COMM 3067
Communications Industries and Information Technologies

Manhattanville College
Purchase, NY

Spring 2007

Harlan Whatley
Adjunct Assistant Professor
harlanw@optonline.net
917.373.7491 mobile

Thurs. Apr. 12, 19, 26
May 3, 17, 24
Fri. April 20
6:00pm-9:30pm
Sat. May 5
9:00am-5:00pm

Course Description

Appropriate use of communication and information technologies can facilitate the coordination, control, and management of information. This historical, technological and cultural survey examines the businesses, practices and products that have communicated to mass audiences with the rise of modernity and their impact within the social system. Beginning with some consideration of the impact of the printing press on Western culture, the course moves to consideration of transmitted and telegraphed information before examining some of the key entertainment and informational technologies of the 20th century—cinema, radio and television—and the industries that nourished them. The Behavioral Studies course concludes with an introduction to recent information storage technologies and the Internet and its effects on communication via newsgroups, the World Wide Web and email.

General goals for the class are 1) to gain an understanding of the businesses, practices and products that have communicated to mass audiences, 2) to see the impact of communication technologies upon the social system and 3). to learn about the internet and its effect on communication.

Required Reading:

Communication in History: Technology, Culture, and Society (5th Edition) (Paperback) by David Crowley and Paul Heyer. Allyn & Bacon (06/07/2006) ISBN 0205483887

Suggested Reading: (please note that you are not required to purchase these texts)

Web.Studies: Rewiring Media Studies for the Digital Age by David Gauntlett (editor). A Hodder Arnold Publication (November 1, 2000) ISBN 0340760494

Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the 21st Century by Deirdre Breakenridge. Prentice Hall; New Ed edition (May 26, 2005) ISBN 141290658X

E-Marketing by Judy Strauss, Adel El-Ansary, and Raymond Frost. Prentice Hall; 4th edition (March 4, 2005) ISBN 0131485199

A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet by Asa Briggs & Peter Burke. Polity Press; 2nd edition (October 1, 2005) ISBN 0745635121

Additional articles will be assigned and either distributed in class or downloaded from Blackboard. A blog will be used for class discussion. http://commindinfotech.blogspot.com/

Attendance and Ground Rules

* It is expected that you will attend class regularly.
* If for some reason you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out any information that was discussed in class.
* Please make sure your cell phones, beepers and PDAs are off or on vibrate.
* If you are having difficulty, do not wait until the end of the semester to come talk to me. * Please talk to me as soon as possible if you are having any difficulties.

Course Activities/Assignments/Requirements

Paper 1* 30%
EProject** 30%
Reading Responses 30%
Attendance 10%


* Paper 1 will be 6 to 8 pages (not including the title page or references)

** EProject will be 8 to 10 pages (not including the title page or references)


All papers will be double-spaced, typed or word-processed, in a readable font, e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, etc. Topics are listed in the course calendar and will be discussed in class.

Grades

We will follow the Manhattanville College grading scale.

Calendar