SOC 330: Media and SocietySQL

Java Python WELCOME TO SOC 330: Media and Society

Course description: This survey course is designed to introduce students to various intersections of mass media, popular culture, and society. Through a reading of some classic works targeting the intersection of media and society, students will explore questions such as: what factors determine the form and content of news media? What is propaganda and how does it function? In what ways has digitization reoriented traditional economic and social processes? Has the internet merely reinforced pre-existing social inequalities, or has it provided society with tools to overcome them? Our central objective is to equip ourselves with the necessary perspectives to analyze the flow of images and messages in political news, popular culture, and other realms of mass media(ted) communication.

Expected learning outcomes: This class is geared toward advanced students. Students are expected to understand major concepts and methods of inquiry social and behavioral scientists use to explore social, economic and political-cultural phenomena. In addition to building up a conceptual tool  kit, students will develop their analytic, methodological, and interpretive skills. Please note that this is a SBS+ (F-DEC) class and students are expected to engage with sociological materials at a deeper level.

Readings: Weekly readings will be posted on Brightspace each Monday. These readings will be related to the lectures. The purpose of my lectures is to make them more digestible for you.

Lectures: Each week there will be one or two lectures. The lectures will be posted on Monday.

Assignments: Your grade will be based on a combination of written engagement with sociological theories and two multiple-choice in-class exams. Please do not use ChatGPT.

Weekly reflections: Each week you will submit one (approximately) 350-word reflection. You should include references to at least one of the readings assigned that week. You may also reference previous weeks ifyou wish. In this reflection, you will discuss the readings and lectures with reference&nb SOC 330: Media and SocietySQL sp;to the weekly discussion prompt. The discussion prompt might be a question, a news article, a video, or some other form. of media. Prompts will be posted on Mondays. The purpose of this assignment is to check your reading comprehension. The weekly reflections are due on brightspace every Monday at midnight.

Final paper: The course will culminate in a ten-page (double-spaced) final paper in which you will be required to explore a topic ofyour choice via the application of one or more of the theoretical approaches covered this semester. The paper will be written in ASA format and will be submitted on Brightspace at midnight on the last day of class. In this paper you are expected to do the following:

1)   Introduce a social problem ofyour choice. Provide a brief background of the problem and explain why it is a social problem rather than a personal problem. This problem must be somehow related to one of the module themes.

2)   Summarize the theoretical perspective(s) ofyour choice. Clearly state the concepts you will be using and explain why they are suitable to analyze the problem.

3)   Apply the theory to imagine a solution to the problem. In an ideal world, what needs to happen socially, politically, and/or culturally to address this problem? What are the first steps?

4)   There is no requirement for the number of citations, but you should use outside citations as

necessary, especially when describing your chosen social problem. You must cite at least one of the scholars that we have covered this semester–more is not necessarily better.

Your paper should have a clear introduction which poses the social problem and conclusion which summarizes your argument. You will be evaluated primarily on the clarity ofyour argument and the accuracy and competency you demonstrate when applying your chosen theoretical perspective(s).

Exams: The exams will be multiple choice and are simply intended to hold you accountable for having done the required reading. All exams are cumulative