Course Goals and Structure

Required Textbook

Course Requirements & Grading Percentages

• Papers 1 and 2
  

  In-class Presentations & Cabrini Day
  

  Online Discussion Assignments
  

  Final Paper & Presentation
  

  Real Life Work in Media
  

• Cabrini College Academic Honesty Policy
• Disability Support Services

Grading Rubric

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Fail to report your absence to me before the start of class
Show up late for class
Act unprofessionally in class, such as sleeping, daydreaming, etc. This course is a pre-professional class that prepares you to enter the communication professions and so you should act as if you were involved in a media business already.
Fail to come to class with paper, a writing instrument, books, etc., ready to learn.

Activities and interactive discussions will be conducted at the very start of every class. You must be present to participate in these discussions. Absences due to illness, intercollegiate athletic events, etc., are considered "excused" absences if reported to your instructor in advance via e-mail, and with the appropriate doctor’s note or athletic director’s note. You will not be penalized for missing that class; however, you are responsible for making up any work missed during your absence. It is up to you to find out what you must do both for the missed class as well as for the following class. Note that in-class activities and presentations may not be made up. More than three absences from this class will likely result in a substantially lower grade or even failure.

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Assignments

You are expected to submit all assignments on time.

For Papers 1, 2 and the Final Paper:

Assignments handed in after the due date will be incrementally marked down to a lower grade. Assignments handed in later than one week past the due date will not be accepted. The class has moved on in the lesson plan and you will be expected to maintain the pace.

For Discussion Assignments (online):

Discussion Assignments should be posted by clicking on the "Discussion" icon on the BBVista course homepage. Discussion Assignments will ONLY be accepted before the start of the following class period. Late postings will receive a grade of zero.

One special note for ALL assignments: You may not use technology as an excuse for submitting an assignment late. It is your responsibility to ensure that I receive your assignments on time. Penalties as stated above will affect all assignments, whether they are delivered electronically or in hard copy.

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Class participation

Learning should not only be engaging, but also reciprocal. We have a lot to learn from each other. You are urged and expected to actively share your thoughts in class and online for everyone’s benefit.

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Class conduct

A classroom environment conducive to learning is one where learners feel safe and welcome to share their knowledge and experience. Certainly, debate and the frank discussion of assumptions are expected; however, comments should be made with deep respect for one another's viewpoints. (e.g., "I see your point, but have you considered thinking of the issue this way...") Respectful dialogue is vital to establishing and nurturing a community of learners.

Conduct deemed unacceptable would include (but not be limited to) accusatory remarks, foul language, or inflammatory rebukes. Behavior of this sort will be met with reprimand. In extreme cases, it will be reported to the Academic Dean.

Please also note that being respectful of your fellow learners online means communicating in a manner that is easily understood. Be sure to use appropriate grammar, punctuation and spelling in your postings. The clarity of your message will not only influence your grade; it will influence your classmates' and professor's perception of you as a person. Take care to present yourself in the best possible way.

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Reminder

The last day to drop this class without financial penalty is Sept. 3.

The last day to withdraw from this class is Nov. 6.

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Papers:

Paper 1 and 2: Some of the class will consist of your professor explaining and clarifying concepts in mass communication, but more of the course will be devoted to the discussion of current issues in mass communication.

I have picked out what I hope are lively discussion topics associated with each textbook chapter. Furthermore, I have supplied you with a starter kit of background information on these topics. The "starter kit" information comes by way of the "Description," "Lecture Notes," and "Readings" for each section.

For your papers, I will ask you to take what we've been discussing in our classroom and online entries and provide further in-depth examination into these issues. You will be responsible for researching and writing about the implications of these issues on today's media industry and our society. Your papers should contain several current examples that illustrate your perspective on the data.

These papers are generally to be about 5 pages long. They are works of research, not opinion papers. Thus, you will need to showcase your research and cite your sources according to APA Style 5th Edition. Your papers will be judged on how clearly and thoroughly you present the issue, your articulation of its implications, your current examples that illustrate these implications, and how professionally your written work is presented.

All papers are to be typed, double spaced, 12 point type, Times Roman font. They are to be typed in Microsoft Word and saved as a ".doc" file. Save them according to the following guidelines: YourLastNameCOM101Paper1.doc (e.g., "SmithCOM101Paper1.doc"). Yourpapers are to be uploaded as attachments in the "Assignments" section of the COM101 BBVista site.

You will find all the writing and citing guidance that you need for your papers at the college’s Writing Center web site http://www.cabrini.edu/writing/tools/index.htm

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Academic Honesty

The principal objective of the Cabrini College Academic Honesty Policy is to encourage a dynamic, open and honest intellectual climate based on the personal and academic integrity of all members. It is the responsibility of students to help maintain the community of academic integrity. Students shall not receive credit for work that is not a product of their own efforts. For a full description of the policy, please see the 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism (see below for further explanation)
• Cheating
• Information falsification or fabrication
• Theft or destruction of intellectual property
• Facilitation of academic dishonesty
  

For a first violation, the faculty member will meet with the student or otherwise communicate the charge. The faculty member will complete an Academic Honesty Violation Charge Form, stating the violation and assigning a penalty. The student should sign and date the charge form and return it to the faculty member. The student may request a hearing before the Academic Honesty Board by indicating that option on the form. For a second violation in a given course, the faculty member will follow the same procedures as in the first incident but will assign a penalty of failure of the course without privilege of withdrawal. For any second or subsequent violation during a student’s academic career at Cabrini College the Academic Honesty Board shall conduct a hearing.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. All in this class are quite capable of generating their own unique thoughts and ideas. Only these "original creations" will be welcome. For all other plagiarized thoughts, expect that I will file the proper paperwork with Academic Affairs and follow the violation process as outlined in the paragraph above.

Remember that all sources, including Internet sources, must be cited appropriately when using the author’s exact words or paraphrasing. Exact words must appear in quotations and their source must be cited. If you have any questions about citing sources properly, consult a faculty member, librarian, the Writing Center staff (http://www.cabrini.edu/writing/tools/index.htm), or the APA Style Manual.

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• A = You have an excellent and very insightful grasp of the main concepts as shown both in discussions and in your written work. You present your ideas in an interesting and insightful manner. Your preparation for, and participation in, discussions and your presentation of your ideas in discussions and in your papers are all exceptional.
• B = You have very good, careful, diligent discussion participation and written work. You show effort, ability, and insight in preparation, participation, and presentation of ideas but not to an outstanding degree in all areas.
• C = Your assignments are completed adequately, assigned work read on time, discussions submitted in on time. You have an adequate basic understanding of the main points of the chapters as shown in discussion participation and papers, but some aspect of preparation, participation, or presentation of ideas is deficient.
• D = You did not read some of the assignments on time or you did not submit some work on time or you showed only a rudimentary understanding of the concepts or you participated weakly in discussions.
• F = Some work was missing, or some assignments not read, or you missed more than 20 percent of the discussions.
  
  

A Special Note about Discussion Assignment (online) Grading:

Your online discussion postings will be subjected to the grading rubric above in terms of content, preparation, presentation, and participation. With regard to timeliness, however, remember the notation made earlier in the syllabus, which said:

"Discussion Assignments will ONLY be accepted before the start of the following class period. Late postings will receive a grade of zero."

An ideal online discussion posting is one that showcases the knowledge you gained from reading the Learning Module materials and participating in the in-class discussion on the topic/issue. This means that it would be a good idea for you to reference the in-class discussions, online readings, weblinks, etc., in your response to the question. Always strive to be reflective and substantive in the quality of your comments; your goal is to consider the question critically and lend a nuanced perspective to the topic being explored in the posting. Finally, all postings should be free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. They should be well composed and not full of "Instant Message-speak" (e.g., "u" instead of writing out "you" or "b/c" for "because"). You're welcome to use emoticons where appropriate so that I may better understand the tone and intention of your message (e.g., :-) ).

You will be graded according to the following scale:

A = 95 - 100
A- = 90 - 94.9
B+ = 87 - 89.9
B = 84 - 86.9
B- = 80 - 83.9
C+ = 77 - 79.9
C = 74 - 76.9
C- = 70 - 73.9
D+ = 65 - 69.9
D = 60 - 64.9
F= 0 - 59.9

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Need Help with BBVista?

Click here for the BBVista Student Help website.

This link will take you to a user forum for students who have technical questions about their WebCT Vista course. Make this your first stop for technical issues. If you're unable to find the answer to your question on this Student Help website, then post your technical question in the "Discussion" area of our course website. You may also e-mail technical support at WebCT directly by clicking here: olt@drexel.edu.

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