Comms 604 — Graduate History and Historical Research Methods Winter 2015 ‘Section 001: 264 BRMB, Wednesdays from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm Instructor Information Name: Dr. Dale Cressman Location: 360 BRMB (by app't—just ask secretary to put you on my calendar) Phone: 801-422-1686 Email: cressman @byu.edu (email is preferred method of contact) Description The main written work of this course is the research and writing on an academic history paper on a topic of your choosing in the mass communication field. This paper should be 20-25 pages in length, draw mainly from primary sources, and be written with a particular conference or journal in mind. Learning Outcomes Students will learn research and interviewing skills. Assignments will require researching historical material and/or conducting interviews. ‘Students will develop judgment and critical thinking skills. The main assignments will require assessments of historical events. Students will examine and compare media accounts with other media accounts and with original source documents. ‘Students will understand significant principles of journalism and mass communications Discussions will center on an analysis of historical trends and philosophies to understand journalistic and communications principles. Learning materials Wm. David Sloan and Michael Stamm, Historical Methods in Communication, 3rd ed. (Vision Press, 2010). Donald G. Godfrey, Methods of Historical Analysis in Electronic Media (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006). Jules R. Benjamin, A Students Guide to History, 12th ed, (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013), ‘Additional readings will be assigned from journals and online sourcesGrade Breakdown Class participation (weekly readings and discussion) 30% Research paper 60% as follows: + Proposal with thesis statement 5% + Proposal with literature review 5% + First draft for peer review 5% + Paper presentation 5% + Final paper 40% Communicating with the instructor Generally, | can answer your emails within 24 hours, although | typically do not on weekends or after 5 on weekdays. If your message is urgent, please mark the subject line "urgent-Comms 604". If you have a longer question or would like to meet with me, please ask the ‘Communications Department receptionist to put you on my calendar. Please be sure to make friends with classmates and contact them first for information about what you may have missed in class. | won't be able to summarize for you what you might have missed in a class. Printed syllabus Please keep in mind that the information provided on Learning Suite supersedes this initial document. Changes will be made to the syllabus and schedule in order to improve the learning environment and accommodate guest speakers. However, you will be informed of such changes in class, University Policies Honor Code In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that, any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress. and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and every instructor's expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards. Sexual Harassment Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sox discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions,academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor or contact one of the following: the Title IX Coordinator at 801-422-2130; the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847; the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895; or Ethics Point at http:/wmw.ethicspoint.com, or 1-888-238-1062 (24- hours). Student Disability Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concems. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB. Academic Honesty The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. "President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education’ (The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). Itis the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication oF falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct. Respectful Environment "Sadly, from time to time, we do hear reports of those who are at best insensitive and at worst insulting in their comments to and about others... We hear derogatory and sometimes even defamatory comments about those with different political, athletic, or ethnic views or experiences. Such behavior is completely out of place at BYU, and | enlist the aid of all to monitor carefully and, if necessary, correct any such that might occur here, however inadvertent or unintentional." worry particularly about demeaning comments made about the career or major choices of women or men either directly or about members of the BYU community generally. We must remember that personal agency is a fundamental principle and that none of us has the right or option to criticize the lawful choices of another." President Cecil O. Samuelson, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010 "Occasionally, we ... hear reports that our female faculty feel disrespected, especially by students, for choosing to work at BYU, even though each one has been approved by the BYU Board of Trustees. Brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. Not here. Not at a university that shares a constitution with the School of the Prophets.” Vice President John S. Tanner, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010Deliberation Guidelines To facilitate productive and open discussions about sensitive topics about which there are differing opinions, members of the BYU community should: (1) Remember that we are each responsible for enabling a productive, respectful dialogue. (2)To enable time for everyone to speak, strive to be conoise with your thoughts. (3) Respect all speakers by listening actively. (4) ‘Treat others with the respect that you would like them to treat you with, regardless of your differences. (5) Do not interrupt others. (6) Always try to understand what is being said before you respond. (7) Ask for clarification instead of making assumptions. (8) When countering an idea, or making one initially, demonstrate that you are listening to what is being said by others. ‘Try to validate other positions as you assert your own, which aids in dialogue, versus attack. (2) Under no circumstances should an argument continue out of the classroom when someone does not want it to. Extending these conversations beyond class can be productive, but we must agree to do so respectfully, ethically, and with attention to individuals’ requests for confidentiality and discretion. (10) Remember that exposing yourself to different perspectives helps you to evaluate your own beliefs more clearly and learn new information. (11) Remember that just because you do not agree with a person's statements, it does not mean that you cannot get along with that person, (12) Speak with your professor privately if you fee! that the classroom environment has become hostile, biased, or intimidating. Adapted from the Deliberation Guidelines published by The Center for Democratic Deliberation. (http-/cdd.la.psu.edu/ 200 DD%20Deliberation% x.chterm=deliberation Diversity The Brigham Young University Department of Communications embraces its responsibility to create and maintain an environment of inclusiveness that engenders appreciation for diversity and unity. In addition to the promotion of academic excellence and life-long learning, BYU's, mission is to pursue the full realization of human potential (See The Mission of Brigham Young iniversity). Our belief that human potential is of divine origin motivates us to respect all people and to value the rich diversity of the human family (See Romans 8:16). We believe diversity strengthens our academic community and enriches the educational experience for all our students. We seek a learning environment that reflects the diverse nature of our sponsoring institution, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As we do so, we recognize that despite our differences in cultures, ethnicities, languages, or social or economic backgrounds, “what unites us is far more than what differentiates us” (See Dallin H, Oaks, ‘Weightiet Matters,” Ensign, Jan. 2001). Thus, recognizing that diversity and unity can be mutually reinforcing, we seek a community, brought about not through similar attributes or backgrounds, but rather through mutual respect and charity towards all, so that we are "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). While we will not support practices contrary to doctrines of the LDS Church or policies of BYU, we categorically oppose prejudice and reject behavior that excludes, marginalizes or is derisive of others and we unreservedly affirm principles of justice, inclusion and equity. Faculty, staff, and students have a shared responsibility to promote a positive environment that is welcoming of all peoples.Schedule Date W Jan 07 Wednesday W Jan 14 Wednesday W Jan 21 Wednesday W Jan 28 Wednesday Topic Introductions Interpreting historical evidence Working in archives Electronic database research (Dr. Ed Adams) Assignments/readings due ae Sloan, Chapter 1 (The nature of history) Sloan, Chapter 2 (Interpretation in history) Godfrey, Chapter 2 (Historical Evidence) Sloan, Chapter 3 (The Fundamentals of Good History) Sloan, Chapter 4 (Basic procedures & techniques) Sloan, Chapter 7 (Historical Sources and Their Evaluation) Godfrey, Chapter 14 (Dealing with the Archive records) jistorical Materials) Sloan, Chapter 5 (Searching for Sloan, Chapter 6 (Historical Research on the Internet) Godfrey, Chapter 10 (New Media & Technical Records)| W Feb 04 Wednesday W Feb 11 Wednesday W Feb 18 Wednesday W Feb 25 Wednesday TBA Oral history Genres: Biography Interpreting history Godfrey, Chapter 14 (Dealing with the Historical Record) Godfrey, Chapter 5 (Legal Methods) Godfrey, Chapter 7 (Quantitative methods) Sloan, Chapter 9 (Writing) Godfrey, Chapter 3 (oral history) Godfrey, Chapter 4 (Visual Evidence) Godfrey, Chapter 4 (Visual Evidence) Proposal with thesis statement Godfrey, Chapter 13 (Biography) Elmer Lower paper (handout) Godfrey, Chapter 11 (Race & gender)W Mar 04 Wednesday W Mar 11 Wednesday W Mar 18 Wednesday Theory and history Genres: Year Studies Peer reviews James W. Carey, "The Problem of Journalism History" (Journalism History, Vol 1, Number 1, Spring 1974) Margaret A. Blanchard, "The Ossification of Journalism History’ (Journalism History, Vol 25, No. 3, Autumn 1999). Godfrey, Chapter 6 (Applying Critical Theory) Sloan, Chapter 8 (Explanation in History) John Nerone, 2, 1993). heory and History" (Communication Theory, Vol 3, No. | (Critical Studies Michael Schudson, "A Revolution in Historiography’ in Mass Communication, December 1987) Proposal with lit review | 1963: The Year that Changed America (online) | |, 1897: American Journalism's Exceptional YearW Mar 25, Wednesday W Apr 01 Wednesday W Apr 08 Wednesday W Apr 15. Wednesday Genres: Broadcast History Giving presentations Present paper in class Godfrey Chapter 8 (Cultural Studies in Radio) First draft for peer review Sloan, Chapter 10 (Presentation and Publication) Final draft due Paper presentation Final paper Note: This schedule is subject to change to accommodate guest speakers and other situations. Any changes wi be discussed in class. The schedule in Learning Suite supersedes this printed vetComms 604 Reading Summary Student name:_ Citation (author, ttle, publication): Briet abstract, including thesis: Main points of article: Notable quotes: tems to discuss: