COMM 150: Introduction to Mass Communications
Benedictine University Springfield
[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.
Midterm · Fall Semester 2010
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 double-spaced (500 words) on the 50-point essay and at least one 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 primarily interested in the specific factual arguments you make to support your points. So be specific. Remember: An unsupported generalization is sudden death in college-level writing. Due in class Friday, Oct. 22.
1. Main essay (50 points). In what specific ways have magazines tried to keep their share of readers in an era of electronic media domination, niche marketing and specialized publications? How has the magazine industry evolved since the days of mass-market magazines like Life and Collier's? What is CPM, and how has it influenced the magazine industry? What kinds of magazines are most likely to be successful in the 21st century? If you were the publisher of a new magazine, what sort of magazine would you choose to publish? How? Why? If you were an advertiser selling a specific product, what kind of magazine would you choose? Explain what your hypothetical product is and why you would choose the magazine(s) you'd advertise in.
Benedictine University Springfield
[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.
Midterm · Fall Semester 2010
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 double-spaced (500 words) on the 50-point essay and at least one 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 primarily interested in the specific factual arguments you make to support your points. So be specific. Remember: An unsupported generalization is sudden death in college-level writing. Due in class Friday, Oct. 22.
1. Main essay (50 points). In what specific ways have magazines tried to keep their share of readers in an era of electronic media domination, niche marketing and specialized publications? How has the magazine industry evolved since the days of mass-market magazines like Life and Collier's? What is CPM, and how has it influenced the magazine industry? What kinds of magazines are most likely to be successful in the 21st century? If you were the publisher of a new magazine, what sort of magazine would you choose to publish? How? Why? If you were an advertiser selling a specific product, what kind of magazine would you choose? Explain what your hypothetical product is and why you would choose the magazine(s) you'd advertise in.
2A. Short essay (25 points). Television comedian Jon Stewart describes the "watchdog role" of the press, i.e. the news media, like this: "...the way I explain it, is when you go to a zoo and a monkey throws feces, it's a monkey. But when the zookeeper is standing right there and he doesn't say, 'Bad monkey' — somebody's gotta be the zookeeper." But he says he thinks newspapers and TV have abdicated that responsibility. Others wouldn't agree, but the question is at least debatable. Do you think the pressures of the marketplace in an era of 24/7 celebrity news and entertainment make it more difficult for the media to meet their responsbility as watchdogs - or zookeepers - and still attract audiences? If so, how? If not, why not? Be specific. If you were a newspaper editor, how would you meet the challenge?
2B. 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 at http://www1.ben.edu/springfield/faculty/ellertsen/reflect.html. 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.
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