com150syl
[Television] is not a tool by which the networks conspire to dumb us down. TV is a tool by which the networks give us exactly what we want. That's a far more depressing thought. -- "The Vent," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jan. 19, 1999.
Below are three essay questions – one worth fifty (50) points out of a hundred, and two shorter essays worth 25 points each. Please write at least two pages (500 words) on the 50-point essay and page (250 words) on each of the 25-point short essays. Use plenty of detail from your reading in the textbook, the internet and handouts I have given you, as well as class discussion, to back up the points you make. Your grade will depend both on your analysis of the broad trends I ask about, and on the specific detail you cite in support of the points you make. I am more interested in the specific factual arguments you make to support your points than in whether you like or dislike a particular piece of music. So be specific. Remember: An unsupported generalization is sudden death in college-level writing.
1. Essay (50 points). Neil Postman, media critic at New York University, once said “Americans are the best entertained and quite likely the least well-informed people in the Western world.” Postman was talking about television, but his critique can be applied to newspapers as well. How do newspapers attempt to strike a balance between entertainment and their duty to give citizens the information they need to function effectively in a democracy? How successful are they? How could they do better? Or can they? How can a mass market communications medium balance entertainment and information without losing customers.
2A. Self-reflective essay (25 points). What have you learned about mass communications in this class so far that you didn’t know before? Consider what you knew at the beginning of the course and what you know now. What point or points stand out most clearly to you? What points are still confusing? In answering this question, please feel free to look at the “Tip Sheet on Writing a Reflective Essay” linked to my faculty webpage. In grading the essay, I will evaluate the relevance of your discussion to the main goals and objectives of the course; the detail you cite to support or illustrate your points; and the connections you make.
2B. Short essay (25 points). How do independent record labels allow creative artists (like musicians and songwriters) to do an end run around the “suits” who often act as gatekeepers in the music industry. What freedom does an independent record label have that the major labels don’t? What limitations does an “indie” have? What is the relationship, generally speaking, between indies and major labels?
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