Springfield College/Benedictine University
Fall Semester 2007
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.
Final Exam – Fall 2007
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. This means you write on all three 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 on your analysis of broad trends and the specific detail you cite in support of the points you make. Exam is Mon., Dec. 3, at 1:30 p.m., in D220.
1. Main essay (50 points). Joseph Straubhaar and Robert LaRose, authors of our textbook "Media Now," say postmodernists believe “there is no universal truth, that what you think depends on your own experience, which depends on what groups you belong to, what media you pay attention to, what your family taught you.” On the one hand, the postmodern attitude allows us to experience scientific discovery in what Michelle Thaller of the California Institute of Technology, in an article headlined “A Dinosaur Named Sue, and the Way Science Really Works,” calls “the drama and wonder” of questioning and experimentation “when we admit we aren’t sure what the facts really are.” On the other hand, postmodernism erodes commonly accepted standards, and French philosopher Jean Baudrillard says we are bombarded with so many conflicting messages that “We are not … in danger of lacking meaning; quite the contrary, we are gorged with meaning and it is killing us.” How do you define postmodernism? How has the communications industry contributed to this diversity of messages, especially on the Internet? How do new media like the Internet allow writers, artists, musicians and other creative types to exercise creative control? How do they allow anti-social expressions like pornography, hate speech and deceptive advertising to flourish? Are these effects balanced by the pro-social effects of 21st-century media? Is postmodern diversity and freedom a good thing or a bad thing? Cite specific evidence in your answers.
2a. Self-reflective essay (25 points). What have you learned in Communications 150 that surprised you the most? How, specifically, did it surprise you? What was your overall impression of the media before you took the course? How has that changed as a result of your reading, class discussion and research for the course? Consider it in the context of what you knew at the beginning of the course and what you know now. In grading this 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. Be specific.
2b. Short essay (25 points). Brands, branding and brand management are increasingly important concepts in integrated marketing communications. How does a mission statement fit into a well-designed IMC program? How can effective brand management and a well thought-out Integrated Marketing Communications plan help advertisers and public relations practitioners deal with competing messages? Be specific. Always be specific. Remember: An unsupported generalization is sudden death in college-level writing.
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