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COMM 363: MEDIA CONSUMPTIONAnnenberg School for Communication & Journalism

Section 20564R, Spring 2012

Tuesday/Thursday 8-9:20am

Instructor Information

Melissa M. Brough

Email:mbrough@usc.edu

Office hours: Tuesday 9:30-10:30am and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores theories and research on how audiences consume media. In the first

part of the course, we will consider histories of media consumption and some of the ways

in which it has been studied. We will then explore key topics in the field including genderand identity, violence in the media, news and political media, globalization and media

consumption, and media convergence. Part two explores new media and some of the

shifting capabilities, practices of consumption, and literacies. Part three considers mediaconsumption and resistance, including fan consumption, queer readings, social media and

protest, remixing and hacking. In each of the empirical studies covered, we will pay

attention to 1) the findings of the study as well as 2) the methods employed in

understanding media consumption. Students will apply theories and methods from theclass to their own media consumption research.

COURSE RESPONSIBILITIES

Class participation (10%): Students are expected to come to class on time andprepared to discuss the assigned readings each week. This includes being able to

respond to questions about the assigned readings and to offer opinions and insightinto the topics addressed. Your final grade will reflect the degree to which you

fulfill these requirements throughout the semester. Absences willsignificantly

affect your participation grade. Reading discussion points (15%): Because the quality of our class discussions

will depend on everyone being prepared by having done and reflected on theassigned readings prior to the class meeting, students should come to every class

with three discussion points to be handed in at the start of each class. These

discussion points may range from critiques to thought-provoking questions about

the reading; they should do more than just summarize the texts and instead show acritical engagement with them. At least one of the three points must cut acrossmultiple readings, integrating their contributions to a particular theme.

Discussion points will not be accepted after the start of class.

Blog posts (20%): Students will be asked to produce 4 concise blog posts(approximately 5 paragraphs in length) over the course of the semester in

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response to prompts provided by the instructor. Posts will be graded based on

level of effort, clarity, and depth of engagement with course subject matter. These

will be due weeks 3, 5, 9 and 13 and will not be accepted late.

Research Project (paper 25%; presentation 10%): Students will be asked toconstruct and write up a small-scale media consumption research projectemploying one or more of the research methods discussed in class. Students willturn in a research paper (approximately 8-10 pages) and present their findings at

the end of the semester. Each student will have approximately 10-15 minutes to

discuss their work and respond to questions from the class. The topic for thisresearch project must be approved in advance by the instructor; a short proposal

should be submitted for approval in week 5.

Final Exam (20%): The final exam will be take-home, assigned on the last day ofclass and due during the scheduled final exam time. It will require you to

demonstrate understanding of the readings and topics covered throughout the

semester (including class discussions), and to synthesize ideas from across thecourse. Keeping up with the readings (and taking notes on them!) throughout thesemester will be verybeneficial to you on this exam.

COURSE POLICIES

1. Be prepared to speak in class everyday.2. All students are expected to give their undivided attention to the course while in

class. Computers are permitted, but email, Facebook, IM clients and mobile phonesshould be turned off, as well as any other programs not directly related to the

course. If you are found using your laptop or phone during class for non-class

related activities, you will not be permitted to bring your computer or any otherelectronic devices to class for the remainder of the semester.

3. Attendance Policy: If absent from a class, it is the student's responsibility to obtain notes,

assignments and/or watch video clips that were shown in class.

You are permitted two absences from the class during the semester, noquestions asked. More than two absences will result in your course grade

lowered by 1/2 letter grade (5%) per additional absence except in rare cases of

emergency with clear documentation.

Missing more than 20 minutes of a class counts as an absence.

Extended absences are only tolerated if caused by medical emergencies.Written permission from a physician is required. Details of your absence must

be promptly communicated to the instructor via email.

5. Assignment deadlines are final. Late submissions including blog posts willNOTbe accepted. If you are aware of a conflict that will prevent you fromcompleting an assignment on time, you are responsible to contact the instructor at

least 48 hours in advance. Emergencies will require written documentation.

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6. Questions about grades should be addressed in a timely manner. There is a 24-hour

wait period after receiving a grade. You have one week after the wait period to

discuss a grade. All grades after this period are considered final. All conversationsregarding grades will take place outside of the classroom.

7. Academic integrity: Academic integrity is crucial in this course.

It is very important that you adequately credit the sources of the ideas youpresent, and provide links to any web material you reference. It is also standard

academic practice to cite any sources you utilize in producing your ownscholarship.

You are expected only to submit work that is 1) your own and 2) done expresslyfor this course. This means, dont submit work you have prepared for another

course, or work you have found on the Internet or elsewhere. Doing so will resultin a zero grade on the assignment, and possible failure of the course or expulsion

from the school.

The Annenberg School for Communication is committed to upholding the University'sacademic integrity code. It is the policy of the School of Communication to report all

violations of the code. Any serious violation or pattern of violations of the academic

integrity code will result in the student's expulsion from the Communication major orminor. The University presumes that you are familiar with its standards and policies;

should you be found to have committed a violation, ignorance of these standards and

policies will not be accepted as an excuse. You should be familiar with the followingresources:

Trojan Integrity: A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism" addresses issues ofparaphrasing, quotations and citations in written assignments

(http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/forms/tig.pdf)

Trojan Integrity: A Guide to Understanding and Avoiding AcademicDishonesty addresses more general issues of academic integrity, including

guidelines for adhering to standards concerning examinations and unauthorized

collaboration (http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/forms/tio.pdf)

The "2011-2012 SCampus" (the student guidebook) contains the university'sStudent Conduct Code and other student-related policies.

(http://scampus.usc.edu/)

REQUIRED READINGS

Seiter, E. (1999) Television and New Media Audiences. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press.

Articles and chapters posted to the course Blackboard siteCOURSE SCHEDULE*

PART 1: HISTORIES OF MEDIA CONSUMPTION

WEEK 1: Introduction

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1/10: Course Introduction

1/12: Histories of media and/as consumption

Ewen, S. (1976) "Part One: Advertising as Social Production" from Captains ofConsciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture [excerpts]

Gilbert, J. (1986) "Introduction: The Social History of an Idea" (pp.3-10) and"Postscript" (pp.212-217) fromA Cycle of Outrage: America's Reaction to the

Juvenile Delinquent in the 1950s

Morley, D. (1992) "The Consumption of Television as a Commodity" inTelevision, Audiences and Cultural Studies (pp.213-220)

Seiter, E. (1999) "Bourdieu on Television," in Television and New MediaAudiences. Oxford: Oxford University Press (pp. 24-28)

WEEK 2: Historicizing media consumption

1/17: Media and/as consumption - continued

Bauman, Z. (2007) "Introduction" from Consuming Life. Cambridge: Polity, pp.1-24.

Banet-Weiser, S. (2007) "We the people of Nickelodeon: Theorizingempowerment and consumer citizenship" (Ch. 1, pp. 1-37) in Kids Rule!Nickelodeon and Consumer Citizenship

1/19: Historicizing the study of media consumption

Seiter, E. (1999) "Introduction" in Television and New Media Audiences, pp.1-8. Livingstone, S. (2003) "The Changing Nature of Audiences: From the Mass

Audience to the Interactive Media User" in Companion to Media Studies

WEEK 3: Studying media consumption

1/24: Media Effects - Uses & Gratifications

"Media Effects" in T. Miller (ed) Television Studies. London: BFI, 2002. Rubin, A. M. (2009) "Uses-and-Gratifications Perspective on Media Effects" in

Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research (pp.165-178)

1/26: Reception, Media Ethnography & Meaning

Seiter, E., Ch. 2 (pp. 9-33) and pp. 58-60 & 86-90 from Ch. 4 Hall, S. (1974) "The television discourse - encoding and decoding" (in Studying

Culture, pp. 28-34)

Blog post #1 due at start of classWEEK 4: Identity & media consumption

1/31: Identity & media consumption

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Buckingham, D., (2008) "Introducing Identity" in Youth, identity, and digitalmedia, Buckingham, D. ed., The MIT Press (pp. 1-22)

2/2: Minority identities and media

Gross, Larry. Minorities, Majorities and Media. InMedia, Ritual and Identity,edited by Tamar Liebes, and James Curran, 87-102. London: Routledge, 1998,pp.87-101.

Bird, S. E. chapter 4: Imagining Indians: Negotiating Identity in a Media Worldin The Audience in Everyday Life (2003).

WEEK 5: Gender & media

2/7: Histories and spaces of gendered media consumption

Seiter, E. "Feminist Studies of Domestic Contexts" pp. 21-24, & "OnInterviewing Women" pp.53-56

Radway, J. (1984) "Reading the Romance" (pp. 259-267 in the CulturalResistance Reader)

Spigel, L. The Suburban Home Companion: Television and theNeighborhood Ideal in Post-war America, in Feminist Television Criticism: AReader, ed. Charlotte Brunsdon, Julie D'Acci, and Lynn Spigel (Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 1997), p.211-234

Blog #2: Research project proposal, due at start of class (1 page)2/9:Gender, media consumption and postfeminism

Messner, M. & Montez de Oca, J. (2005) The Male Consumer as Loser: Beerand Liquor Ads in Mega Sports Media Events in Signs, vol. 30.

McRobbie, A. (2004) "Postfeminism and Popular Culture" Feminist MediaStudies

WEEK 6: Consuming violence, politics & scandal

2/14: Media violence & video games

Sparks, Sparks & Sparks, "Media Violence" in Media Effects: Advances inTheory and Research (pp. 269-286)

Duncombe, S. (2007) "Play the Game: Grand Theft Desire" inDream: Re-imagining progressive politics in an age of fantasy (pp.51-77)

2/16: Consuming Politics & Scandal

Castells, M. (2009), "Networks of Mind and Power" (Chapter 3) inCommunication Power, pp. 137-165 Bird, S. E. (2003), pp. 21-25 & pp. 44-50 of Ch. 2: "Media Scandal Meets

Everyday Life" from The Audience in Everyday Life.

WEEK 7: News media; Globalization

2/21: Consumption & news media markets

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Curran, J., Iyengar, S. et al. (2009) "Media System, Public Knowledge andDemocracy: A Comparative Study,"European Journal of Communication (pp.1-

24)

McAllister, M. (2003) "Selling Survivor: The Use of TV News to PromoteCommercial Entertainment" inA Companion to Media Studies (pp.209-224)

Rosenstiel, T. (2011) "Five myths about the future of journalism" athttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-future-of-journalism/2011/04/05/AF5UxiuC_story.html

2/23: Globalization & media consumption

Lowe, L. "Globalization" in Keywords for American Cultural Studies (pp.120-123)

Miller, T. et al. (2001) "The 'G-Word' Meets the 'S-Word'" (Chapter 1, pp.6-30) inGlobalization and Sport

Appadurai, A (1996). "Disjuncture and difference in the global culturaleconomy" in The Globalization Reader(pp.322-330)

WEEK 8 - Globalization (continued); Convergence

2/28: Case study: Bollywood in Los Angeles.(Guest lecturer: Sangita Shresthova)

Reading TBD

PART 2: 'NEW' MEDIA CONSUMPTION

3/1: Convergence culture

Jenkins, H. (2006) "Introduction: 'Worship at the Alter of Convergence',"Convergence Culture (pp.1-24) Bird, E. (2011) "Are we all produsers now?: Convergence and media audience

practices" from special issue ofCultural Studies: "Rethinking

Convergence/Culture" (pp. 502-512)

WEEK 9: Social Media & Consumption

3/6: Social Media

Castells, M. (2009) "Mass Self-communication" in Communication Power(pp.63-71)

Guosong Shao (2009) "Understanding the appeal of user-generated media: a usesand gratification perspective" Internet Research (pp. 7 - 25)3/8:Participatory Culture?

Jenkins, H. (2006) Conclusion, Democratizing Television? The Politics ofParticipation Convergence Culture, pp.240-260.

Carpentier, N. (2011) "Contextualizing Author-Audience Convergences" CulturalStudies, Vol. 25, Nos. 4-5, pp. 517-533.

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Blog post #3 due at start of class3/13 & 3/15: No Class (Spring Break)

WEEK 10: New Media Literacies?

3/20:Youth & new media consumption

boyd, d. (2007) Why Youth

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4/3: Fan consumption

Jenkins, H. (1988) Star TrekRerun, Reread, Rewritten: Fan Writing as TextualPoaching

Brough, M. & Shresthova, S. (forthcoming) "Fandom Meets Activism:Rethinking Civic and Political Participation" Transformative Works and Cultures

4/5: Queer readings

Lipton, M. Queer Readings of Popular Culture: Searching [to] Out the Subtextin S. Driver, ed., Queer Youth Cultures, pp. 163-180

WEEK 13: New media & protest

4/10: Social media & protest

Shirky, C. (2011) "The Political Power of Social Media" Foreign Affairs Castells, M. (2009) "Mobil-izing Resistance: Wireless Communication and

Insurgent Communities of Practice" in Communication Power, pp.346-364

4/12: Consuming protest

Gladwell, M. (2010) "Small Change: Why the Revolution will not be tweeted,"The New Yorkerat:http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell

Wasik, B. (2012) "How Social Media Fuels Social Unrest" Wired Blog post #4 due at start of class

WEEK 14: Remix & hacking as resistance

4/17: Remix & Hacking

Readings TBD4/19: Individual student research presentations

Each student will present and lead a class discussion for approximately 10-15minutes on their research project on media consumption. See courseresponsibilities and research assignment for more details.

WEEK 15: Conclusion

4/24: Student research presentations continued

Catch up on any readings you have missed!4/26: Course Wrap-up; Final Exam questions distributed in class

5/9: Final Exam Due by 10am

* Syllabus is subject to change by the instructor.