Week	Topics & Readings
Week 1:	Introduction to the course Understanding mass media and mass communication Building the foundations of media literacy Read: Chapter 1, pp. 2-30 Assignments 1 & 2 (My Turn and Netiquette Posts) Due 8/23.
Week 2	Understanding media forms and the role of the audience Making sense of the media business: production, distribution, exhibition, and financing Government regulation: the First Amendment and the mass media Read: Chapter 2, pp. 32-67 and Chapter 3, 68-77.
Week 3	Types of media regulation by the government and the struggle for Information Media self-regulation, classical ethics, and industry ethics An introduction to media research techniques and approaches Read: Chapter 3, pp. 78-124 and Chapter 4, pp. 126-145 Assignment #3:  Survey of Media Consumption due 8/31.
Week 4	Media research and media effects Media Fragmentation, Audience Segmentation, and Distribution of Products Across Media Boundaries Globalization, Conglomeration, and Digital Convergence Read: Chapter 4, pp. 146-183 and Chapter 5, pp. 183-207
Week 5	Case Study #1: News Corporation Case Study #2: The Walt Disney Company Case Study #3: AOL Time-Warner Read: Chapter 6, pp. 208-236
Week 6	Seeing the bigger picture: Recap of Parts I & II History of the print media: magazines, books & newspapers Introduction to and exploration of the book industry Read: Chapter 7, pp. 238-263 and Chapter 8, pp. 264-288 Assignment #4, Advertising Analysis, due 9/24.
Week 7	Introduction to the newspaper industry, newspaper production Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the newspaper industry Introduction to the magazine industry, magazine production Read: Chapter 9, pp. 290-315 and Chapter 10, pp. 316-334
Week 8	Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the magazine industry History of radio and the recording industry Introduction to the radio industry, radio production Read: Chapter 10, pp. 334-342 and Chapter 11, pp. 334-366 and Chapter 12, pp. 368-381
Week 9	Course catch-up and review
Week 10	Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the radio industry Introduction to the recording industry, sound recording production Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the recording industry Read: Chapter 12, pp. 381-393 and  Chapter 13, pp. 394-419 Midterm exam covering chapters 1-10, due by 10/17.
Week 11	History of the film and the television industries The Rise of Motion Pictures and Television Introduction to the motion picture industry, film production Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the motion picture industry Read: Chapter 14, pp. 420-439 and Chapter 15, pp. 440-467
Week 12	Introduction to the television industry, TV production Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the television industry Seeing the bigger picture: Recap of Parts III & IV Read: Chapter 16, pp. 468-497
Week 13	Overview, and discussion of the computer software industry The Internet, online services, and related issues History of the persuasion industries Read: Chapter 17, pp.498-532 and Chapter 18, pp. 536-553
Week 14	Introduction to the advertising industry, ad production Distribution, exhibition, and issues in the advertising industry Read: Chapter 19, pp. 554-575
Week 15	Introduction to and exploration of the public relations industry Chapter 20, pp. 576-600
Week 16	Seeing the bigger picture: Recap of Part V The media literate citizen, the critical consumer Read: Epilogue: The Need for Transparency, page 602
Week 17	Course catch-up and review Research papers due 12/3
Week 18	Final exam (covering chapters 11-20), due by 12/12.