Overview of the course

Greetings,

In a nutshell, this course is an introductory survey to the ever-growing and ever-evolving field of mass media.

We'll cover the major mass media (typically, the major mass media are those media you find in the news and entertainment industries) and the major careers affiliated with them (including journalism, advertising, public relations, Hollywood-related jobs, video games, etc.).

The major mass media are usually presented in two groups-- print media (traditionally print, as most print media today is also available in digital form) and electronic/digital media.

The print media include 1) books, 2) magazines, and 3) newspapers.

The electronic/digital media include 1) sound recordings, 2) movies, 3) radio, 4) television, 5) video games, and 6) the Internet.

The field of mass media is a sub-set of the field of communication. There are different types of communication--

Intrapersonal communication-- This is how we communicate with ourselves internally. We think, sometimes we talk to ourselves, we figure out what we have to do, and so on. Most of what we know about this area comes from psychology.

Interpersonal communication is typically one-to-one communication, but it can involve more than 2 people. Most of our relationships take place here. The relationships we have with our friends, our families, our romantic partners, and so on. An off-shoot of this type of communication is "mediated interpersonal communication"-- that is, interpersonal communication that uses a tool such as facebook, a cell, texting, IMing, and so on.

Small group communication deals with a small group of people that come together usually with some goal and usually with some kind of decision-making process. Sometimes it's informal (a group of friends trying to figure out where they should go for dinner or what movie to see), and other times it's more formal (a small group project for class, for example).

Organizational communication deals with how we communicate inside formal organizations (for profit or otherwise). Obviously, there is some overlap with small group communication.

Public communication is when one person speaks to many in real time and place. A commencement speaker, a student giving a formal presentation in class, a business presentation, a marketing pitch, and so on.

Mass media communication is when one source sends out a message to the masses using some kind of mediated device such as the web, television, radio, movies, and so on. The Internet, of course, helps to blur the line between interpersonal and mass communication. If Ashton Kutcher gets a million followers on Twitter, are his tweets and example of mass media communication or mediated interpersonal communication? See how this can get tricky?

All types of communication, however, stem from the basic communication process, best illustrated by the SMCR model.

In the SMCR model, the S stands for "source," the M stands for "message," the C stands for "channel," and the R stands for "receiver."

In order for a message to be sent, it must first be originated by the source. Then the source must encode the message using an agreed-upon system ("language" of some sort) and send it via a channel (a text, a newspaper article, a blog, a TV show, etc.) where it is then "received" by, of course, the receiver. The receiver must then decode the message. If he/she is unfamiliar with the system used to encode it, then it doesn't make any sense.

In addition, all forms of communication contain some type of feedback. In some cases it's instantaneous (as when we talk to someone in a face-to-face environmnent), and in other cases, it's delayed (email, text, TV ratings, box office receipts, opinion surveys, critical reviews, and so on).

In this class, we concentrate primarily on mass media communication.

Your first order of business is to read through all of the materials posted on the blog thus far and to post any questions you may have at this point.

Later today, I will post some material for you that you'll be using as the basis for your first blog reaction piece that is due by tomorrow (Weds., May 27th) by midnight (you'll get more specific information in a different post).

Peace,

Jack