AL AKHAWAYN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Version 1.0

(Last Updated 1^st September 2008)

CONTACT DETAILS:

Class time: MWF 08:00 – 08:50

Class place: building 6/008

First class Monday 1^st September 2008

Last class Tuesday 10 December 2008

Total 30 classes

Supervisor: Mohammed Ibahrine

Office: Building 6, Room 9

Tel.: (212) 0 35 86 24 42

Email: masscommunicationauifall2008@googlemail.com

OFFICE HOURS:

Monday: 11.00-12.30 am

Tuesday: 08.00-09.30 and 11.00-12.30 am

Wednesday: 11.00-12.30 am

Thursday: 08.00-09.30 and 11.00-12.30 am

Friday: 11.00-12.30 am

Saturday: 15.00-17.00 per Phone (3213) for Capstone students

COURSE SYNOPSIS:

The course examines the basic functions of communication through analyses of information, opinion, entertainment, advertising and marketing. Students will learn how media content is produced and how it is processed and delivered to a variety of audiences who selectively attend to it. Considerable attention will be given to the ways in which professional communicators or communication professionals operate within each media setting.

THE AIM OF THE COURSE

The aim of the course is to introduce students to mass communication as a field of study and as media industries. The overall objective of this course is to develop the knowledge for understanding and critically assessing the process and effects of mass communication, especially in the international relations and diplomacy. The course will make it easier for the student to understand the nature and functions of contemporary communication and mass media as well as the influences that they have on us as individuals and as a society.

THE COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course consists of four parts. The publishing part includes books, newspapers and magazines. The second part will introduce electronic and visual media such as motion pictures, radio, television and the new electronic media. The third part of the course will explore media audiences, services, and support like international communication and global media, popular culture, advertising, public relations and the audience. The final part will deal with media issues and influences.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

The lecturer will follow lectures, group discussions and seminars format. The student’s participation in class and seminar discussions is expected and encouraged and will be considered in final course evaluations (30%). Students should also be prepared, during each class session, to discuss current media events and news as they relate to the subject. Each student has to present two required chapters of the textbook during the first and the second part of the semester (25%), eight tutorial quizzes (12%) and one research paper 20%. Two exams, mid-term and final, will be graded the overall 25% (10%+15%). One of the major requirements for this course-seminar is a term paper. It should be from 2000 words, excluding notes and references. It should be typed, double-spaced with one inch margins, 12-point font, and consistently adhere to an accepted style, such as Harvard or American Psychological Association (APA). The papers will be presented in class, prior to the final session, and discussed from time to time throughout the term. The paper could take the form of a proposal for future capstone.

The research paper should be based on desk research, conducted in the library and over the Internet, including the readings central to this course. However, students should move beyond this base, where feasible in the context of a one semester course. For example, they might include a limited number of interviews, a pretest or pilot of a survey or questionnaire, secondary analysis of an existing database, content analysis, direct observations, participant observation, ethnography or other approaches that involve you directly in researching your topic.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

If you expect others to respect you, please respect yourself. So if you feel desperate, don’t make things worse by acting out of desperation: please come and talk to me about your problems before you do anything foolish. We will find a way. Office hours are of great value for intellectual and educational exchange, please respect the office hours. This is useful for the professionalism. Please note that the intellectual involvement in the co-creation process of the lecture (attendance + participation) has the lion’s share of this class’s grade. And since there is no class participation without attendance; attendance is highly encouraged to increase your grade. The university’s new attendance policy will be enforced in this class.

READINGS:

Do the readings before class and come to class. You will come to class having completed the assigned readings and participate fully in class discussion. I expect you to be a fully contributing member of the class by being prepared, taking responsibility for having productive discussions, helping yourself and others understand the material, and generating interesting ideas. I want to avoid the “professors teach, students learn” view of this enterprise. Please read my teaching philosophy statement on my website: Please note: The course requires a minimum of 8-10 hours of outside work per week (e.g., reading, analysis, group meetings, writing assignments). All assignments should be sent via e-mail as an attachment. masscommunicationauifall2008@googlemail.com

REQUIRED READINGS

There are two sources of reading for this course: one textbook and a packet of readings prepared by the supervisor.

Dominick, J. (2008). The Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in the Digital Age. Tenth Edition.

DeFleur, M. L. & Dennis, E. E. (2007). Understanding Mass Communication, Tenth Edition. Boston,

MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE AND READINGS

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