COM 251 Course Schedule
Spring 2008

Return to COM 251 Syllabus

DateTopics Readings
Jan 15-17 It's All Fake: Creativity in the Media

Class Screening: "Shadow Play," Twilight Zone 		JRB, Chap. 2
Jan 22-24 Sounds and Images in the Creative Process:
The art of mass production

Class Screening: The Making of Master and Commander

    Study Questions:
  1. In what ways do the mass production technologies of modern media foster creativity?
  2. How might Benjamin assess the digitization of mass media?

 JRB, Chap 11

Benjamin, The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction
Jan 29-31Digital Design

January 29: CLASS MEETS IN
Neff B41

    Study Questions:
  1. What constitutes an effective" website?
  2. Is a web site ever "finished?"

 JRB, Chap 10
Hall, Encoding/Decoding

NVU Webpage: Free Web Authoring Software based on Netscape Composer

Student Web Space at IPFW (ITS webpage)

Publishing To The Web (ITS webpage)

Dr. Dixon's Web Page Instuctions for NVU

Feb 5-7
 Semiotics: Encoding/decoding
Case Study: The Check-Up

Class Screening: Trojan Evolve Spot

    Study Questions:
  1. How do audiovisual media communicate multiple meanings simultaneously?
  2. In what ways are these meanings culturally determined?

 Barthes, The rhetoric of the image

Robert Seiler, "Selling Patriotism/Selling Beer: The Case of the "I AM CANADIAN" Commercial" (Refer to pages 56-61 for an example of a semiotic analysis of a tv advertisement).

Molsen Ad (via YouTube)
Feb 12-14The Senses: Sound

The Senses: Sight

Class Screening: Narc-The Visual Trip

    Study Questions:
  1. How do we listen to the world?
  2. How do we look at the world?

 JRB, Chap 3-5, 7


Production Terms and Concepts:
Audio


Visuals
Feb 19-21-26-28 Narratives and Dramatic Structure

Class Screening: "Pilot," My Name Is Earl

Class Screening: "Nothing In The Dark," The Twilight Zone

    Study Questions:
  1. How does syntagmatic (semiotic) analysis inform narrative theory?
  2. What is the relationship between narrative fictions and our everyday lives?

Essay # 1 Due: February 21

 JRB, Chap 8

Aristotle, Poetics (online edition)

Aristotle, Poetics (downloadable text edition)
Mar 4-6 Film and Video
Class Screening : Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography

    Study Questions:
  1. What is the role of the cinematographer in the overall production design?
  2. What are the aesthetic possibilities presented by different aspect ratios and levels of resolution?

 JRB, Chap 9
Mar 11-13 Spring Break
Mar 18-20 Sight, Sound, and Story: The Creation of the Illusion

Class Screening: The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

    Study Questions:
  1. How do montage editing and composition in depth reinforce different conceptualizations of the relationship between the image and the audience?
  2. What is the relationship between editing and narrative structure?



Essay #2 Due: March 20 		JRB Chap 6
Mar 25-27 Storyboards/Group Project
The Responsive Chord: Media and Persuasion

    Study Questions:
  1. What does Schwartz mean by "The Responsive Chord?
  2. What constitutes adequate and appropriate pre-production planning?

 JRB, Chap 1

Tony Schwartz, The story of the Daisy Spot
Apr 1-3Genres and Styles

    Study Questions:
  1. What is a genre?
  2. What are the relationships among genre, narrative structure, and semiotics?

 Chandler, Introduction to Genre Theory

Film Genres website
Apr 8-10News and Documentary: Representing Reality

    Study Questions:
  1. What are the myths about media reprentations of reality?
  2. What are the relationships between news/documentary and narrative fictions?

TBA reading
Apr 10: CLASS MEETS IN
NEFF COMPUTER LAB
Apr 15-17The Television Series
Class Screening: Quit Smoking (My Name Is Earl episode #2)

    Study Questions:
  1. What are the essential elements of a television series?
  2. How can series television survive the fragmentation of media delivery systems?

TBA
Apr 22-24 Sound and Audio: It's All in the Mix
Class Screening: selections from Standing In The Shadows Of Motown

    Study Questions:
  1. Who is the author of a sound recording?
  2. Should audio productions be accurate or convenient?

Essay #3 Due: April 22 		Tankel, Remixing as recoding
Apr 29 Final Examination and Class Screening: Frank's Place
May 1 My Media World Website DUE
In-class Presentations
FINAL ESSAY DUE
PSA Storyboard Presentations
Monday
May 8
1-3 p.m.

Spring 2008

Spring 2008
Date(s) Calendar Item
Jan. 14 Classes Begin
Jan. 14-18 Late Registration and Drop/Add
Jan. 18 Final Spring Payment Deadline
Jan. 18 Weekend College Classes Begin at 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 Last Day for Full Refund (for 16-week classes)
Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Feb. 11 Pass/Not Pass and Audit-to-Credit Deadline
Mar. 10-16 Spring Recess
Mar. 17 Classes Resume
Mar. 21 Credit-to-Audit Deadline
Mar. 21 Last Day to Withdraw (for 16-week classes)
Mar. 21 Classes Suspended at 4:30 p.m.
Mar. 24 Classes Resume
May 5-11 Last Week of Classes and Final Exams
May 11 End of Spring Semester
May 14 Commencement



Holidays and Observances:
Jan 1New Year's Day
Jan 7Orthodox Christmas Day (Orthodox)
Jan 10Muharram/New Year (Islamic)
Jan 14Orthodox New Year (Orthodox)
Jan 21Martin Luther King Day
Jan 22Tu B'Shevat (Arbor Day) (Jewish)
Feb 5Carnival/Shrove Tuesday (Christian)
Feb 6Ash Wednesday (Christian)
Feb 14Valentine's Day
Feb 18Presidents' Day
Mar 9Daylight Saving Time starts
Mar 16Palm Sunday (Christian)
Mar 17St. Patrick's Day
Mar 20Vernal equinox
Mar 20Prophet's Birthday (Islamic)
Mar 20Maundy Thursday (Christian)
Mar 21Purim (Jewish)
  
Mar 21Good Friday (Christian)
Mar 22Holy Saturday (Christian)
Mar 23Easter Sunday (Christian)
Mar 24Easter Monday (Christian)
Apr 20First day of Passover (Jewish)
Apr 27Last day of Passover (Jewish)
Apr 27Orthodox Easter (Orthodox)
May 1Ascension Day (Christian)
May 2Yom HaShoah (Jewish)
May 5Cinco de Mayo
May 8Yom HaAtzmaut (Jewish)
May 11Pentecost (Christian)
May 11Mother's Day
May 18Trinity Sunday (Christian)
May 22Corpus Christi (Christian)
May 23Lag B'Omer (Jewish)
May 26Memorial Day


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