Part I: Texts, Images & Language
Week 1 (Jan 13): Introductions
- Overview of the course and the ways that CAS 204 fits into the senior research project course (COMM 494) at Greater Allegheny.
- What do we study when we study communication? What is qualitative research?
For further reading and research:
- James Carey’s “A Cultural Approach to Communication.”
- Ian Bogost, “Nobody Asked for a Toaster Critic,” in How to Talk About Videogames (University of Minnesota Press, 2015), vii-xiii.
Week 2 (Jan 20): Textual & Content Analysis
- Reading: Jack Shaheen, “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 588 (2003): 171-193.
- Reading: Cheryl Cooky, LaToya D. Council, Maria A. Mears, and Michael A. Messner, “One and Done: The Long Eclipse of Women’s Televised Sports, 1989–2019,” Communication & Sport, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2021).
- Lecture notes: Analyzing texts & narratives.
- Lecture notes: I’ll be discussing material from this annotated copy of Gillian Rose’s chapter on “Content Analysis,” from her book Visual Methodologies.
For further reading and research:
- The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media & TENA, “Frail, Frumpy and Forgotten: A Report on the Movie Roles of Women of Age,” October 2020.
- Monica Miller, Jessica Rauch and Tatyana Kaplan, “Gender Differences in Movie Superheroes’ Roles, Appearances, and Violence,” ADA #10, 2016.
- Matthew Dana, “Big-Screen Aftershock: How 9/11 Changed Hollywood’s Middle Eastern Characters,” M.A. Thesis, Rochester Institute of Technology (2009).
- “Men Appear Twice as Often as Women in News Photos on Facebook,” Pew Research Center, 23 May 2019.
- Ward Churchill, “Fantasies of the Master Race,” from The Ward Churchill Reader.
- This is the article about National Geographic that Rose consistently talks about in the assigned chapter for today.
- Pew Research Center’s discussion of content analysis. Here’s an example of how they put content analysis to work in their analysis of news trends.
- Davis Mitchell and Sharon Snyder, “Body Genres: An Anatomy of Disability in Film,” The Problem Body: Projecting Disability on Film, edited by Sally Chivers and Nicole Markotic (Ohio State University Press, 2010), 179-206.
- Justin Lewis, Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Sanna Inthorn, “Images of Citizenship on Television News: Constructing a Passive Public,” in ed. Michael Ryan, Cultural Studies: An Anthology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008), pp. 959-973.
Week 3 (Jan 27): Semiotic Analysis
IMPORTANT: Today’s class will be held on Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/my/punkademic (alt link: https://psu.zoom.us/j/4127127869)
- Reading: Gillian Rose, excerpts from “Semiology,” in Visual Methodologies.
- Reading: Jon Berger, chapter 3 in Ways of Seeing. This chapter is not on semiotics per se, but it’s a great piece for thinking about how one can critically analyze images contextually (with an eye toward the history of the art form, as well as social conditions).
- Lecture notes: Semiotics
- Handout: Ideology, Discourse, Hegemony
- In class: Watch this episode of the Netflix series Abstract: The Art of Design that’s devoted to famed graphic designer, Paula Scher.
- Due today: Semiotic Analysis
For further reading and research:
- Other excellent episodes of Abstract: The Art of Design that highlight the interplay of composition, signification, and meaning that goes into various forms of visual representation:
- Helvetica (documentary film)
Week 4 (Feb 3): Rhetorical Analysis
- Reading: Sonia Foss, “The Nature of Rhetorical Criticism,” Rhetorical Criticism (2004), 3-9.
- Reading: David Nye, “Technology, Nature, and American Origin Stories,” Environmental History, Vol. 8, No 1(2003): 8-24. NOTE: I posted this reading on Monday Jan 30, so if you already started on the Butterworth & Moskal essay below, it’s fine to just read & write about that one (and ignore this one).
- Optional Reading: M.L Butterworth & S.D. Moskal, “American Football, Flags, and ‘Fun’: The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and the Rhetorical Production of Militarism,” Communication, Culture & Critique, Vol. 2 (2009): 411-433.
- Due today: Rhetorical Analysis Response Paper
- Make sure to click here and review the response paper guidelines before you work on your paper.
For further reading and research:
- This is a good example of an undergraduate feminist rhetorical analysis of Disney films.
- Matti Hyvärinenf, “Analyzing Narratives and Story-Telling,” in ed. Alasuutari, Social Research Methods (SAGE Handbook), 447–460.
- Martha S. Feldman, Kaj Sko ldberg, Ruth Nicole Brown and Debra Horner, “Making Sense of Stories: A Rhetorical Approach to Narrative Analysis,” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 14, No. 2 (2004): 147–170.
- Dave Zirin, “A Review of ’42’: Jackie Robinson’s Bitter Pill,” The Nation, April 17, 2013.
- H. Samy Alim, “What if We Occupied Language?,” New York Times, Dec 21, 2011.
Week 5 (Feb 10): Agenda-Setting & Framing in News
- Reading: David Weiss, “Agenda-Setting Theory,” in Encyclopedia of Communication Theory, edited by Stephen W. Littlejohn & Karen A. Foss (2009), 31-33.
- Reading: Jules Boykoff & Martha Gies, “We’re Going to Defend Ourselves”: The Portland Chapter of the Black Panther Party and the Local Media Response,” Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 111, No. 3 (2010): 278-311.
- Lecture notes: Agenda setting and framing in news media
- Open discussion (Canvas): News frames and political movements
- Due
TodayMONDAY: News Frames – Research Diagram
For further reading and research:
- Project for Excellence in Journalism, “Framing the News: The Triggers, Frames, and Messages in Newspaper Coverage,” 1999.
- Jules Boykoff, “Framing Dissent: Mass-Media Coverage of the Global Justice Movement,” New Political Science, Vol. 28, No. 2 (June 2006).
- Dan Berger, “Constructing Crime, Framing Disaster: Routines of Criminalization and Crisis in Hurricane Katrina,” Punishment & Society, Vol. 11, No. 4 (2009): 491–510.
- Video – Don’t Fall for the Antifa Trap, Vox, 3 Oct 2017.
- In Month After Charlottesville, Papers Spent as Much Time Condemning Anti-Nazis as Nazis | FAIR (2017).
- Penn State’s Page Center has an online module on Media Framing and Ethics that is a useful refresher on some key terms and talks about the links between framing and public relations.
- Interview with Sandra Clark, Vice President for News and Civic Dialogue at WHYY, on media framing.
Part II: People & Places
Week 6 (Feb 17): Surveys
- Reading: Donald Treadwell and Andrea M. Davis, “Chapter 9: Surveys” in Introduction to Communication Research, 4th ed. (SAGE, 2020).
- Notes: Survey Research
- Suggested Reading: B. Afeni McNeely Cobham, “Sisters Rap the Blues: Examining the Perceived Impact of Rap Music on Black Women College Students,” Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology, No. 10 (2016). Note: the purpose of reading this essay is to get a sense of how researchers construct studies based around practical research questions and clear research methods. While this article is sophisticated and brings a lot of issues to bear on the project, you should focus on her main objectives and purpose, which are both very clear and (in my opinion) really interesting.
- In-class: Review of Qualtrics
- In-class: Review Penn State’s Institutional Review Board
- In-class: Review Penn State’s Office of Undergraduate Research
For further reading & research:
- Suman Mishra, “Doing Survey Research in Media Studies,” The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies.
- More on surveys from the SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods.
- Joshua Green and Henry Jenkins, “Spreadable Media How Audiences Create Value and Meaning in a Networked Economy,” in The Handbook of Media Audiences (Blackwell Publishing, 2011).
Week 7 (Feb 24): Interview-Based Research
- Reading: Daniel W. Turner, III, “Qualitative Interview Design: A Practical Guide for Novice Investigators,” The Qualitative Report, Vol. 15, No. 3 (2010): 754-760.
- Readings: Qualitative Interviewing tipsheet, via Duke University.
- In class: Workshop on how to conduct & edit interviews. Participation is mandatory – make sure to be in class.
- Notes: Tips for Interviews
- Due today: Survey Assignment
For further reading & research:
Week 8 (Mar 3): Conduct Interviews / No Class Meeting
- Due by Sunday, March 5: Interview Assignment
Week 9 (Mar 10): Spring Break / No Class Meeting
- Give some thought to conducting your ethnography exercise (due March 19) this week.
Week 10 (Mar 17): Ethnography – CLASS ON ZOOM
IMPORTANT: Today’s class will be held on Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/j/94558197940
- Reading: danah boyd, “Making Sense of Teen Life: Strategies for Capturing Ethnographic Data in a Networked Era.”
- Reading: Stephanie Shonekan, “Hip-hop and Ferguson: Black Rage, Don’t Shoot, Be Free,” Praxis Center, October 8, 2014.
- Notes: Ethnography & qualitative interviews.
- Due Next Week: Ethnography Exercise
For further reading & research:
- Quick Tips for Ethnographic Interviews.
- Professor Shannon Mattern teaches teaches extensively about ethnographic research and methods at the New School and her Digital Ethnography Intensive course from Jan 2021 is filled with wonderful readings and supplementary materials.
- Jay Borchert, “Conducting Interviews in Prisons,” Give Methods a Chance (March 9, 2016) – h/t to Shannon Mattern
- Rachel Annechino, “Interviewing for Introverts,” Ethnography Matters on Medium (January 20, 2016) – h/t to Shannon Mattern
- S. Elizabeth Bird, “It Makes Sense to Us: Cultural Identity in Local Legends of Place,” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Vol. 31, No. 5 (2002): 519-547.
- Read David Walsh, “Doing Ethnography,” in ed. Clive Seale, Researching Society and Culture.
Part III: Institutions, Platforms & Audiences
Week 11 (Mar 24): Exploring History & Archives
- Reading: Travis Vogan, “Football’s Wine Cellar: The NFL Films Archive,” The Moving Image, Volume 10, Number 2, Fall 2010, pp. xii-29.
- Reading: Susan J. Douglas, “Writing From the Archive: Creating Your Own,” Comunication Review, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan 2010): 5-14.
- Notes: Archival and historical research.
- Due today: Ethnography Exercise
- Due today: Research Diagram: Archival Research
For further reading and research:
- Ten of the Greatest Books on Media History,” Tropics of Meta, 11 Aug 2014.
- “What Are Archives and How Do They Differ From Libraries?,” Society of American Archivists.
- Examples of online archives:
- Every type of media imaginable, including Internet pages: Internet Archive
- TV news archive: Vanderbilt Television News Archive
- Scanned DIY publications: Queer Zine Archive
- Topically organized content: Black Studies in Video
- Specific TV program: Meet the Press Archive
Week 12 (Mar 31): Political Economy of Communication
- Reading: Siva Vaidhyanathan, “Introduction” in Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy (New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2018), 1-30.
- Reading: Cade Metz, “The Porn Business Isn’t Anything Like You Think It Is,” Wired, 15 Oct 2015. Here’s a PDF version if the link doesn’t work for some reason.
- Watch: Digital Disconnect – Fake News, Privacy and Democracy, Media Education Foundation, 2018.
- Notes: Political Economy of Communication
- Due today: Research Diagram: Political Economy of Communication
Reminder: Final Project Pitch due next week. Start doing preliminary research now for the assignment.
For further reading & research:
- (Video) Siva Vaidhyanathan, “The Incomplete Political Economy of Social Media” (2017).
- (Video) “Sinclair Broadcast Group,” Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 2017.
- (Video) “Remembering Journalist & Media Critic Ben Bagdikian, Author of The Media Monopoly,” Democracy Now!, 16 Mar 2016.
- Anne Elizabeth Moore, “Can Capitalism Tolerate a Democratic Internet? An Interview with Media Expert Robert McChesney,” Truthout, April 3, 2013.
- Political Economy, in the SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods.
- John Light, “How Media Consolidation Threatens Democracy,” BillMoyers.Com, 12 May 2017.
- Joe Pinsker, “The Hidden Economics of Porn,” The Atlantic, 4 April 2016.
- Tiziana Terranova, “Free Labor: Producing Culture for the Digital Economy,” Social Text #63, Vol. 18, No 2. (2000): 33-58.
- Micky Lee, “Google Ads and the Blindspot Debate,” Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 33, No. 3 (2011): 433–447.
- Sarah Wolter, “It Just Makes Good Business Sense”: A Media Political Economy Analysis of espnW, Journal of Sports Media, Vol. 9, No. 2, Fall 2014, pp. 73-96.
Week 13 (Apr 7): Studying Media Platforms – Instagram
- This week we will be looking at a recent book-length study of the media platform, Instagram. Click here for the detailed assignment description on Canvas.
Week 14 (Apr 14): Researching Audiences
- Reading: Nikki Usher, “Why spreadable doesn’t equal viral: A conversation with Henry Jenkins,” Nieman Lab, 23 Nov 2010.
Cover in-class:
- Encoding/Decoding – Stuart Hall
- Cultivation Theory – George Gerbner
- Discuss Jenkins reading
- Audiences & free labor (if there’s time)
For further reading & research:
- Documentary – The Mean World Syndrome: Media Violence & the Cultivation of Fear, Media Education Foundation, 2010.
Week 15 (Apr 21) – No Class Meeting
- Professor is out today for minor surgery.
Week 16 (Apr 28) – Approaching Future Projects
- Read chapters 3 & 7 in The Craft of Research, 3rd Edition.
- Your professor will review the above chapters as well as some additional material from The Craft of Research.
- Due on Monday, May 1 by 6pm: Self-Assessment & Semester Reflection.
- Three-Step ‘Formula’ Paragraph
- Tips for Narrowing a Research Topic
- Writing a Topic Paper
- Writing a Research Plan (basically a first draft of a project)
Final Assignment – Due May 3
