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 Comm 385 Spring 2002

Tues & Thurs, 2:30 – 3:45   105 Thomas
Class web page: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/m/x/mxj20/comm385/
Listserv: L-COMM385-1@lists.psu.edu

	Instructor	Teaching Asst.
	Matt Jackson	Sammy Lee
Office	219 Carnegie	314 Willard
Phone	863-6419	865-6106
E-mail	mattj@psu.edu	syl114@psu.edu
Web page	www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/m/x/mxj20	www.personal.psu.edu/syl114
Office hours	Tues & Thurs 09:00~11:00, and by appointment	Tues & Thurs, 12:30~13:30

Course Objectives
This course is designed to acquaint students with the fundamental concepts and strategies of media programming. The course will include discussions of radio, television, cable, and web programming. In addition, the course will expose students to concerns facing distributors all along the supply chain, from the program producer to the cable system operator. The structure of the course will emphasize teamwork and analytical thinking.

Textbook
Broadcasting/Cable/Web Programming, 6^th edition (2001) by Susan Tyler Eastman and Douglas Ferguson (Wadsworth Publishing).

Supplemental readings
If you are truly interested in a career related to programming, you should keep up with current issues and trends facing both the production and distribution industries. There are a wealth of trade journals and websites from which to choose. We will discuss some of these resources in class and students will be expected to use them often.

Attendance
This course is structured around discussion and team projects. We learn best when exposed to other viewpoints and when we are forced to articulate our own thoughts. Missing class affects not only you but everyone else in the course. Attendance is mandatory. Missing class will result in severe grade penalties.

Exams
There will be a quiz for each chapter of the textbook.  You will take the quiz individually, and then again as a team, with each score counting as half of your grade.  There will be no make-up quizzes under any circumstances.  If you miss a quiz, you lose that opportunity to earn points.  There will be no final exam.

Assignments
This course will use a variety of in-class and homework assignments to be completed individually or in teams. These will be announced in class throughout the semester.

Guidelines for written assignments:
All written work must be TYPED in a 10 or 12-point font with one-inch margins and stapled. I encourage you to print on both sides of the page to conserve paper (but this is not required).

All written assignments are due AT THE BEGINNING of class (2:30 p.m.). Assignments turned in AFTER class has started will receive half credit, IF they are turned in within 24 hours. Assignments more than 24 hours late will NOT be accepted. E-mail submissions will NOT be accepted. If you know you will miss class, then you should turn in your assignment early or make sure someone turns it in for you at the beginning of class. There will be NO exceptions, so plan ahead and finish early! Printers run out of ink, computers crash, and computer labs fill up. It is your responsibility to make sure you finish the assignment early, so that if you run into problems, get sick, or break your leg, you can still turn in the paper on time.

Your written work will be graded primarily on content (relevance, understanding, insight, originality, and adhering to the requirements of the assignment). Form (grammar, spelling, punctuation, organization, and clarity of expression) will have an impact on your grade! Strive for brevity and clarity in all your written work. Content and form typically are related. Vague and muddled writing is usually the result of not thinking through your ideas carefully. Remember: think before you write…and then proofread, proofread, proofread!

Grading
Grades are obviously important to you. Please wait 24 hours before requesting a grade change. You must include a WRITTEN explanation of why you think your grade should be changed.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly and creative activity in an open, honest and responsible manner, free from fraud and deception, and is an educational objective of the College of Communications and the university. Cheating, including plagiarism, falsification of research data, using the same assignment for more than one class, turning in someone else’s work, or passively allowing others to copy your work, will result in academic penalties at the discretion of the instructor, and may result in the grade of “XF’ (failed for academic dishonesty) being put on your permanent transcript. In serious cases it could also result in suspension or dismissal from the university.

As students studying communication, you should understand and avoid plagiarism (presenting the work of others as your own).  Please read the following discussions of plagiarism: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/m/x/mxj20/comm483/plagiarism.htm http://www.indiana.edu/%7Ewts/wts/plagiarism.html#original
http://www.csubak.edu/ssric/Modules/Other/plagiarism.htm

The rules and policies regarding academic integrity should be reviewed by every student, and can be found online at: www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20, and in the College of Communications document, “Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures.” Any student with a question about academic integrity or plagiarism is strongly encouraged to discuss it with his or her instructor.

Additional Information
One of the advantages of attending a large university like Penn State is the vast array of FREE resources available to you. I encourage you to take advantage of them! For a complete list of services, go to: http://www.psu.edu/ur/students.html

Web page
The syllabus and reading assignments may change fairly often—especially since the textbook is not yet available! You are expected to check the online syllabus for any changes to assignments and the schedule. In addition, I frequently communicate with the class via e-mail. Make sure you check your e-mail on a regular basis, at least twice per week.
 
 

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