101. The Mass Media. (4).
(SS).
This course is designed to provide an introductory overview
of contemporary mass media systems and an examination of the various
factors – historical, economic, political, and cultural – that
have shaped their development. The course begins with a description
of present print and electronic media and examines their evolution.
Attention is given throughout to the legal and ethical implications
of mass communication systems and to comparisons between American
media systems and those elsewhere in the world. Finally, it considers the probable future course of the media and examines possible
alternatives. Cost:2
WL:1 (Thrall)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
102. Media Processes and Effects. (4). (SS).
This course introduces students to the contemporary research
on mass communication processes and effects. Basic processes involved
in the production, dissemination, reception, and impact of media
messages are examined. The course investigates a variety of effects
on individuals' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as
influences on the functioning of larger social systems. It proceeds
in general from investigations of individual-level to societal-level
impact. Critical reading and evaluation of research on media processes
and effects, and of its application to social policy debates, is encouraged and developed. Cost:2
WL:1 (Metzger)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
111. Workshop on Managing the Information Environment. (1). (Excl).
Hands-on workshop intended to develop student mastery of the rapidly developing and expanding electronic information environment.
Skills developed include the use of electronic communication systems, data base searching, word processing, data management, and various
research uses of computer networks. The course introduces students
to a range of campus computing resources, including local area
networks and available software, and remote access to the Internet.
Problem-solving assignments are designed to teach concepts in
data management and strategies for finding information and evaluating
its validity and utility. Cost:2
WL:1 (Thrall)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
211(206). Evaluating Information.
Comm. Studies 111. (4). (SS). (QR/1).
This course teaches the fundamental thinking skills necessary
for critical evaluation of research-based arguments, especially those based on quantitative information. Such skills are required
for one to be a competent mass communicator of information, a
critical consumer of information relayed by the mass media, or
an intelligent scholar of media processes and effects. The course
introduces generic logical and statistical concepts through analysis
and discussion of specific cases drawn from research reported
in the mass media (e.g., health and business news, public
opinion polls), research on the media (e.g., the impact
of media violence), and research for the media (e.g.,
audience research). Students logical and quantitative reasoning
skills are improved through a variety of "hands-on"
exercises and projects (many involving computerized spreadsheet
programs). The course is introductory in nature, and no prior
statistical expertise is required. Cost:2
WL:1 (Traugott)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
311(406). Mass Communication
Research. Comm. Studies 211. (3). (SS). (QR/1).
A guided introduction to mass communication research processes.
The course will address (a) methods of framing media research
questions, (b) techniques for gathering empirical data in an effort
to answer these questions, and (c) statistical and other techniques
for organizing, analyzing, and interpreting the data to form valid
conclusions. Students collaborate in carrying out a term research
project, which provides the opportunity to practice the many techniques
learned in the course. The aim is to enable students to pursue their own ideas, from initial conceptualization to the research
questions to final conclusions. Comm. Studies 211 or equivalent
strongly recommended. Cost:2
WL:1 (Johnston)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
321(450). Undergraduate
Internship. Junior standing, concentration in communication
studies, and permission of instructor. Internship credit is not
retroactive and must be prearranged. No more than six credits
combined of Comm. Studies 321 and 322 may be elected. (1-3). (Excl).
Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May not be used to satisfy
communication studies electives in a communication studies concentration
plan. (EXPERIENTIAL). May be repeated for a total of eight credits.
The internship is designed to provide Communication Studies
concentrators limited credit for appropriate practical work experience.
Time requirement for a two-credit internship is approximately
15 hours per week for a 14-week term. Student evaluation is based
on satisfactory completion of the internship and evaluation of the final paper. Cost:1
WL:3 (Craig)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
322. Practicum. Permission
of department. Practicum credit is not retroactive and must be
prearranged. No more than six credits combined of Comm. Studies
321 and 322 may be elected. (1-3). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no
credit. May not be used to satisfy communication studies electives
in a communication studies concentration plan. (EXPERIENTIAL).
May be repeated for a total of eight credits.
The practicum is designed to provided Communication Studies
concentrators limited credit for appropriate practical experience
gained in other than an employment setting. Time requirement for
a two-credit practicum is approximately 15 hours per week for
a 14-week term. Student evaluation is based on satisfactory completion
of an analytical evaluation (e.g., research-based paper)
of the experience, under direction of the practicum supervisor.
Registration is permitted only with approved faculty supervision.
Cost:1 WL:3 (Craig)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
351. Structure and Function
of Media Systems. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly
recommended. (4). (SS).
Examines research and scholarship focused on existing media
institutions, their genesis and current lines of development, institutional arrangements, organization and operation, economic
structure, and characteristic communications "output."
Course topics may include: the history of media systems; media
and government, including legal, regulatory, and free-expression
issues; media economics; international media systems; the impact
of new technologies; media organizational routines; and the values
and behavior of media professionals. The course investigates the
ways in which institutional, economic, and organizational arrangements
affect professional behavior and media content, with attention
to media system changes over time and in comparative contexts.
Cost:2 WL:1 (Ohmer)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
361. Processes of Mediated
Communication. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly
recommended. (4). (SS).
This course examines general phenomena involved with the
creation, dissemination, and reception of mediated information.
Course topics may include: information processing, including message
encoding and decoding; media priming and framing of evaluations
and decisions; influences of message structure and communication
modalities on processing; media use and reception, including interpretive
processes; information flow and control, focusing on influences
of communication networks, message diffusion, and information
gatekeeping; and communicative processes of learning, persuasion
and social influence. The emphasis is on the development and testing
of general theories explaining how mediated communication works, even though research examined will center on particular cases
( e.g., studies of priming in political communication).
Cost:3 WL:1 (Salomonson)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
371. Media, Culture, and Society. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly recommended.
(4). (SS).
This course focuses on the historical origins and evolution
of the relationships between the mass media, cultural practices
and values, and society. We will read a range of work by media
historians and critics who have sought to analyze and explain
how media imagery and messages shape our "common sense"
notions about identification and behavior, including one's sense
of self, attitudes towards success and happiness, gender identification, racial stereotypes, and youth culture. We will review different theoretical conceptions of the audience and of the powers of the
mass media. We will consider the debates over whether mass culture
has been a negative or positive influence in American culture.
Examples of the mass media that we will study include advertising, the news, television programming, and popular music. Our goal
is to provide you with a sense of the history of the mass media
in America, and to provide you with the critical tools and language
to deconstruct their assumptions and techniques. Cost:2
WL:1 (Wolfe)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
381. Media Impact on Knowledge, Values, and Behavior. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly
recommended. (4). (SS).
This course critically evaluates research and scholarship
on the impact of mass communication, especially television, in
a variety of substantive domains. Media impact is treated both
in theoretical and applied terms. The research examined spans
levels of analysis, including effects on individuals as well as
society at large. Topics to be covered include media impact on:
social values, educational development, political behavior, violence
and aggressive behavior, consumer behavior, health, emotion and mood, and children. Research on the use of mass communication
in public information campaigns is also reviewed, as is the role
of media research in providing guidance for social policy makers
and mediaprofessionals. Cost:2
WL:1 (Harrison)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
439. Seminar in Journalistic
Performance. (1-4). (Excl). May be repeated for a
total of eight credits.
Section 001 – Media Coverage of the Supreme Court. (3 credits).
This course evaluates media coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court, in the context of long-range factors affecting the ability of
news media to function in a democracy. This seminar will examine the scope and content of print, broadcast, and new-media news
reporting on major cases before the court. How accurately, fairly
and adequately do news organizations cover the cases as they proceed through the legal system? Do the media help the American public
gain a sufficiently thorough understanding of the complex legal
issues and social impact of each case? In addition to gaining
a broad overview of media coverage of current and recent cases, each student will select one case from the current or past court
term and study media coverage of it in detail. Cost:2
WL:1 (Collings)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
451. Media Professionals.
Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended. (3).
(Excl).
This course reviews the literature dealing with the institutional, structural, and individual factors affecting the conduct of media
professionals. The impact of media workers' behavior on message
construction is given special attention. Topics include: newsroom
socialization; organizational structure of the media; and the
professionalization of mass communicator roles. The course also
examines professional standards of performance and ethical and legal codes of conduct for journalists and other media professionals.
Cost:2 WL:1 (Craig)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
452. Media Law and Policy.
Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended. (3).
(Excl).
This course covers the basic principles of media law and its applications in connection with media practice and regulation.
Topics covered include First Amendment theory, hate speech, prior
restraints, libel, indecency, obscenity and pornography, media
censorship, rights to privacy, freedom of information and public
rights of access, advertising and consumer regulation, and electronic
media regulation. Cost:2
WL:1 (Metzger)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
453(400). The Media in American
History. Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended.
(3). (SS).
This course places the development of American mass media
in historical perspective. It surveys the evolution of the mass
media from colonial times to the present, focusing on the development
of contemporary forms: the newspaper, magazine, broadcasting, and motion picture. Changes in the structure of the media are
examined in connection with historical and economic trends in
American society. While there are no specific prerequisites, a
general grounding in American history is recommended. Cost:2
WL:1 (Craig)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
459. Seminar in Media Systems.
Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended. (3).
(Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Section 001 – Media Coverage of Foreign News. This course
investigates coverage of foreign news as a reflection of the structure
and function of media systems. What factors influence media decisions
on covering events overseas? What criteria do the media use for
deciding which events to report and at what length, and how valid
are these criteria? What value systems do they reflect? How successfully
do the media make foreign news relevant to American readers, listeners, and viewers? What special problems do foreign correspondents face?
Cost:2 WL:1 (Collings)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
462. Social Influence and Persuasion. Comm. Studies 361 or 381 strongly recommended.
Students who have taken Communication 310 in a previous term should
not enroll in this course. (4). (Excl).
This course examines the capability of the mass media to
persuade, and the basic processes involved. Both cognitive and social-psychological theories of influence are examined in detail, and in connection with a variety of persuasive phenomena, including
advertising, media campaigns, and propaganda. Conditions that
facilitate or impede the persuasive influence of media messages
are investigated, as are the ethical implications of employing the mass media to influence audiences. Cost:2
WL:1 (Salomonson)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
469. Seminar in Mass Communication
Processes. Comm. Studies 361 or 381 strongly recommended.
(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Section 001 – Interest Groups, Social Action, and the Mass Media.
Politics today, both at the level of individual policy debates
and at the level of broad social movements, is in large part a
product of two powerful trends which began in the 1960s: the enormous
rise in the number and activity of public interest groups working
to affect public attitudes and public policy; and the tremendous
increase in the power and reach of the mass media and other means
of communication. These trends, we will discover, are intimately
related. To understand how groups like the Sierra Club, the NRA, the Christian Coalition, or even the AFL-CIO operate, how they
influence politics and policy, and what they mean for American
democracy, we must understand how they relate to the mass media.
This course will begin with a discussion about the role of interest
groups in American politics, then examine how news organizations
cover interest group activities, how groups attempt to use the
media to their own advantage, and how successful interest group
media strategies have been in the recent past by looking at case
studies ranging from the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s to the failed Clinton health care plan of the 1990s. Cost:2
WL:1 (Thrall)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
474. Mass Communication
and Identity. Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended.
(3). (Excl).
This course explores the role of mass communication in shaping
personal and social identity. Special attention is given to the
ways in which the mass media can create, sustain, or alter ethnic
culture and subcultures. Topics include the ethnic media in contemporary
America, including the role of the media in immigrant communities, and the complex interplay of "mainstream" and minority
cultural life. Cost:2
WL:1 (Wolfe)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
481. Media and Violence.
Comm. Studies 361 or 381 strongly recommended. (3).
(Excl).
This course examines the theoretical and empirical connections
between violence in society and portrayals of violence in the
mass media. The course explores the reasons for the prevalence
of violent themes in television, film, and other popular media, and investigates the psychological and social mechanisms through
which media portrayals might influence attitudes and behavior.
Because one cannot fully understand the relation between violence
and violence in society without first understanding the causes
of aggressive and violent behavior, we will begin by examining the nature of aggressive and violent behavior and how it develops.
In Section 002, we will discuss the role of the media as socializing
agents in general. In Section 003, we will delve into the research
and theory on the link between media violence and aggression.
Finally, in Section 004 we will discuss societal and psychological
approaches to controlling violence and the effects of media violence
as well as issues of media policy. Cost:2
WL:1 (Huesmann)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
484(420)/Poli. Sci. 420.
Mass Media and Political Behavior. Comm. Studies
361 or 381 strongly recommended. (4). (Excl).
The central proposition of this course is that the mass media
have become an increasingly critical element of modern presidential
elections. Accordingly, understanding how news coverage of the
campaign is generated, how candidates try to shape that news, the use and impact of political advertisements, and how campaign
information reaches and influences the voting public is essential
to a complete picture of modern presidential elections. This course
aims to give students an appreciation of the dynamics of the mass
media election, how it is waged by journalists and politicians, its effects on the public, and its consequences for American democracy.
Cost:2 WL:1 (Valentino)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
492(591). Senior Honors
Thesis. Comm. Studies 491. (3). (Excl). No more than three credits of Comm. Studies 491-492 may be included in a communication
concentration plan. (INDEPENDENT).
This is the second in a two-part Honors seminar program and culminates in the composition of a senior Honors thesis. Students
must have successfully completed Comm Studies 491. This course
is offered only in winter term and meets only on occasion, based
on a schedule to be arranged at the first class session. Students
work directly with their thesis advisers, and are expected to
meet regularly with them for direction and assistance. Cost:2
WL:1 (Huesmann)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
University of Michigan | College of LS&A | Student Academic Affairs | LS&A Bulletin Index
This page maintained by LS&A Academic Information and Publications, 1228 Angell Hall
The Regents
of the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA +1 734 764-1817
Trademarks of the University of Michigan may not be electronically or otherwise altered or separated from this document or used for any non-University purpose.