"People accept the reality with which they are presented". - Christof, "The Truman Show"

for Monday, September 10 : 1) read carefully through the syllabus, so that you know what you are in for; 2) read the intro to P and A "Why We Wrote this Book"; 3) keep a media log for a 24-hour period, as we explained in class .  Be sure to bring it with you to class.  See y'all on Monday.

Monday class -  media logs, rules of media study; previewed "Media Memoir" Paper (below), film clip - "The Gods Must Be Crazy"

for Wednesday, September 12  - Read "TV without Guilt"  (Xeroxed handout); begin Media Memoir (as described below), due Monday, 9/17; peruse this website and be prepared to discuss it: www.badads.org.

PPM: Assignment #1 – Media Memoir

Wednesday class - discussion of site, "TV Without Guilt"

for Friday,  September 14 -  Read   "Our Age of Propaganda" (P#1) in Pratkanis and Aronson, continue to work on Paper #1 (Media Memoir), due Monday, 9/17

Friday Class - finished areas of influence,  discussed propaganda vs. persuasion,  read "Bobos" extract

for Monday, September 17 - Read Potter, pp. 2 - 14; bring book to class; Media Memoir due

Monday Class; discussed media literacy; began thinking about media literacy with junk mail analysis

for Thursday, 9/20 - Read "Mysterious Influence"  (P and A#2);  look at the following website and figure out how it ties in to the reading: http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html

Thursday Class: Manchurian Candidate clip, journal writing

for Monday, 9/24 - bring laptops to class to explore a subliminal site (if we can find it); Read P and A #34 ("Subliminal Sorcery") 

for Tuesday, 9/25 and check out the following websites (if you didn't do so in class): http://www.subliminalworld.org/choice.htm;http://www.parascope.com/articles/0397/sublim.htm; http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdisneyperv.html; www.classroomtools.com/sublimad.htm; www.poleshift.org/sublim/index.html; http://www.poleshift.org/sublim/Subliminal_Links.html ; complete the Subliminal Advertising worksheet, to hand in (feel free to add more sites)

Tuesday Class: history of subliminal advertising and the Beatles; return of memoirs

for Friday, 9/28 - Be prepared for in-class writing on subliminal messaging (does it exist, should it be regulated); the assignment given out in class  is reproduced here, as follows:

PPM – In-class Writing, “The Mysterious Influence”

Theoretically, you have looked at or had exposure to several sources on subliminal messaging: The Manchurian Candidate, the reading in Pratkanis and Aronson (#34 and #2), my class presentation, the reading from Biggest Secrets (“Backwards Messages on Records”), and some websites.   These sources provide a range of views on the nature, extent, and effectiveness of subliminal messaging.

Here is what you are to do – choose one of the scenarios below, and write the appropriate letter.  Your view of subliminal messaging should be implicit in the letter.  You may use any materials you remembered to bring, but need not cite or quote directly.  However, I will grade you partially on how you allude to your exploration of these materials – in other words, did you use them to formulate your thinking?  The worst scenario would be for you to write what you would have written before you took the course.

This is worth 25 points.  You will have thirty minutes to complete the task.

Letter #1: You are the president of a company about to introduce a new product line (you can pick the product).  Write a letter to your director of advertising, telling him or her what percentage of the advertising budget should be used for subliminal messages (and of what variety they should be).  Obviously, you need to substantiate your decision.

Letter #2: Write a letter to either your congressman or the record companies in which you give your views about back masking and its effects.  If you want them to pass legislation or change their production practices, you should clearly state what you want them to do and why.

If you find yourself wanting more conspiracies, or just needing a break, check this website for more Beatles, Pink Floyd, JFK assassination, etc.: www.turnmeondeadman.net; if you have a lot of extra time, rent "Conspiracy Theory", starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts (1997).

Friday Class - write letter, perhaps start Grand Theft Auto

for  Monday, 10/1 - Study for brief quiz on the major course concepts thus far (from class and readings) .  On the quiz, you will have a choice of concepts, and will need to define them and give their importance. 

Monday class - Quiz, Part 1 of "Scaring Ourselves to Death"...

for Wednesday, October 3- Read Potter, Ch. 13, pp. 230 - 239.  Skim appendix B, pp. 415 - 431, bring Potter to class.

Wednesday class - discussion of media effects on individuals; how much should we blame the media?; Film: The Violence Factor (Violence in 1984!!!!)

for Thursday, 10/4 - Read Potter, Ch. 14, bring to class

Thursday class - "Deerhunter" clip, factors affecting the audience (concept of set point)

for Friday, 10/5 -

Potter, Ch 5 Reality and Media Messages

Friday  Class - brief reading discussion, 'Bowling for Columbine:' Part 1

for Wednesday, 10/10 - Read Potter, Ch 20 (Media Violence); in your journals (to hand in), do any one of the questions in exercise 20.1, found on page 360 of Potter.  If you need more room, go to the back of your journal page (you should be on page 2)  A classmate will read your entry on Wednesday, and you will hand it in for a grade.

Wednesday Class - Bowling for Columbine, Part 2; start to think about/work on Violence and the Media Paper, due next Monday, October 15,  as described below:

PPM Paper #2: Violence and the Media

Background:  You have read a great deal in Potter (theoretically) about the possible effects of media coverage on violence – remember that they can be cognitive, attitudinal, emotional, physiological, and behavioral.  (Don’t forget to consult the appendix).  Likewise, you’ve seen some films about violence and the media’s impact (Part 1 of “Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?”, “Bowling for Columbine”) and have some real and fictional test cases to use for illustration (The Kojak case, the Grand Theft Auto Case, The Deerhunter Scenario, and some recent real examples in Colorado and Amish Pennsylvania - the first anniversary of that shooting was marked last week).  Face it, you are an expert (and way more media literate than you were at the outset…)

The Assignment: In about 500 words, answer the following question(s): What is the nature and the extent of media portrayal of violence in the U. S and what is its effect on individuals? (in other words, how big is the effect, and what kind of an effect is it?)  If you believe there is some kind of impact or effect, what should be done about it?

Hints:   1) Use your sources (and cite them in APA style if they support your ideas; for example – (Potter, 1995, p. 6)

2) Whether you hand write or word process, PLEASE double space

3) Hard copy due by the end of the day on Monday, October 15^th

4) Pointage: 40 (just like the Media Memoir)

for Thursday, 10/11- read xerox "Whipping Boy" (search for main ideas and usable quotes); bring to class a ONE SENTENCE thesis statement for your violence paper; I will spend some class time with each of you on this

Thursday Class - finish "Bowling", discussion of "Whipping Boy", work on thesis statements

for Monday , 10/15 - Violence and the Media Paper due

Monday Class - clean up (return of subliminal letters, concepts quizzes), intro to the 4 strategems of Iinfluence (P.H. letter)

for Tuesday, 10/16- Read  "The Four Stratagems of Influence" (P and A, #5)

Tuesday  Class: pre-persuasion - defining the situation; film: "Quiet Rage"

for Wednesday, 10/17 - Read "The Pathology of Imprisonment"; do journal entry on "Quiet Rage"

Wednesday class - watched film "The Wave"

NO FRIDAY CLASS - TEACHER IN OHIO

for Monday, 10/22 - do  journal entry on "The Wave"; read Read  P and A  #37 and P and A #24 ("The Fear Appeal", "Propaganda in the Third Reich").

Monday class - return of violence papers; film: "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" Milgram stats

for Wednesday, 10/24 - journal entry on "Brown Eyes...", read "If Hitler..." (xerox):

Wednesday class  - discussed Milgram stats, watched  Milgram experiment, gathered de-individuation stats

for Thursday, 10/25 - write a journal entry on the Milgram electric shock experiment and catch up on everything!!!  

 what we did in class - fine tuned the Milgram experiment; played "The Shock Machine"; did de-individuation intro

for Friday, 10/26 -   prepare notes for in-class writing on "The Power of the Situation", as described below.  Also have journal with FIVE entries (Violent TV show, Prison Exp, Wave, Brown Eyes, Shock) ready to hand in.

what we did in class - in-class writing, journals turned in

Introduction: By the end of class on Wednesday, you will have encountered four unusual situations:

a)     Milgram’s electroshock experiment

b)    Zimbardo’s prison experiment

c)     Jones’ classroom depicted in “The Wave”

d)     Jane Elliot’s “brown eyes and blue eyes”

The common denominator in each of these settings is that the situation was so powerful that people did not act in the same way in which they usually do, seemed out of character, or turned into “monsters.  This should raise some fundamental questions about how well we know ourselves, whether we navigate through life by an inner gyroscope or outer radar, and, fundamentally, who we are. So, here’s what you’ll do in class on Friday

1)      Describe a situation which was so powerful that the person in it acted out of character.  You may choose a real life situation, from your own experience or from someone else’s, something from literature or the visual media (a movie character, etc.).  Please note that the situation does not have to be bad – someone could demonstrate unusual strength of character, for example.  Please note also that if you are going to tell a bad story about someone, it might be better to protect his/her anonymity.  Anyway, describe the situation, then –

2)    Assess exactly what made your character behave so differently.  Some relevant questions to answer might include:

 a)     How was the person changed by the experience?

b)    Would the person’s explanation of what happened dovetail with what an observer might offer as an explanation?

c)     How has the person “framed” the experience?  How does he/she feel about it?

3) What "strategems of influence" (particularly, pre-persuasion, or how the situation was framed) made the situation so powerful?

 4)    Finally, conclude with a summary paragraph about what this story has taught you about the nature of people, the power of situations to influence us, and how you feel about all that.

for Tuesday, 10/30 - read P and A #12  - 15 ( pp. 121 - 145)

what we did in class - deindiviuation, Who's the Leader?, Leadership Styles, UFO experiment, sources of influence

for Wednesday, 10/31 (HALLOWEEN) - read handout on Jonestown

what we did in class -  finished leadership analysis, Jonestown film, Part 1

for Friday, 11/2 - check out this site: http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/; what is its purpose?

 what we did in class  - Almost finished "Jonestown", started to compile a  list of tips on how to build a cult .

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2 -  END OF QUARTER

Notes for End of the Quarter: all back work, etc., must be turned in by 8:10 PM on Thursday, November 2nd - no exceptions.  Remember, if you choose to rewrite your violence paper, I need both versions of it by 8:10  (so I can see the changes you made).  If you do not submit the first draft, I will not accept your second draft.  Your grade cannot go down, so there is no risk to doing the rewrite.

for Monday, 11/5 - Read  P and A #36 "How to Be a Cult Leader"

what we did in class - returned all papers, did the grades thing, finished Jonestown, explained comparison list

for Tuesday, 11/6 - peruse this site, in order to familiarize yourself with the Waco personalities and chronology: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco; start a side by side comparison of Waco and Jonestown, a list which compares their methods, etc. (this will be the basis for an in-class writing comparison when we finish the film); are they equally cults?

what we did in class - started "Waco - Rules of Engagement"

for Thursday, 11/8  - keep working on comparison; begin to think about cult pamphlet (see below)

what we did in class - watched more Waco

Paper #3 – Build a Cult…

 This paper, more than others, is an attempt to draw together much of what you have learned thus far about persuasion and propaganda, especially as it relates to the qualities and tactics of the source, or leader.  Based on our brief exposure to Waco and Jonestown, it is time for you to design your own cult, using as many techniques as you can from the cult-building tips discussed in class.  You MUST demonstrate mastery of much of the material we have  studied.

1)      Design an introductory brochure for your cult, one that could be handed out in airports, on street corners, etc.  Give the group a name, a leader, a symbol, the works.  Feel free to use art, computer graphics, etc.

2)    Provide also a one-page explanation of the persuasion and propaganda techniques you used, and why you used them, a sort of insiders’ guide to the brochure.   This can be done in “bullet” rather than narrative fashion if you choose, and CANNOT exceed 250 words. Think in terms of pre-persuasion, emotions, message, and of course, expertise or source credibility

3)    Think carefully about what will sell, given the social conditions in the fall of 2007.  Be coherent, convincing, but plausible.  Let’s see if you can persuade me to join…..

Due date: Tuesday, 11/20 (or any time before Thanksgiving break)

for Friday, November 9th -  even more " Waco - The Rules of Engagement"

for Tuesday, 11/13-  finish your comparison list between Waco and Jonestown; as a counterbalance to the conspiracy theory offered by our film, try this site, which is decidedly more "anti-cult": www.rickross.com/groups/waco.html; one of the better balanced sites (perhaps because it is Canadian) might be www.religioustolerance.org/dc_branc2.htm.  Please let me know if you find better stuff (thereby improving your contribution grade...)

what we did in class - finished Waco; finished cult-building

 for Wednesday, 11/ 14 - prepare notes for in-class writing (you will have the whole period); you may bring any notes or materials with you (but not in narrative form), and I will collect your cult comparison charts along with your papers at the end of the period; the in-class will consist  of the two following questions (20 points each):

1) Which of the two "cults" we studied (Jonestown and Waco) was more classically "cult-like", in terms of its use of cult techniques, etc.?  Support with specific references to both sects.

2) What, in your mind, is the distinction between  cults and religions?  Does the first amendment of the Constitution (reprinted below) protect them equally?  Under what circumstances?  Should it have protected Jonestown and, especially, Mt. Carmel?  Why or why not?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." - First Amendment to the Constitution

  for Thursday, 11/15 - read P and A #3 "Mindless Propaganda"; work on cult pamphlet (due before Thanksgiving)

what we did in class - product design , peripheral vs. central routes

for Tuesday, 11/20 read P and A #4 "The Rationalizing Animal" and xerox "The Weapons of Influence"; CULT PAMPHLET DUE

what we did in class - barriers to thinking

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Monday, 11/26 - Read  "Language, Appearance, and Reality" (X) and P and A # 6 ("Words"); work on the language worksheets (attached to the reading) if you feel like it

class - finish barriers to thinking, began language

for Wednesday, 11/28 - Read P and A #'s 8 and 9 ("Saddam Hussein", "Questionable Persuasion"); bring P and A to class;  bring in ad slogan to reframe (this will be clarified in class on Monday)

class - finished language, double speak examples, AOL-ese; displayed ad reframes

for Thursday, 11/29 -  Read P and A #7and 10 ("Pictures", "Decoys")

class -discussion of pictures and decoys, watched  Sell and Spin, Part 1

for Friday, 11/30 -   prepare for matching quiz on recent concepts - barriers to thinking, language, and major concepts from P and A 7, 8, 9, and 10 (no notes to be used this time)

 class -  had the blasted matching quiz, watched more of Sell and Spin, assigned "Comparing Coffee" project

for Tuesday, 12/4` -  1) read P and A #11 ("Factoids") and research and write about a factoid or "urban legend" in your journal. Tell  the source of your legend, its credibility, and the reasons for its popularity.  A good sources of factoids is www.snopes.com/.  2) read P and A 17 and 18 (Packages and Self-Sell)

in class - watched more of Sell and Spin, returned cult pamphlets, collected urban legends

for Wednesday, 12/5 - 1) Skim P and A 19 (you should realize that it concerns the availability heuristic), and 2) read 20 and 21; skim appendix A of Potter (starting on page 384) to get a sense of the rise and decline of the various media; bring Potter to class with you; hopefully, you've begun the Coffee Comparison

what we did in class: finished Sell and Spin, looked at rise of media; began deconstruction work with grabbers and weak spots (looked at cigarette and alcohol ads); passed out "Starbucks" background readings - peruse them ONLY after you've visited Starbucks...

for Friday, 12/7   - Read P and A, #22 and 23; Potter pages 132 - 137 ; bring computer to class

in class - listened to "Step Right Up"; began deconstruction on NMMLP site

for Monday, 12/10 - Read P and A #24 and 25 ("Fear" and "Granfalloon"); Potter, 137 - 148; in-class journal entry on "What's wrong with advertising?"

in class - watched "Behind the Screens"; wrote journal entry

for Tuesday, 12/11 - Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts Comparison chart due

what we did in class - deconstructed Vaseline Intensive Care ad; "Merchants of Cool", part 1

NO Class Thursday - snow and sleet, etc.

for  Friday, 12/14 -  Read P and A 26, 27, and 28 (Guilt, Flower, Heart);

what we did in class  looked at  the Jack Daniels ad; "Merchants of Cool", Part 2; Looked at "Kids and Cash"; returned barriers quizzes; assigned deconstruction, due anytime (at your convenience) before Wednesday, 1/9/08; this is your last written homework for the course...

for Tuesday, 12/18  - Read P and A, 29, 30 (Practice, Phantoms); look at Potter, Ch. 11 ("Who Owns and Controls the Media?"; take a look at the "who owns what" part of this website - pick a company at the bottom right corner and have fun - www.cjr.org; PLEASE BRING P AND A TO CLASS

what we did in class -  looked at  sites : www.adbusters.org, www.adflip.com,  and ad parodies; discussed my analysis of the Jack Daniels deconstruction; finished grabbers/weak spots, t shirt sales

Wednesday, 12/19 - -  check out  the Britney articles given you and these two websites - www.about-face.org,www.adiosbarbie.com; here's a quote to get you thinking -

“...  it's too late for Mattel to change Barbie's status as an insta-symbol of everything that's wrong with our culture's well-worn images of femininity and beauty. Unless, of course, they deliver a fleet of Barbies with cellulite, fat asses, nappy hair, big noses, and voiceboxes that discuss the inherent flaws of dolls as role models at the pull of a string.”

 what we did in class - watched "Dove" video, constructed "Midriff" portraits; watched "Killing Us Softly 3"

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND WINTER BREAK!!!!!!!!

for vacation - (2008) - have a happy vacation;  for 2008, simply familiarize yourself with BRAVE NEW WORLD (copies available in the bookstore).  Either read it (preferred), reread it (also nice), or (shudder) find some spark notes somewhere.  You will need to use it to write the required exam essay, comparing its version of the future with that of the "Truman Show".   Otherwise, catch up on everything, enjoy, and be well.

for Monday, 1/7/08  - Read  "Mass Media Influences on Sexuality", "Violence, the Most Obscene Fantasy" ,  and the accompanying newspaper article from the Greenwich Time of 4/16/03 (all are xeroxes). The  "Violence" article was  written a generation ago, when your parents were young(er).  What has changed since then?  What remains the same?  How has the media contributed to this change (or lack thereof?)  What depictions of male-female relations do the media presently show?

what we did in class - discussed articles, constructed "Mook" portrait, watched "Tough Guise" (Part1);

for Wednesday, 1/9/08

Read "I Want Your Sex"  and "teens, Sex, and the Media" (xeroxed handout), watch the TV show of your choice, and record in your journal (to hand in)  your reactions to how it depicts sexual behavior and gender  roles.  What stories or lessons are being told?  What does the show  tell its audience about what it means to be male or female?  Record what show you watched, and your reactions, in a journal entry to be handed in on Wednesday (see below).   If interested, you might also investigate this site:  www.commercialcloset.com; REMEMBER THAT YOUR AD/JUNK MAIL DECONSTRUCTIONS (last outside assignment) are due

what we did in class - discussed all of the above, did the "Myth Scale",  collected journals, looked at Fat Joe lyrics; did intro to race (Abercrombie clip);

for Thursday, 1/10/08

homework due - Read "The Color of Ratings" and "Black Angels",

what we did in class -  more on race - statistics,  Tea Partay,  History of White People; Invisible Knapsack

homework due for next time - prepare for in-class writing on either race or gender, as follows:

In-Class Writing on Monday:  Let’s pretend that there is a Commissioner of Media for the United States, who has the power to regulate the content of all  media, from newspapers to TV ads to pop-ups.  

 Write the Commissioner a letter  in which you give your assessment/opinion about the way race or gender is  depicted in the media.  Then, if you do not approve of this depiction, suggest changes and give reasons for these changes.

Hints/Requirements - Although I would like the letter to reflect your true beliefs and feelings on this matter, the author of the letter does not have to be you.  For example, you could be the parent of a young boy, a football coach, a model – you name it.

1)      It is not necessary for you to adopt any particular position or “party line” in order to do well.  You will be graded upon the clarity and “convincingness” of your argument – how well you speak, and how well you support your positions.

2) You must directly cite or refer to TWO sources we have used for your topic.  Sources can be readings, films, or web-sites.  In other words, it must be evident that you used the course material to inform your opinion.  You not only need to say WHAT you think but also WHY you think it, based on the work we have done.  A person who is not in this course could not write such a letter (hopefully).

3) You may bring/use any materials for your 30 minute writing EXCEPT something in narrative form that you have already written.

Monday, 1/14

homework due -prep for gender/race writing

what we did in class - in-class on race or gender - final grade of the course!!!!!!!!!

homework due for next time - take a look at these two websites on "The Truman Show" , as an introduction to the film and be ready to discuss coherently in class - www.transparencynow.com/truman.htm; www.peterweircave.com/truman/

Tuesday, 1/15

homework due - see above

what we did in class - watched Part 1 of "The Truman Show"

homework due for next time - Read "Why Reality TV is Good for Us" (XEROX)

“Nothing is fake – it’s just controlled” – Marlon (from The Truman Show)

Wednesday, 1/16

homework due - Read "Why Reality TV is Good for Us" (XEROX)

what we did in class -  Part 2 of "The Truman Show"

homework for next time - last journal entry - some response to "The Truman Show"

Thursday, 1/17

homework due - last journal entry - some response to "The Truman Show"

what we did in class - finished Truman Show

homework for next time - nothin'

Friday, 1/18

homework due - nothin'

what we did in class - comparison of Truman to BNW; course evaluations

homework for next time - End o' course; if you want a little guidance about how to think about the required, unavoidable essay on the exam, look below under "PPM, The Final Paper" .  But you don't need to use quotes, just make it obvious that you have thought about both works. 

"People accept the reality with which they are presented". - Christof, "The Truman Show"

EXAM: Tuesday, January 22, 9:00 AM

Optional Review:  Friday, January 18, 2:30 - 4PM, Rm 215, or some other time on Monday TBA

Midnight on Wednesday, 1/16 is the deadline for submitting missing work (at least for any credit).  To refresh your memory, these are the graded assignments for the quarter:

1) Ad slogan reframe (on blue piece of paper)

2) cult pamphlet/guide

3) cult comparison chart

4) coffee comparison chart

5)  ad deconstruction

4) journals on a) urban legend; b) what's so bad about advertising?; c) sex/gender on a TV show; d) The Truman Show

5) gender/race letter (in-class writing)

6)  quizz on barriers to thinking,

If you are taking the exam on the correct day (and even if you are not), look for the SALMON colored packets.

PPM: The Final Paper: The Future of the Media/The Media of the Future

As a chance to try to draw all this stuff together, there is one unavoidable essay of the exam - you will  use the models of Brave New World and The Truman Show to predict the future of media and/or media’s impact on the future.  Your job this week and next will be to prepare for that writing.  Some hints and guidelines:

 1)      More than any other of your works thus far, I care what YOU think

 2)    You must use references to BOTH BNW and TTS in your writing, enough so that your command of both works is evident. 

 3)    This is a BIG topic area, so try to limit it by choosing one aspect: for example, media and consumerism, media and relationships between the sexes, race, truth and censorship, etc.  What do TTS and BNW say about each of these? Is their futuristic view the same as your own?