COM 480 – Media Ethics
Spring 2009
Professor Lopez
John Cabot University
Where: Gaius/G.K.G.4
When: M-W 2:15-3:30
Contact: teacher@worldbridgermedia.com
Class Website: http://www.worldbridgermedia.com/mediaethics/
Course Description
This senior seminar focuses on the study and application of ethical standards in a variety of communication contexts. Classical and ethical concepts and issues in communication will be explored, as well as alternative methods and ideas aimed at evaluating and responding to communication problems in the context of global change. In this session we’ll pay particular notice to the media’s ethical response to the global environmental crisis. What are the ethical dilemmas faced by a media system when it confronts something outside its normal parameter of reality construction? Are activist responses that use manipulative media tactics ethical? Additional topics include “truthiness” (emotional truth vs. fact), image ethics, and deception and propaganda in a global media environment. By examining standards of corporate social responsibility in the context of media corporations, we’ll also explore the dimension of whether or not business ethics play a roll in the content we analyze.
Outcomes
Students will understand the essential ethical conflicts underlying a media system impacted by business concerns, and how symbol distribution is an important component of how media communicate and structure our view of the world. Within this context students will understand how their own concept of ethics can interact with media, both as consumers and producers. Through media analysis tools they will also comprehend the evolving standard of truth in an age of changing media production, and the rise of new activist strategies resulting from the breakdown of the traditional media system model.
Course Content
As a senior seminar, this class is designed to culminate accumulated wisdom and theory from previous communications courses. As such, this interactive class will center on topical discussions raised by both the instructor and students. Students will be required to bring in discussion questions every week based on the reading assignments. Additional activities will include researching corporate charters of media companies. Lectures and in-class viewing of various media will round out class activities.
Attendance
This course involves a lot of in class viewing of media and discussion. Therefore attendance and participation is an essential part of the class. More than four unexcused absences and excessive tardiness will gravely impact the course grade.
Assessment
• Three discussion questions due first class of every week. Can be about anything on your mind related to the week’s reading material.
• Weekly post on class blog
• Midterm
• Research paper: 8-10 pages
• Final Exam
Questions/class participation/blog (25%); Mid-Term Exam (25%); Final Exam (25%); Final Paper (25%).
Course Organization
Class Schedule is posted at: http://tinyurl.com/84s37m
(Note: this is subject to change, so please check periodically on the class Website)
Pt. 1: Media Commons and Media Ethics
Given that most media corporations are deeply ingrained in the current economic system, it will be necessary to look at how the business climate impacts the filters that drive decisions in media companies about what to cover, what to avoid, and how to interpret it. We’ll look at corporate charters and reports and do some background reading on neoliberalism and debates regarding corporate social responsibility. We’ll also compare ecological ethics with media ethics. After re-examining two models— “tragedy of the commons” and “prisoner’s dilemma”— by the end of this module we’ll have a working definition of what constitutes a “media commons.”
Pt. 2: Media Ethics in the Age of Postirony and Guerrilla Marketing
We’ll discussion how covert marketing takes on the language of resistance and rebellion to infiltrate efforts to define the commons.
Pt. 3: Image Ethics
An exploration of how images are used and manipulated for depicting kinds of truths.
Pt. 4: Image Politics: Case study of environmental protest and dissent in the media
We’ll bring all these ideas together to look at how environmentalists and news media struggle to describe each other, and how each purport to represent the world ethically according to their relative positions in the media system.