Mass Communication Philosophy 
and Principles

Fall 2009

 Jack Hamilton & Regina Lawrence

Office telephone: 578-2002 & 578-2565

Email: jhamilt@lsu.edu & lawrenr@lsu.edu

 "[T]he gentlemen of the press, as a class, are an unreflective and unanalytical lot...they seldom give any sober thought to the anatomy and physiology of the business of their lives." 

 H.L. Mencken

Charles Barkley

                                  John Adams

This seminar examines influential principles and philosophies underlying the development of mass media. Our objective, however, is not only to understand what others have thought. As befits a professional school such as ours, we also seek to apply thought to practice and action. By mastering the great ideas of others, you'll be prepared to come up with some great ones of your own and put Mencken's observation to the lie.

To quote Kafka, "One reads in order to ask questions." That, and sweat, describes our routine. The first questions we ask each week are: What is the main theme of the week's readings; how do the authors develop their arguments? The fruits of this inquiry are distilled into a short, brightly written essay. (Short essays are more difficult than long ones; so you must keep them to two-pages, double-spaced. Do not use type sizes below 10 points). Then, we come to class and discuss the questions energetically.

WHAT ABOUT GRADING?

The weekly papers are worth 70 percent of the grade; the final examination 20 percent; classroom participation 10 percent. While grading is, perforce, subjective, the following is worth noting:

No paper can be deemed successful if it is not written cogently and clearly. Convoluted, self-conscious prose or, worse, poor spelling and lousy grammar put students on the road to perdition. Strong papers are well written and something else: they identify the central arguments in the week's reading and the supporting evidence for those arguments. Late papers are accepted only on petition and then with overwhelming arguments. A list of common markings on papers include:

P:  Passive voice; please use active voice

?:  The meaning is unclear

WC: Word choice; you need a better word

Awk: Awkward writing

NS: Non-sequitur

TTT: Your type is too tiny, probably because you are cramming too much into two pages.

With regard to class discussion, the readings are meant to spark lively thinking, not somnolence. To help get sparks flying, students give presentations related to the week's readings: Who exactly is the author? What does his or her background suggest about the approach to the issues? The participation grade is based on this presentation as well as class discussion.

The final examination tests students' ability to weave together the threads of the past semester. The exam is written on blue books that students should bring to class.

Grades are computed as follows:  

HOW DO WE SEEK CONSOLATION & GUIDANCE?

I want each of you to succeed. I am here to help. See me with your questions and concerns. You can usually find me in my office at 8 o'clock in the morning. Otherwise, see my assistant Angela Fleming; she will set up an appointment convenient for you.

DO WE EVER GET TO REST?

We will take a rest on at least one week to be determined later.

SCHEDULED ASSIGNMENTS:

SCHEDULED ASSIGNMENTS:

Week One: Words: Why Profound Writing Is Clear Writing

            "Politics of the English Language," Orwell

            "What Missing the Newspaper Means," Berelson

Week Two: Theory (and Reality) of the Press

            Four Theories of the Press, Siebert, etc.

Week Three: The Business of Writing

            Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

            "Paris: The Early Internet," Darnton

Week Four: The Evolution of News

            Discovering the News, Schudson

"The Market For Press Independence," Hamilton

Killing the Messenger, Sinclair chapter

Week Five: Public Opinion: How It Is (Mis?)Shaped

            Public Opinion, Lippmann

            "The Growth and Expression of Public Opinion," Godkin

             V.O. Key essay

Week Six: Government and the News

           Governing with the News, Cook

Week Seven: Polling and its Future

           Readings TBA

Week Eight: Public Relations: Making News

           The Image, Boorstin

Week Nine: Advertising and Culture

           Land of Desire, Leach

Week Ten: Television and Political Debate

             Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman

Week Eleven: Public Discourse

            A Free and Responsible Press, Hutchins et al

            Killing the Messenger, chapter on Kerner Commission on Civil Disorders

Week Twelve: The Media’s Role in Shaping and Interpreting the World

            Covering Islam, Said

            Media Control, Chomsky

            Killing the Messenger, Lippmann and Merz essay 

Week Thirteen:  Ethics

            The Journalist and the Murder, Malcolm