Northeastern State University

College of Liberal Arts

 

Summer 2007 syllabus for

SPCH 4623/5623 Seminar on Reality Television

(last updated 06.06.07)

 

Instructor: Amy Aldridge Sanford, PhD                                              Office:  Leoser Center             Ext.:  2896

E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu                                                                Office Hours:  By appointment.

Facebook:  Amy Aldridge Sanford                                                     Webpage:  http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~aldridga/

 

Your professor’s philosophy of education:  I am a facilitator of learning.  The participants in any given classroom enter with different paradigms and truths.  I aid in the exploration of those truths.  I do NOT believe that the instructor is THE holder of Truth; therefore we must all participate to co-construct knowledge and create synergy.  When a student starts to feel uncomfortable in his/her existing paradigm that means s/he is growing as a scholar.   My desire is that all of my students feel the joy of discomfort from time to time.

 

"A grade (is) an inadequate report of an inaccurate judgment by a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion of an indefinite amount of material." (Author Unknown)

 

Grading Philosophy:  I prefer intrinsic motivations, and therefore, am not a fan of letter grades.  I believe this extrinsic reward is too often the only motivation for students to complete assignments.  A college education should be viewed as a privilege and an opportunity to become learned and scholarly.  However, until there is a better system, grades will be assigned in this class.  Work that meets the minimum requirements of an assignment, is completed on time and displays average involvement with the course content is deserving of a “C.”  Higher grades are awarded to work that goes above and beyond the minimum standards to produce papers and presentations that reflect superior intellectual effort, excellence in critical analysis and overall creativity in the approach towards any given assignment.  In other words, grades are earned in this class.  An “A” is attainable but will require more than minimal effort.

 

Required Text:  

Murray, S., & Ouellette, L. (Eds.). (2004). Reality TV:  Remaking television culture. New York: New York University

            Press.

 

Description of Course:  This is a special topics course on communication and how it relates to reality television (beginning with Candid Camera).  It will be taught like a graduate seminar course.  Emphasis will not be placed on lecture, but on class discussion and analytical thought by the students.

 

Pre-requisites:  none

 

Learning Outcomes:  By the end of the course, you will have…

  • Watched many clips from reality television programs.
  • Read scholarly work about reality television.
  • Written reflective essays about the clips and readings.
  • Participated and lead class discussion.
  • Written a scholarly paper on a subject pertaining to reality television and communication.

 

Meeting Times:  MTWTh; June 4-28, 2007; 1:30-4:10 p.m.; Leoser 240 

 

Class Attendance: This class only meets for four weeks, but we will achieve the same objectives and do the same work of the students who take this class over a 16-week period.  Therefore, you need to be at every meeting and will be at an extreme disadvantage if you are not in class.  You are allowed a maximum of 3 hours of absences (excused or unexcused) without penalty.  You will be docked 20 points for every hour or fraction thereof that you are absent over the three hours.  If you do not think you can be at every class, then do not take this course.

 

Missed/Late Assignments:  Late work will not be accepted.  It will be recorded as a zero.  If you are absent from class and it is within the three hours with no penalty, you must turn in that work BEFORE the class meets in order to get credit.

 

Class Participation: You are expected to attend class regularly and be prepared so that you may intelligently discuss assigned material.  Proper preparation means reading the assigned chapters and completing daily assignments.  Warning:  I have been known to count students absent when they are not prepared for class.

 

Classroom Climate:  The success of this course is directly related to the sense of community that we will develop in this classroom.  Participation is essential to this process.  I encourage you to share your views and listen to those of others.  Debate and discussion are an important part of the learning process.  While there will no doubt be disagreements, I expect the members of this community (including myself) to challenge ideas in a manner that reflects respect and recognition of opposing viewpoints without attacking individuals. 

 

Outline of Course:  Students are expected to bring reading responses when assigned and will be expected to lead class discussion if called upon.

 

Day

Reading

Due

Clips

1-2

Introduction

Ch 1

 

 

Practice Reading Response (Intro & Ch 1)

VH1 News Presents:  Reality TV Secrets

Candid Camera

“Primetime Live” special on Milgram

3

Ch 2

RR1

(Ch 2)

America Undercover (HBO)

4-5

Ch 5

RR2

(Ch 5)

Osbournes 1

An American Family (PBS)

5

 

Due by June 11: Research Proposal due

 

6

Ch 6

RR3

(Ch 6)

America’s Most Wanted

Unsolved Mysteries

7

Ch 7

RR4

(Ch 7)

Big Brother (US)

Fear Factor

8

Ch 8

RR5

(Ch 8)

Court TV

9

Ch 9

 

RR6

(Ch 9)

Due by June 18:  Outline due

The Real World 1

10

Ch 10

RR7

(Ch 10)

A Baby Story

A Wedding Story

11

Ch 11

RR8

(Ch 11)

Cops

Segment from “Bowling for Columbine”

12

Ch 12

RR9

(Ch 12)

Judge Judy

Texas Justice

Judge Joe Brown

13

Ch 14

 

RR10

(Ch 14)

Survivor 1

Survivor 2

14-15

Catch-up days

 

 

 

 

Due by July 13 at 5pm:  Final Paper

 































 

Grading:         Class Participation (20%)

·        Students will receive a zero (no credit), 5 (half credit), or 10 (full credit) during each class to represent his/her participation during that class session.

·        Simply talking does not guarantee full credit for class participation.  Students are expected to make intelligent verbal contributions to the class.  A student’s discourse should reflect his/her knowledge of the text and his/her ability to synthesize that knowledge with further theoretical implications and application.

 

Reading Responses (30%)

·        Reading responses are reflections you have on the reading and the in-class viewings.  They should be one to two pages and thoroughly thought out.  Mark up your book while you are reading and discuss the most interesting things to you in your reading response for that chapter. 

·        Reading responses should include brief summaries of the text (be sure to use page numbers when directly quoting from the book), your analysis of the material, and examples when appropriate.  This will add depth to your responses.

·        At the end of your response, write some possible discussion questions.  Students will be chosen at random to share their responses and lead the class in discussion.  This will also affect your participation grade.

 

Final Research Paper (40%)

·        Undergraduates in this course are expected to have at least 8 pages (not including cover pages and reference pages).  Graduate students’ papers should be at least 14 pages in length (not including cover pages and reference pages). 

·        They should be formatted in MLA or APA style (i.e., double spaced, 12 point TNR font, 1” margins).

·        Ideally I’d like to see some of your papers submitted to a scholarly conference.

·        Focus on communication and reality television.  DO NOT ACTUALLY DO ANY ORIGINAL RESEARCH BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE IRB APPROVAL.  Think of this paper as a lengthy literature review with proposed research toward the end.  The literature review is an argument for the research you are proposing.

·        Please pay attention to deadlines throughout the summer pertaining to this paper.

 

Presentation of Final Paper (10%)

 

Class Grievances:

I am willing to meet with you to discuss our class and/or particular assignments.  I ask that you please wait 24 hours after you have received a graded assignment to come see me.  Before we discuss your work, you are required to type out a document detailing what particular elements of your work you feel merit discussion. 

 

Students with Disabilities: If any member of the class feels that he or she has a disability and requires special accommodations, of any nature whatsoever, I will work with you to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in this class.  Please advise me of such disability and the desired accommodations at the close of the first class period.  Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives should visit the Office of Student Affairs, Ext. 2120.

 

Plagiarism:  According to Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983, 2nd Ed.), to plagiarize is “to steal or pass of ideas or words of another as one’s own…to use created productions without crediting the source…to commit literary theft…to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (p.1371).  Students in this course will be responsible for authenticating any assignment submitted to the instructor.  If asked, you must be able to produce proof that the assignment you submitted is in fact your own work.  Therefore, it is recommended that you engage in a verifiable working process on assignments.  Keep copies of all drafts of your work, make photocopies of research materials, write summaries of research materials, keep logs or journals of your work on assignments and papers, learn to save drafts or versions of assignments under individual file names on computer diskettes, etc.  In addition to requiring a student to authenticate his/her work, the instructor may employ various other means of ascertaining authenticity—such as engaging in internet searches, creating quizzes based on student work, requiring students to explain their work and/or process orally, etc.

 

NSU’s policy on Academic Misconduct (from http://www.nsuok.edu/policies/academic/misconduct.html): Academic misconduct includes cheating (using unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise), plagiarism, falsification of records, unauthorized possession of examinations, intimidation, and any and all other actions that may improperly affect the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement, or assisting others in any such act or attempts to engage in such acts. Academic misconduct in any form is inimical to the purposes and functions of the University and therefore is unacceptable and prohibited.  Any faculty member, administrator or staff member may identify an act of academic misconduct and should report that act to the department head/college dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs or administrative supervisor.  Students violating the standards of academic honesty are subject to disciplinary action including reduction of a grade(s) in a specific course, assignment, paper, or project; a formal or informal reprimand at the professorial, dean, or academic vice president level; expulsion from the class in which the violation occurred; expulsion from a program; or expulsion from the University.

 

Inclement Weather/Disaster Policy:  The following are basic premises for the inclement weather policy at Northeastern State University:

1.      Classes are expected to be held if at all possible.

2.      It is the student's responsibility to receive the information when weather is questionable.

3.      Neither students nor faculty are expected to risk life or limb.

4.      Faculty members are obligated to hold classes if the University is not closed, unless the faculty member is unable to get to campus.

Policy: During times of inclement weather, decisions concerning day classes will be made by 6 a.m. in order for the media to be notified and for students to receive the announcement before they leave home. Decisions concerning night classes will be made by 3 p.m.

The following media will be notified regarding closing of the campus:

Radio Stations

Television Stations

KRMG 740 AM Tulsa

KJRH Channel 2 Tulsa

KAYI 107 FM Tulsa 

KOTV Channel 6 Tulsa

KTLQ 1350 AM Tahlequah

KTUL Channel 8 Tulsa

KEOK 102 FM Tahlequah

KFSM Channel 5 Fort Smith

KBIX 1490 AM Muskogee

Cable Channel 96 Tahlequah

KMMY 97 FM Muskogee

 

KVOO 1170 AM Tulsa

 

The automated attendant message on 918-456-5511 will be modified to include information concerning campus operations during inclement weather.

 

Common courtesies:

  • Please turn all cell phones/pagers on silent while you are in class.  Check your messages AFTER class and return the calls then.  Additionally, you should not view or send text messages during class.
  • Do not pack up before I dismiss you.  You never know when I may say something important or give a last minute assignment.  You’re going to want to have that pen and paper handy.

 

 

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