FRS 004 — Sec. 008 — (2 units) — CRN 53636— W 2:10-4:00pm — 245 AOB4
Science and News: Why American Journalism Sometimes Succeeds But So Often Fails in Reporting the Biggest Issues of Our Time

Instructor: John Theobald, Department of Communication, College of Letters and Science

Description: The theme of the proposed freshman seminar is science and the American news media. The seminar will (1) study examples of scientific reporting (2) analyze the reporting, and (3) propose approaches to improving our understanding of scientific issues. Although the instructor and participants will resist arriving at conclusions before examining data, experience in CMN 142 (News Policies and Practices) and the studies of numerous academics and journalists indicate that many very important stories receive inadequate attention from American newsrooms. Participants in the seminar will evaluate the coverage accorded to several of these issues. Participants in the proposed seminar will become acquainted with the writing of several observers who contend that a number of highly consequential issues are inadequately reported--they will learn what prominent scientists view as a problem with American journalism. Participants will learn to evaluate the claims of experts in specific contemporary problem areas--they will learn about the severity of several contemporary issues. Participants will develop their own analyses of specific problem areas in relation to amount of news coverage devoted to the issues--they will select an issue, learn about it, and evaluate the coverage accorded to it.

Format: The general design is 1) brief lecture/video/discussion, 2) small group projects and presentation, and 3) paper research and writing. The first part of the course is designed to introduce students to the subject and will include significant video supplements. The small group part is designed to encourage students to analyze issues associated with the subject. The paper will be an independent case study focusing on a particular issue and related news reporting. The course begins with a series of brief lectures, audio-visual segments, and discussion. The seminar may be visited by individuals with experience analyzing the topic. Students will read selections from such academic and/or journalistic writers as Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Garrett Hardin, and Ross Gelbspan. Three weeks into the seminar, students will begin working in small groups to produce an analysis of a scientific issue and reporting of it. The last few course meetings will be devoted to discussion of students’ individual analyses leading toward course papers. Students will acquire materials unique to their own research and present them to the class for discussion. The paper will be 6-8 pages in length and conform to a conventional citation format. Grading: The proposed seminar will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. There will be two grade components to the course that will be equally weighted. They will include: 1) a participation grade that will be based on regular class contributions and, in particular, presentation of small group individual research work, and 2) a course paper as described above. Students will receive informal instructor evaluations of their participation as the course progresses. They will write a short proposal/outline of the paper and regularly consult with the instructor.

About the Instructor: John Theobald is Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Communication, where he has been on the faculty since 1991. His primary course offerings include The Media Industry, News Policies and Practices, Media Analysis, and Media Effects. These courses include many themes, among them: media ownership, social consequences of technology, globalization, media and global security, news bias, journalism practices, commercial effects of contemporary media, media and ecological systems, and a range of politically-related themes. Recent research interests include college orientation for high school students, ecological communication campaigns, and the selling of the tourism industry in the western United States. John has been a frequent commentator on media-related issues for print, radio, and television news agencies. He studied at UCLA, San Diego State University, and the University of Texas at Austin.