Monday, January 24, 2011

Test #1 due 1-31


Intro to Mass Media
Test I (Take-home)

Rules: 

1. Your main source for this test is the book, but you are free to use outside sources or our lecture. Please cite any outside sources at the end of the paper (you can choose the citation style: MLA, APA, etc.)

2. You can use fellow classmates.

3. The test must be written 100% by yourself. That means you can talk about the answers with a classmate, but when you sit down to write it has to be all yours. If it is too similar to another classmate's, I either won't take them or make both students redo it with new questions, depending on how similar they are.

Pick TWO questions to answer.

You should write about 2-3 double spaced pages for each question (4-6 pages total)

Please print and turn in at the start of class Monday, Jan 31.

1. (Chapter 1) Please define and discuss at least four functions of the mass media. What dysfunctions are associated with each function? Use examples if you can.

2. (Chapter 1) What is convergence, and what types of convergence are happening now? Be sure to discuss some of the positive and negative aspects of this phenomenon. 

3. (Chapter 1 & 2) What does it mean to be "media literate," and why is it important? What are some key areas of understanding one should have to be considered media literate?

4. (Chapter 2) You are the editor of the campus newspaper.  One of your reporters has just written a series of articles describing apparent health-code violations in a popular off-campus restaurant.  This particular restaurant regularly buys full-page ads in your paper. After you run the first story in the series, the restaurant owner calls and threatens to cancel all her ads unless you stop printing the series.  The ads are a significant part of your paper's budget.  
What is the ethical dilemma here? Use the ethical principals on pp. 53-55 to analyze the situation and pick the best course of action.

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