College of Communication College of Communication The University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism School of Journalism

Course Title: Women and the News

J340C (07500) & WGS345 (48799)

Lectures: Tuesday & Thursday 2-3:30 p.m. in CMA 3.128

Professor: Dustin Harp

Phone: 471-6720 (though email is a better way to reach me)

Office Hours: Mondays 12:30-2 p.m. and by appointment in CMA 7.232

Email: dustinharp@mail.utexas.edu

Communications: I encourage students to make an appointment with me or email me with specific questions. As for email messages, I will try to respond within 24-48 hours, though messages sent during weekends (or Friday afternoons) may not receive such a prompt response.

Table of Contents

I. Course Overview & Objectives ………………………………………… p. 1-2

II. Course Requirements …………………………………………………… P. 2

III. Grading Procedures …………………………………………………… p. 2

IV. Academic Integrity …………………………………………………… p. 3

V. Other University Notices and Policies ………………………………… p. 3

VI. Course Schedule …………………………………………………………… p. 4-5

VII.Group Project and Presentation Guidelines ……………………… p. 6

VIII. Group Project Peer Evaluation Sheet ……………………………… p. 7

IX. Group Presentation Grading Sheet ……………………………………… p. 8

I. Course Overview & Objectives

This course focuses on women’s relationship to news both historically and currently. The material mainly examines women’s role in producing news and the construction of women within news texts. Our goal is to situate these relationships within a broader cultural context while being attentive to differences of race/ethnicity, class, age, region, religion, and sexual and political orientation. While most of the materials focus on the U.S. and western world, through various discussions we will broaden our understanding of the topic internationally. Along with our focus on women and news, we will briefly consider other forms of mass media (for example music videos) and identities (such as masculinity) and how these relate to our primary topic. Rather than just understand the issues presented in the course, the hope is that students will end the semester with ideas about how to remedy some of the problems associated with the topic. Students are expected to critically examine the course readings and participate in class discussion.

By the end of the semester you should be able to:

A midterm exam, final exam, final project/presentation, and participation (including quizzes and in-class writing assignments given randomly throughout the semester) will be used to evaluate student progress toward these goals. The exams will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions.

An innovative feature of this course is the final project. This project is intended to be a hands-on creative learning experience. You will be expected to work in a small group and to demonstrate your grasp of the material drawn from lectures, the texts, and other sources, to discuss an issue relevant to the course and of interest to you. This will improve your ability to apply knowledge of the course material, as well as help you learn to identify and research a topic, formulate a thesis, and present it in an engaging and educational manner.

II. Course Requirements

Please come to lectures and participate in discussion. During discussion, participation means being engaged in and adding to the conversation. I expect you to do your part in contributing to a lively and informed conversation. To do this, you must read assigned materials before coming to class. You must also be considerate and respectful of fellow classmate’s opinions even when you may disagree.

Class Attendance: The course is most successful when students attend class and participate. For this reason, I consider course attendance mandatory. Rather than take attendance, attendance will be based on the quizzes and in-class writings that will be randomly assigned at the start of classes. Students will not be allowed to make-up quizzes and in-class writing assignments. Instead the two lowest grades will be dropped for everyone. Dropping grades essentially allows you to miss two classes without penalty.

University Policy on Holy Days: A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence.

Required readings (available at the University Co-op):

Assignments, Assessment, and Evaluation: Your grade will be based on in-class writings and quizzes, a multiple choice midterm exam, a group research project and presentation, and a final take-home exam that will be a combination of short answer and essay questions. Randomly throughout the semester at the beginning of class you will be asked to complete brief in-class writings or will be given quizzes on the readings and class material. In total there will be 17 of these and 15 will count toward your final grade.

Use of Blackboard: In this class I use Blackboard—a Web-based course management system with password-protected access at http://courses.utexas.edu—to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to give you online quizzes and surveys. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan accordingly.

III. Grading Procedures:

Grades are broken down as follows:

Grade scale:

A 93-100

A- 90-92

B+ 87-89

B 83-86

B- 80-82

C+ 77-79

C 73-76

C- 70-72

D 60-69

F <60

IV. Academic Integrity:

University of Texas Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

Academic Integrity/Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty: Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. For further information please visit the Student Judicial Services Web site: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs.

V. Other University Notices and Policies

Documented Disability Statement: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone). Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible (e.g., instructional videos need captioning, course packets are not readable for proper alternative text conversion, etc.).

Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students: All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.

Q drop Policy: The State of Texas has enacted a law that limits the number of course drops for academic reasons to six (6). As stated in Senate Bill 1231: “Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, an institution of higher education may not permit an undergraduate student a total of more than six dropped courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education, unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number.”

Emergency Evacuation Policy: Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside when a fire alarm is activated or an announcement is made. Please be aware of the following policies regarding evacuation:

Do not re-enter a building unless you’re given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the UT Austin Police Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office.

Tentative Course Schedule

This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those

plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes, communicated clearly, 

are not unusual and should be expected.

Week 1

Aug. 27 Thursday: Review of course components and syllabus (Why study Women and News?)

Week 2

Sept. 1 Tuesday: History 1730s-1870s

Sept. 3 Thursday: History 1880s-1980s

Read: “Taking Their Place” Part 3: Making a Place in Spite of Obstacles p. 53-86

Week 3

Sept. 8 Tuesday: History 1880s-1980s

Read: “Taking Their Place” Part 3: Making a Place in Spite of Obstacles p. 87-116

Sept. 10 Thursday: History 1930s-1990s

Read: “Taking Their Place” Part 4: Seeking Empowerment p. 117-140

Week 4

Sept. 15 Tuesday: Women, Girls and Magazines

Read: “Taking Their Place” Ch. 19 Women’s Magazines p. 168-182

Video: Killing Us Softly 3 (30 minutes)

Sept. 17 Thursday: Challenging the Mainstream

Read: “Taking Their Place” Ch. 18 Development of Alternative Media p. 150-167

*****Group project details and discussion*****

Week 5

Sept. 22 Tuesday: Women Working in News

Read: Start reading “Desperately Seeking Women Readers”

Video: She Says: Women in News (60 minutes)

Sept. 24 Thursday: The History of Women’s Pages

Read: “Desperately Seeking Women Readers” parts 1 & 2

Week 6

Sept. 29 Tuesday: Contemporary Women’s Pages: So What?

Read: “Desperately Seeking Women Readers” parts 3 & 4

Oct. 1 Thursday: Fighting for the Right

Read: “Taking Their Place” Ch. 20 Challenges to Mass Media p. 183-210

Week 7

Oct. 6 Tuesday: Midterm Exam

Oct. 8 Thursday: Group Project Work Day (no formal class meeting)

Week 8

Oct. 13 Tuesday: Constructing Women: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes

Oct. 15 Thursday: Group Project Work Day (no formal class meeting)

Week 9

Oct. 20 Tuesday: Constructing Women: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes

DUE: Group project proposal

Oct. 22 Thursday: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes – Discussion of conclusions

Week 10

Oct. 27 Tuesday: Practicing Journalism / Constructing Identities: Motherhood

Oct. 29 Thursday: Group Project Work Day (no formal class meeting)

Week 11

Nov. 3 Tuesday: Practicing Journalism / Constructing Identities: Women & Politics

Nov. 5 Thursday: Practicing Journalism / Constructing Identities: Race & Class

Week 12

Nov. 10 Tuesday: Practicing Journalism / Constructing Identities: Women & Sports Coverage

Nov. 12 Thursday: News, Gender & Power

Week 13

Nov. 17 Tuesday: Group Project Work Day (no formal class meeting)

Nov. 19 Thursday: Sex, Violence and Media

Week 14

Nov. 24 Tuesday: The Status of Women Working in News

Nov. 26 Thursday: Thanksgiving Holiday

*Week 15

Dec. 1 Tuesday: Presentations

Dec. 3 Thursday: Presentations, Course Retrospective & Final exam handed out

Final Exam DUE in the Journalism office by Wednesday, Dec 9 @ noon.

*Participation is very important during this week. For each missed class during this week your final project score will drop 5%.

Women and News (Harp) – Fall 2009

Your class project will make up 30 % of your final grade. The presentation of your results will take place in class during the last two weeks of the semester. Here is some information to help you with this assignment.

Class project breakdown

The final project/presentation grade will be calculated as follows:

Detailed proposal: 10 %

Content/research/execution of proposal: 35 %

Presentation: 35 %

Peer evaluation/attendance each day of presentations: 20 %

Detailed proposal

Each group has to turn in one detailed proposal on or before Tuesday, Oct. 20. The proposal should be no more than three pages, typed (double space), and should include the following information:

Content/research/execution of proposal

Each group must turn in a typed report on the first day of class presentations (Tuesday, Dec. 1). The final report should include:

The emphasis here should be on the results and the conclusion. Final reports should be approximately 6 pages, typed in double space (not including references). These reports should be well written. Please edit and be succinct (make sure that every sentence adds something and moves the report forward).

Presentation

You will be expected to give a well-rehearsed presentation of 10-12 minutes. You will be cut off after your slotted time is complete. This ensures that all of the groups will have time to present their work. While we do not expect each person in a group to speak during the presentation, each member should complete their fair share of the project/presentation. As a group you should decide how to best split up the work, considering people's strengths and weaknesses. We expect the presentations to be well thought out, informative, and entertaining in the sense that they hold the audience's attention. You are encouraged to be creative with your presentations and to use examples where appropriate.

Peer evaluation/attendance during each day of presentations

You will be evaluated by your fellow group members in the overall calculation of your grade. If the consensus from your group colleagues is that you did not contribute fairly throughout the project that will affect your grade.

We will also take attendance during the presentations to ensure that we have an audience. If you are absent during presentations, this will affect your grade as well.

Women and News – Group Project Peer Evaluation Sheet

This evaluation form is used to adjust the score to your group members based on their contributions to the group project.  You should be fair in giving a score to your group members because the score affects their group project grade.

Please fill a form out for each participant in your group, including yourself.

Your Name: _____________________  

Group Project: _____________________

 

Name of the individual being evaluated:  _____________________

Give the score from 1 to 10.  10 is very good, 1 is very bad.  The maximum total score is 100 points.

 

1.  Regularly attended group meetings ______

2.  Regularly offered ideas and suggestions ______

3.  Got along with group members ______

4.  Available when needed  ______

5.  Contributed his/her fair share  ______

6.  Adhered to deadlines  ______

7. Was a good team player  ______

8. Took constructive criticism well ______ 

9. Was dependable   ______

10. Maintained a positive working attitude ______

Total                                        ___________ 

Important note: This rating is confidential. Your professor (and possibly a teaching assistant) are the only people other than you who will see it and they will not reveal any individual's self-evaluations or ratings of others.

Women & News (Harp)

Group Presentation Grading Sheet

Presentation Topic:

Student Names:

Presentation Content (50 points available)

Presentation Organization & Delivery (50 points available)