Communications 150: Intro to Mass Comm.
Benedictine University at Springfield
Instructor: Pete Ellertsen pellertsen@sci.edu
Final Exam, Spring Semester 2010
Below are one 50-point essay question and two 25-point short essay questions. To earn maximum credit, please write three to four pages (750 to 1,000 words) on the 50-point essay and at least a full page (250 words) on each of the 25-point essays. This means you will write answers to all three questions below. Use plenty of detail from your reading in the assigned books, 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 your analysis. Due at the regularly scheduled time for our final, at 1:30 p.m., Monday, May 10, in Dawson 220.
1. Essay (50 points). In a September 2009 interview with Steve Kroft of CBS News, President Obama said, “The truth of the matter is that-- there has been I think a coarsening of our political dialogue.” Among its causes, he added, is sensationalized media coverage of politics. “I will also say that in the era of 24-hour cable news cycles that the loudest, shrillest voices get the most attention.” Based on your reading of John Vivian’s “Media of Mass Communications,” class discussion and website we have visited in COMM 150, would you agree that media coverage of politics is loud, coarse and shrill? Or is it just entertaining? Do the economic pressures of making a profit in a competitive media environment contribute to an emphasis on entertainment at the expense of reasoned public debate? If so, how? Or do you think competition gives us a better selection of information, opinion and entertainment as consumers? If so, how so? Be specific.
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 mass 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 semester 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). In our textbook John Vivian says public relations and advertising both contribute to effective brand management in a good integrated marketing communications plan. “The new wave of IMC, according to one of its primary texts, is “respectful, not patronizing; dialogue-seeking, not monologic; responsive, not formula driven. It speaks to the highest point of common interest – not the lowest common denominator.” How can public relations practitioners incorporate an organization’s mission statement fit into a well-designed IMC program? Why would they want to? Be specific. Always be specific. Remember: An unsupported generalization is sudden death in college-level writing.
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