Jay Leno & Product mentions

Not sure if all these are paid for, but I'm sure a lot are (especially Wendy's and Bing).

Research paper - due 12/1/09

Here is some information about your research paper due Tuesday December 1.

Shoot for about 1200 words (4-5 pages double-spaced)

Pick a topic in the mass media that you are interested in.

It could be relating to a TV show, band, album, website, radio show, movie, video game, etc. It could also be a media law or a subject like photojournalism ethics (more examples down below).

Give me a history of your subject. Tell me why it matters. Put it in some historical context -- what came before it, what it compares to now, and what might came after it (or might come after it in in the future). Tell me something I don't know.

For example, you might pick to write about the show 24.

You might start off with a short history of the show and how it came to be. Tell me how many people watch it each week. Why is it so popular? What do critics say about it?
Then you could focus on what the show is known for: its portrayal of torture. How is it portrayed? As something good or bad? Has the way 24 shown torture influenced America's perception of torture? Not just what you think, but use evidence from any studies you can find.
You might wrap it up tying the show to the transition to Obama and how he plans to deal with torture.

There you have it. Try not to put any opinion in, and let research do the talking. Stay away from first person.

Remember, no Wikipedia! You can use it as a starting point and use the sources listed, but not Wikipedia itself.

Finally, remember to cite all the sources you use. You can cite your sources in your papers at the end, but also throughout, like this:

The New York Times states that "24" has 21 million viewers.

or

"24" has 21 million viewers (NY Times, 2005).

Use an APA or MLA style works cited page at the end. If it's not properly formatted, automatic 5 points off, if it's missing altogether, 10 points off (or I might ask you to write one and give it to me if I can't figure out what your sources are). Use this:

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm

Don't be afraid to venture to the library.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help brainstorm ideas for your subject.

It is due Tuesday, December 1st. It is worth 50 points (as much as a test). 5 points off for every day late.

More possible topics:
KCCI vs WHO in Des Moines (compare and contrast news featured during same time slot)
Has "24" affected our views on torture?
How has the mass media changed after 9/11?
Subliminal advertising
Video game addiction
Video game cultures
Rap (or heavy metal or whatever) and its place in our culture
The many methods of advertising in MTV (music videos, commercials, product placement)
YouTube.. will it ever be profitable?
How the Internet has affected the music industry
Pirating music/software online
Colbert Report vs O'Reilly Factor
Can bands bypass record companies and be successful?
Influence of particular film director (or music producer)
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The FCC's influence on radio or broadcast
Philo Farnsworth .. inventor of the TV
How has the media covered the Iraq war?
How the media has changed the way it has covered war (you could compare Vietnam and Iraq)
Propaganda (especially the Nazi's Triumph of the Will)
Advertising and the Internet
History of the Internet
KDKA - the first radio station
Orson Welles
Is there a liberal bias in the media?
Compare MSNBC or CNN to Fox News
Future of home video (Blu-Ray... why is it slow to take off)
How media in another country compares to the U.S.
Apple vs. Microsoft
Analyze a particular advertising campaign
Ethics - photojournalism, news, advertising, etc.
Censorship of the Internet in China
History and affect of YouTube
Blogging... can you make money doing it?
The Daily Show affect
"The Mickey Mouse" copyright extension act of 1998
Cyber-bullying

Reaction Paper #5 due 10-1

Here it is:

This one is a little more complex and involves playing a video game. Here is the page:

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/

Go to the "downloads" and you can get it for Mac or Windows (you might want to try on your computer if you have one, not a campus one).

AFTER you play the game (it takes 5 minutes or so), write a response and reaction of what you think the game means (or what it means to you).

Ok, now wait until you've written it. Now move on..

Read this statement by the maker:

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html

...how does this compare to what you thought the game was about? Was there an emotional response for you? If so, how can something so simple draw an emotional reaction? Do video games have as much potential for an emotional story as movies? If movies are considered art, what about video games?

LIFE magazine online

You can now browse old issues of LIFE magazine online through Google.

Citizen Kane extra credit

First step: watch the movie Citizen Kane (the DMACC library has a copy)....

Then, write up why the movie is considered one of the best films ever made according to the experts (and if you agree). (you can easily do a Google search for Citizen Kane reviews)

Be sure to back your points up with examples from the movie. Don't just say, "it is considered the best because of the cinematography." Give me examples from the film that show why the cinematography was so great.

You might want to watch it with the commentary by Roger Ebert (but be sure to cite it if you reference it).

Citing sources ( "According Cinematography Today magazine, etc etc," ) will be important. You can cite a website but it must be credible. Books, magazine, film history texts, printed sources will be best.

Alternative: Compare Charles Foster Kane as depicted in the movie to real life William Randolph Hearst.

You can earn up to 20 points. 800-900 words.

In honor of our discussion about books today, Dan Brown's 20 worst lines.

Is cropping unethical?

Reaction Paper #4 due 9-24

This paper will affect anyone who likes to purchase or enjoy movies or music... it's about digital rights management.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6337781.stm

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/
(since this letter iTunes has gone DRM free)

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/09/universal-goes-drmfr.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6516189.stm

and the first letter/response in this link:

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/03/more-on-free-and-suchlike.html

These links are pretty much all anti-DRM. What is your reaction to them? Can you defend the notion of DRM? What do you think about Neil Gaiman's idea of giving away books in hopes of selling them? Do you think it is realistic? Has the traditional model of selling music, movies, and books been destroyed by the Internet? What else can bands do to make money (and is it fair for them to be put in this position?) Can you think of any alternative models for buying digital content, since piracy is such a big concern now?

Since the dawn of the Internet, news organizations have accepted the notion that the only way to survive the onslaught of the Web is to publish everything online, at no cost to readers, and let anyone in the world synopsize it, refer to it, and copy and link to it. You can't charge for your work—that's rule No. 1 on the Internet. And you can't block others from copying or linking to it—that's rule No. 2.

Test #1

Check your email for our first test!

How long will it last?

Our Wikipedia edit is still there.

Reaction Paper #3 due 9-17

Just one article this time:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/magazine/the-marketing-of-no-marketing.html

What is unusual about PBR's situation? How have they tried to adapt? What do you think of PBR's strategy? With regards to the guy with the PBR tatoo, do you think it is unusual for people to have such strong ties to a brand (or even a brand of beer?) Are there any brands that you have such strong feelings for? Can you describe what the brand means to you and how you relate to it?

World of Warcraft

This goes right along with class:

Iowan among first at U.S.'s first Internet addiction center.

Reaction Paper #2

Since we chatted about Facebook today... let's do the next paper on it!

Background on Facebook:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/32261

http://www.newsweek.com/id/207843

Privacy concerns:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122170459104151023.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/13549646.html

http://www.newsweek.com/id/32332

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1055.html


Do high school officials have a right to scour Facebook or MySpace pages to find evidence and punish students? What are the arguments here? If the page is set to private and they try to get around (by, say, using one of your friends as a spy), is it any different than trying to go into someone's room and search? Is there anything you do to protect you privacy? In your experience, are your friends concerned about what images go on their Facebook? Have you ever been tagged in a photo you didn't want up? Why do people put photos up that might hurt them later?

Second Skin documentary

Sorry, the Second Skin documentary is no longer on Hulu.. if you can find it elsewhere, I recommend it. Here is the trailer: