Cabrini College
English & Communication Department
COM 110OL The Role of the Media in a Democracy - Summer 2005
Dr. Jerry Zurek, Professor of English & Communication
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Schedule

Instructor Contact Information:

Course Goals:

As a course that fulfills the core requirement of "Contemporary Issues" (C), this course is designed to meet the distribution requirement goals in these specific ways:

Required Readings:
Course Requirements:

Understanding of the assigned readings. The book selected is a lively analysis of the subject of our course written by two distinguished professors of communication at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania. We will read selected chapters as background grounding in the issues. In addition, I have chosen current newspaper/magazine articles, web sites, and reports from various sides of the issues.

Participation in the online discussion on WebCT. You may log on and post your ideas at any time of the day or night. There is no set time when you must be on line. We will not have a particular time when you must be at your computer and you do not have to be online simultaneously with other students. Thus this is different from Instant Messaging. However, for the course to be successful for you and the class, you must, for each topic, post an original, substantive discussion of your own and read and reply to some of the postings of your classmate. This online course should not be thought of as an independent study with me. Even though we will not meet in person, the course depends on your discussing the issues with a variety of people who may challenge and stretch you. My role is to initiate the discussions and moderate them, not to respond to or pass judgment on your views. My grading of the discussions will be based on the extent to which the knowledge you gained from your readings and from other sources in your life shows in your discussion writing.

Three papers. The readings and discussions are focused on six significant topics, some hotly debated right now and other providing background knowledge. Each week you will do some of the readings, participate in an online discussion on the topic of the week, and write three position papers that you will select from the six topics.

You will find guidance for writing and citing sources at the college’s Writing Center web site http://www.cabrini.edu/writing/tools/index.htm . In addition, I am available to meet with you in person or on line to provide assistance such as reading drafts of your papers or providing explanations of my comments and grades. You may rewrite papers if you wish and your grade for the assignment will be an average of the two grades for that paper.

Technical Requirements:

Check your computer against what is needed. This course uses WebCT, which requires certain programs and settings to operate correctly. You should see if your computer meets WebCT's requirement. We will have an optional class meeting at which a member of Cabrini's ITR department will be present to assist you with your college account, password, and computer settings. My experience is that 80 percent of students' computers are fine and that the other 20 percent just need some tune ups. This can all be done at this meeting. If you cannot make the meeting, the ITR staff is ready to help you. Contact Lauren Kupniewski, ITR Coordinator/Analyst, 610.902.8366 or lauren.c.kupniewski@cabrini.edu

Cabrini College Academic Honesty Policy:

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 pages 48-52 of the 2004-2005 Undergraduate Catalog.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

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 MLA style manual.

Disability Support Services:

Cabrini College provides support services and appropriate accommodations for qualified students with documented disabilities. If you are a student who requires classroom or testing accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services in the Rooymans Center, room 4, 610-902-8572 or email at dss@cabrini.edu. Please note that classroom or testing accommodations can only be provided to students who have Accommodation Notification Forms from Disability Support Services. Students are responsible for providing the instructor with the Accommodation Notification Forms and informing the instructor when they need academic adjustments.

What Each Grade Means:

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