COM 559 Current Trends in Mass Communication Research:
Communication in an "Age of Terror"
Fall 2004
W 6:00-8:45
Neff 141
FALL 2004 CLASS WEB SITES

Table of Contents
Instructor Information
Course Description
Course Objectives
Texts
Assignments
Course Policies
Terror Website Work Teams
Course Schedule and Readings		 Dr. Jonathan David Tankel
230F Neff Hall
Phone: 481-5789
Office Hours: M-W 3:00-4:00
R 11:30-12:30
E-mail: tankel@ipfw.edu

Course Description
It has become axiomatic that public communication in the United States has become problematic since September 11, 2001 . The outmoded communication paradigm of "who says what in what channel to whom with what effect" has been resurrected as a topic for public discourse and, in numerous cases, subject to governmental and social sanctions.
This graduate-level course will examine the communication issues raised by the legal and extralegal restrictions on public discussion of the issues raised by the events of September 11th. To do so, the course will look at the official response to the events, media coverage of the events and the aftermath, including the passage of the PATRIOT Act and military actions in Aghganistan and Iraq. By examining language and public communication in the wake of September 11th, the course will attempt to assess the "rhetoric of terror." Cr. 3.

Return to Table of Contents

Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to articulate an informed opinion about the current state of communication in the public sphere about terror and terrorism.

Readings



Return to Table of Contents

Assignments
All assignment must be completed in order to achieve a passing grade in this course.

  1. Web Page Design and Construction : Each work team will design, create, and maintain a Web Site the object of which will be to contribute constructively to the public debate over the War on Terror as articulated by the Bush Administration. Details will be forthcoming.
  2. Final Essay: Each student will write an essay titled "9-11/1984: George Orwell's Vision and Contemporary Public Discourse on Terror and Terrorism." The essay will provide a working definition of terrorism and will offer a position on the value of Orwell's writing on Political Language and his dystopian vision of the "future" to our current public discussion of terrorism. Appropriate research and synthesis is expected.
  3. Discussion leader: Each work team will organize and lead one class discussion for one (1) class session (75 minutes). Teams will choose will assign readings, viewings, websites, whatever. The team may use audio-visual support, but that will need to be ordered from LRC through the instructor .
  4. Class interaction: This portion of the grade will be determined by (1) participation in class discussion that indicates knowledge of the readings.
Grading
Course assignments and examinations will be weighted as follows:
Web Project 300 points
Final Essay 400 points
Class interaction100 points
Discussion session 200 points
Total 1000 points

Return to Table of Contents

The final grade will be based on the following scale:
PointsGrade
1000-899 pointsA
888-790 pointsB
789-700 pointsC
699-600 pointsD
599 points-belowF

Course Policies
1. You are expected to attend class.
2. All assignments must be turned in. Failure to turn in an assigment will result in a grade of F for the course.
3. No late assignments will be accepted. Due dates are stated in the syllabus.
4. No handwritten assignments will be accepted.

Back to Table of Contents

Campus Services