A survey of the principles and trends involved in radio and television broadcasting, cable, and the other electronic media, including computer programming, regulation, business practices, and international telecommunications. Skills, E:Must be able to read and write. Course Type: T. Class projects include exploring personal and professional applications of electronic mediaand Communication policy.

A major emphasis of this class is to think critically about television, radio, film, the Internet, and other forms of electronic media industries from multiple perspectives. Be aware of how they affect you and how you can or cannot affect them.

Course Rationale:This course provides fundamental understanding prerequisite to COMM1336, Television Production 1; COMM2325, Audio Production; RTVB 1364 Practicum (or field experience) -- Radio & Television Broadcasting; RTVB 2347 Management & Operation of Electronic Media Facilities; and RTVB 2388 Internship-Radio & Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician.

Required Textbook: Electronic Media: An Introduction,Lynn Schafer Gross (10th ed.)(2010). Accept onlythe 10^thedition. Bring the textbook, the course schedule,and a copy of the syllabus to each class.

This syllabus and the course schedule are subject to change at any time on Blackboard. You are responsible for any changes. Check Blackboard daily. From the ACC Homepage, click on Blackboard, and go through the ID and password protocol. The default screen is to Announcements; most additions and changes are to Course Materials or Assignments.

After the first dayyou must have access to a computer connected to the Internet, and you must check your gmailaccountissued by ACC for course-related announcements each day.

Become familiar with the Learning Lab at RGC(on the 2nd floor of the Main building) for computer and printer access as well as study skills and subject matter tutoring.

If something happens during the semester that may prevent you from attending class or keeping up with class preparation and assignment deadlines, your responsibility is to notify me, Dr. Cutler, so that I can advise you how to best keep up. After you miss an examI can do little to help you.

Course Objectives/Outcomes: The student who successfully completes the course will:

1. Understand the various elements that created radio and television, including: the history, the people, the program content, the significance of the technologies, the strengths and weaknesses of the various electronic media technologies, the reciprocal economic and political effects on the public and the electronic media industries, as well as current and future issues regarding the use of various technologies.
2. Critically listen to and view electronic media.
3. Understand what forms of electronic media exist, and how they are used.
4. Understand the laws and regulations that apply to the electronic media.
5. Be aware of the career opportunities in electronic communications.
6. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the concepts of this course.

Schedule of Assignments

See Course Assignments for subjects of each class.

See Course Assignments for recommended readings.

Paper/Project Grading: see the Assignment Schedule for actual points. However, each project is evaluated on 5 items: 1) idea; 2) logical development; 3) thorough content coverage, 4) facts, analysis, or summary/conclusion; 5) grammar, punctuation and style, including documentation (cites & sources). All projects must be typed and turned in on time. Project guidelines (found in this syllabus) specify length and any other formatting requirements.

A project submitted early may be rewritten once for a better grade, providing the revision is submitted on the due date or within one class period after the instructor returned it to the student. No late papers/projects. Extra credit is up to the instructor’s discretion

Course Evaluation: Your final grade will be based upon: 12 sets of study questions to replace quizzes = 30%; Three projects: I- Personal goals, Part A & B =  30%; II-Program Proposal =  10%  III - Policy debate Part A & B =  10%; Jeopardy game in lieu of = 10%, and                                        Attendance/participation  =  10%.Total        = 100%

Your % progress on Blackboard’s Grade Report total will be approximately:100 - 90 = A; 89 – 80 = B; 79 – 70 = C; 69 – 60 = D; Less than 60 = F. Incomplete = I; and Withdrawal = W.  Note: ACC will mail your course grade to you. I cannot notify you.

Attendance/Class Participation

Regular and punctual class attendance is expected of all students.  If attendance or compliance with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class.

Attendance and Participation Grade.Full credit (10 points) is made up of 50% attendance and 50% being prepared for class, which includesinteraction with the teacher and other students. Coming and going during class:

·        You will be marked absent if you enter class after instruction has begunor leave before it is over. This includes getting up and leaving class to answer cell phone calls.

·        Texting and using class time to use the internet for anything other than participating in class is considered not present and not participating.

·        If you wish to leave class during instruction, please obtain your instructor’s permission prior to the beginning of instruction. If you fail to obtain prior permission to arrive or depart during instruction, you will be debited as if you were absent. 

Absences: If absent, youare still responsible for what you missed. Contact the instructor to learn the topics that you missed.Contact a classmate and check Blackboard to learn content of what you missed. Whether to excuse an absence or not is up to the instructor. Every 3 unexcused absences reduce your attendance grade by 20%or 2 of the 10 possible points..

Field Trips. You will need to complete a waiver with emergency contact information before attending required off-campus tours/events. If you are unable to attend a required off-campus tour or event, you must contact your instructor in advance with a clearly written and credible request to be excused. 

Withdrawal Policy

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the roll should he or she decide to withdraw from the class.  The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary.  If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is submitted before the Final Withdrawal Date.  The student is also strongly encouraged to retain their copy of the withdrawal form for their records.

Students who enroll for the third or subsequent time in a course taken since Fall 2002 may be charged a higher tuition rate for that course.

State law permits students to withdraw from no more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career at Texaspublic colleges or universities.  With certain exceptions, all course withdrawals automatically count towards this limit.  Details regarding this policy can be found in the ACC college catalog.

Your instructor may withdraw you at any time for “failure to show sufficient progress”:

1. If you have more than one late and or missed unexcused projectand or exam;
2. If you are not caught up with all exams and projects before the last day to withdraw, or
3. If you have more than 3 unexcused absences.

Incompletes

An instructor may assign a grade of “I” (Incomplete) if a student was unable to complete all of the objectives for the passing grade in a course.  An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. The completion date is determined by the instructor but may not be later than the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester. The highest grade that can be redeemed from an Incomplete is a C.

Statement on Scholastic Dishonesty

A student attending ACC assumes responsibility for conduct compatible with the mission of the college as an educational institution.  Students have the responsibility to submit coursework that is the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression.  Students must follow all instructions given by faculty or designated college representatives when taking examinations, placement assessments, tests, quizzes, and evaluations.  Actions constituting scholastic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, collusion, and falsifying documents.    Penalties for scholastic dishonesty will depend upon the nature of the violation and may range from lowering a grade on one assignment to an “F” in the course and/or expulsion from the college.  See the Student Standards of Conduct and Disciplinary Process and other policies at http://www.austincc.edu/current/needtoknow

Building upon the work of others is at the heart of scholarship; however, you must follow the ACC documentation guidelines: http://library.austincc.edu/help/documen/and http://library.austincc.edu/help/MLA/. (On-line Student Handbook 2005-2006, http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/policies5.htm).

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Students at the college have the rights accorded by the U.S. Constitution to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, petition, and association. These rights carry with them the responsibility to accord the same rights to others in the college community and not to interfere with or disrupt the educational process. Opportunityfor students to examine and question pertinent data and assumptions of a given discipline, guided by the evidence of scholarly research, is appropriate in a learning environment. This concept is accompanied by an equally demanding concept of responsibility on the part of the student. As willing partners in learning, students must comply with college rules and procedures.

Statement on Students with Disabilities

Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented disabilities.  Students with disabilities who need classroom, academic or other accommodations must request them through the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD).   Students are encouraged to request accommodations when they register for courses or at least three weeks before the start of the semester, otherwise the provision of accommodations may be delayed.  

Students who have received approval for accommodations from OSD for this course must provide the instructor with the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ from OSD before accommodations will be provided.   Arrangements for academic accommodations can only be made after the instructor receives the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ from the student.  

Students with approved accommodations are encouraged to submit the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ to the instructor at the beginning of the semester because a reasonable amount of time may be needed to prepare and arrange for the accommodations.   

Additional information about the Office for Students with Disabilities is available athttp://www.austincc.edu/support/osd/

Safety Statement

AustinCommunity Collegeis committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work. You are expected to learn and comply with ACC environmental, health and safety procedures and agree to follow ACC safety policies. Additional information on these can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/ehs. Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the Emergency Procedures poster and Campus Safety Plan map in each classroom. Additional information about emergency procedures and how to sign up for ACC Emergency Alerts to be notified in the event of a serious emergency can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/emergency/.

Please note, you are expected to conduct yourself professionally with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be dismissed from the day’s activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending future activities.

You are expected to conduct yourself professionally with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be immediately dismissed from the day’s activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending future activities.

Use of ACC email

All College e-mail communication to students will be sent solely to the student’s ACCmail account, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. ACC will send important information and will notify you of any college related emergencies using this account.  Students should only expect to receive email communication from their instructor using this account.  Likewise, students should use their ACCmail account when communicating with instructors and staff.  Instructions for activating an ACCmail account can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/index.php.

Project I

Advancement of Personal Goals Using Electronic MediaTechnology

1)      Objectives: Decide upon a personal or professional goal/career track you’d like to achieve/be on. Either:

a)     Try making a mind map.http://www.mindmap.com/for a free 7-day trial

b)     UtilizeACC’sexcellent guidance counselingat Student Services

c)      Read through the Sunday newspaper Classified jobs for ideas,

d)     Ask people whom you trust what they see you doing.

e)      Go to US Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/oco/) and browse their extensive job descriptions, and up to date job and pay studies.

f)       Pick a media technology that interests you and research what kinds of employment are associated with it—from research and development to manufacturing, marketing, and sales.

g)      ORInterview someone whose career or life you’d like.

Take notes or a recording so that you can quote the person. Suggested questions:

• how they got where they are;
• note the decisions or circumstances necessary to enter that field;
• find out what initial, qualifying training your interviewee received;
• what training occurred on the job;
• what mediatechnologies they use (social networks, cell phones, Internet P2P, fax, etc.);
• what technology they think would make their job easier or them more successful;
• what new mediatechnologies you/they think might make the job itself better;
• what career and pay advancements are possible; and
• advice that person would give you or another student.

2)      Write REPORT Project I, PART A: From your fact-finding, derive a Take-Aways and Options (10 points). Your report should cover the following in a logical, easy-to-read way.

a)     Summarizewhat you learnedaboutwhat education, training, career ladder, aptitudes and skillobjectives,in addition to hard work and determination,would be required to attain yourpersonal goal. Quote a few key points from your sources for emphasis.

b)     Find a career area and the job requirements as published by the US Dept. of Labor.

c)      Whateducational options(ACC + other schools) are available to meet your goal?

i)        Visit an ACC Academic Advisor to confirmthe ACC classes or degree program might lead to that job. Include advisor’s name and date/time you met.

ii)      Find two other schools that offer skill training in what you need. (Librarians can be very helpful in directing you to resources for locating schools.)

(1)   List what entrance requirements (courses passed and grade point earned) you would need to attend or transfer to each school or training institute you found.

(2)   If your GPA is low, find out how (to calculate how) many A’s or B’s it will take.

d)     Guided by your preliminary fact-finding, research actualinternship or job resources available to meet the experience qualifications required to reach your goal.

e)      Identify professional organizations that meet regularly in Austin. Mostwelcome student members. The library has a reference book of associations. You can also search the Internet.

i)        Find out when they meet.

ii)      The name of their membership director, including contact number.

f)       Identify informal places to network:

i)        Check meet-up.com

ii)      Check the business “brown bag” lunch gatherings in the Business section of the Austin American Statesman.

iii)    Check ACC, UT, & TSU-San Marcos student clubs for certain majors

iv)    Check for blogs on blogspot.com.

v)      The Texas Workforce Commission (www.twc.state.tx.us/) has loads of resources

(1)   Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that meet often to share employment ideas and listings that may lead you to the job and experience you need.

(2)   Guidance in preparing resumes and training for interviews.

(3)   Reagan and TravisHigh Schoolsoffer free training on common computer software programs nights and weekends.

g)      Create a list of members of your personal social network that you could contact NOWto begin alerting you to job openings or for more exploration interviews. Be clear about what you are qualified for and are looking for. A resume should do that. Facebook ought to work well for this.

i)        Create a profile on LinkedIn.

ii)      Subscribe to the Austin Film Society email list for announcements of all kinds.

h)     Create a Mindmap using free trial software to show all your options at a glance. Turn in with written report or as an alternative to a written report.

Student and Instructional Services

ACC strives to provide exemplary support to its students and offers a broad variety of opportunities and services.  Information on these services and support systems is available at:   http://www.austincc.edu/s4/

Links to many student services and other information can be found at: http://www.austincc.edu/current/

ACC Learning Labs provide free tutoring services to all ACC students currently enrolled in the course to be tutored.  The tutor schedule for each Learning Lab may be found at:  http://www.autincc.edu/tutor/students/tutoring.php

For help setting up your ACCeID, ACC Gmail, or ACC Blackboard, see a Learning Lab Technician at any ACC Learning Lab.

Testing Center Policy

Under certain circumstances, an instructor may have students take an examination in a testing center.  Students using the AcademicTestingCentermust govern themselves according to the Student Guide for Use of ACC Testing Centers and should read the entire guide before going to take the exam.  To request an exam, one must have:

• ACC Photo ID
• Course Abbreviation (e.g., ENGL)
• Course Number (e.g.,1301)
• Course Synonym (e.g., 10123)
• Course Section (e.g., 005)
• Instructor's Name

Do NOT bring cell phones to the TestingCenter.  Having your cell phone in the testing room, regardless of whether it is on or off, will revoke your testing privileges for the remainder of the semester.  ACCTestingCenterpolicies can be found athttp://www.austincc.edu/testctr/