FRS 002Q—
Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 92987— W 2:10-4:00 pm — 245 AOB4
Globalization and the Media Industry
Instructor: John Theobald, Department of Communication, College of Letters
and Science
Description: The theme of the seminar is Globalization and
The Media Industry. Course material will include views of globalization as both
a trend and a system. As a communication-related seminar, focus will be on the
role of mediated developments shaping the globalized world. A range of topics
will be explored, including the globalization of culture and politics, the relationship
of media and security issues, the blurring of boundaries between nations and
regions, and hopeful and threatening views of the process of globalization.
Participants in the seminar will become acquainted with various perspectives
on globalization and will learn to analyze current developments in a range of
transnational contexts as noted above. The primary goal of the seminar will
be to enhance students' ability to apply their own observations of social developments
in a global context.
Format: Students will attend a 2-hour seminar once per week.
All students will read a sample of views on globalization from such authors
as Anthony Giddens, William Grieder, Robert Wright, Benjamin Barber, and Thomas
Friedman. The course begins with a series of brief lectures, audio-visual segments,
and discussion. Four weeks into the seminar, students will begin working in
small groups to produce an analysis of a problem area consistent with the theme
of globalization and communication issues. 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. In the first part of the course
students will be expected to spend approximately two hours per week reading
the assigned material and two hours per week developing group problem analyses
and a proposal for a course paper. By the later weeks of the seminar, it is
expected that students, in regular consultation with the instructor, will spend
their time writing a paper that may be an analysis of current thought on globalization
and the media industry or an original research paper oriented toward observations
of how the world has (and has not) changed as a result of the globalization
process variously described during the course. Suggested length of the proposal
will be two pages. The paper should be 7 to 10 pages in length. Grading:
There will be two grade components to the course that will be equally weighted.
They are: 1) a participation grade that will be based on regular class contributions
including a group problem analysis, and 2) a course paper as described below.
Group Presentation/Problem Analysis
Assignment Objective: To work in small groups, leverage your insight
and research with the work of others, develop an understanding of a problem
area pertaining to communication and globalization, and present your understanding
to the class.
Time Allocation and Procedure: You will be provided some class time on
October 15, 22, and 29 to develop your analysis. You will make a presentation
the class on November 5. Groups will be selected by the students, based on subject
area interests. Group size will be determined based on course enrollment.
A Note on the Group Project: Don’t be intimidated by the open-ended
assignment and the complexity of this subject matter. The instructor is well
aware that the course comprises only two units of your busy workload. He is
equally aware that you are freshmen and in no way expected to be experts on
the theme of the assignment or the seminar in general. The idea here is to have
a rewarding and enlightening experience that indulges your analytical ability
and curiosity.
Paper Description
Paper Approaches: As described earlier in the syllabus, you will write
“an analysis of current thought on globalization and the media industry
or an original research paper oriented toward observations of how the world
has (and has not) changed as a result of the globalization process.” So,
begin by deciding whether you would like to (1) describe important contemporary
thoughts on the topic of globalization or (2) describe your own observations
of social, political, economic and/or cultural changes related to globalization.
Topic Outline (1-2 pages): Due on November 12, the Topic Outline will
have three parts: 1) a description of which of the above approaches you intend
to take in your analysis, 2) a description/outline of what you intend to include
in your paper, 3) a rationale statement that explains why your topic is worthwhile.
Final Draft (7-10 pages): Due on December 03, the paper will be a self-contained,
carefully written essay that clearly develops your argument/analysis of the
discourse. Included as part of the grade will be a 5-7 minute presentation to
the class. The organization of the paper and topics will be described in class.
About the Instructor: John
Theobald is a 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 for 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.