Schedule

INTRODUCTION

WEEK 1. Introduction (1/13)

Wed 1/15—Introduction to the Course

In Class

  • Introductions!
  • Intro to the course – and our questions
  • Practical questions: Moodle, Voices, etc.
  • Assignment for Friday (yes, Friday!)

After Class

  • Start a course notebook (if you haven’t already)
  • Make sure you can find our Course Schedule and Moodle Readings Folder and know how to find your way around Voices and Moodle
  • Take a look at Friday’s assignment and plan time to complete it

Fri 1/17—Introduction to History

Before Class:

  • Follow all of the links – and read details under Syllabus Details
  • Read Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, skim preface and read introduction, “Why Study History” – available in Moodle Readings Folder – you might also have your own copy
  • Complete first research and writing assignment

Assignment for Friday

  • Goal: to think about the way news functions among your peers, in the world of Wooster today.
  • Do this research
    • Talk to 3 people – ask 2 questions
    • Where do they get their news – about anything outside their direct experience
    • What is the value of news? That is, why do it?
    • Take notes in your notebook:
      • Full name (short name for reference) of subject
      • Bullet points on their answers
  • Then write something
    • Write one ¶ on what you’ve found. Your results, your reflections, your thoughts.
  • Bring your notes and ¶ to class on Friday – submit your ¶ to Moodle under Week 1 Assignment

In class:

  • Questions on syllabus and policies?
  • What is news? (exercise and discussion)
  • Why study history?
  • Some terms: historia, sources, historiography
  • What is good writing? (if time)

PART 1—A HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK

WEEK 2—History and Communications (1/20)

Mon 1/20—MLK Jr. Day

  • No class. Please participate in some of the MLK Jr. Day events and come tell us about them on Wednesday

Wed 1/22—The Print Revolution 1

One More Assignment:

  • Come see your professor at office hours in the next couple weeks. No preparation necessary. Just a chance to get to know each other better. Details on office hours on our Contact page.

Before class:

  • Make sure you have a devoted notebook for this class for your reading notes and class notes and paper preparation notes. This is a key to success. By the way, I’ll typically let you use your notes if I quiz you on the reading…
  • Read Kovarik, “Part 1: The Printing Revolution,” read pp. 17-18 – but just skim pp. 18-26 (the intro to this part of the book)
  • Read Kovarik, “Chap. 1: The Divine Art,” pp. 27-45 (the first half of the chapter)
  • Please bring your laptop to class

In class:

  • Kovarik on Print Revolution
    • Note: beware technological determinism
      • What were the sources of this “revolution”
        • What was its impact?
  • Explain Assn. #2 – Annotated Bibliography

Thurs by midnight—Due: Week 2 Assignment

  • Spend some time exploring the research databases on our Links for Historical Research. I’d like you to get to know one or two well.
  • Find a few news-related primary sources that interest you – perhaps a news article or an old pamphlet or an illustration. At least two of your sources should come from before 1900
  • Write an initial annotated bibliography, divided into secondary sources and primary sources.
  • The bibliography should include
    • for secondary source, the Kovarik text (that’s all)
    • for primary sources, three news-related primary sources, including at least two from before 1900
  • Use Chicago style bibliography format. Follow examples in Rampolla – or see the “Chicago Guide” at Purdue OWL.
  • Now write a very simple, short annotation. That is, in one or two sentences write an initial description of each source. An annotation typically includes: a description of the author (if known), a simple description of the source and its subject, and anything else that is important.
  • For an example of excellent annotations, see a model Annotated Bibliography – from a Senior IS – linked on our Handouts page
  • See the copyright page for Kovarik – linked here – for the details for the bibliographical citation. Actually, I’ll make this easier for you and provide the correct citation. Note that we allow leaving off the place of publication for contemporary publishers. And note that bibliographical citation looks different from a footnote citation.
    • Kovarik, Bill. Revolutions in Communication: Media History from Gutenberg to the Digital Age. 2nd ed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
  • Due by midnight before class (Thursday night, Friday morning)
  • Upload to Moodle in pdf format

Fri 1/24—The Print Revolution 2

Before class:

  • Read Rampolla, “Working With Sources” (see Moodle readings folder)
  • Read Kovarik, “The Divine Art,” pp. 46-66
  • Bring your laptop to class

In class:

  • How to Talk/Think Like a Historian
  • Press and Politics in 17th and 18th c.
    • English Civil War & pamphlets
    • American Revolution
    • French Revolution
    • And beyond

WEEK 3—History and Communication in the 19th c. (1/27)

Mon 1/27—The Nineteenth Century 1

Before class:

  • Read Kovarik, “Commercial and Industrial Revolution” 1, pp. 67-88

In class:

  • The “Marketplace of Ideas” – Discuss
  • Annotations
  • The 19th c. Revolution in News
    • The Penny Press Revolution, 1830s and beyond, US, Britain, France, Germany, examples of editors and newspapers, more than a technological revolution!
    • Key Themes & Examples
  • Intro to Thursday Night Assignment and Paper to Come

Wed 1/29—The Nineteenth Century 2

Before class:

  • Read “How to Read a Primary Source” – on Handouts page
  • Read Kovarik, “Commercial and Industrial Revolution” 1, pp. 89-104
  • Read Selections from Nineteenth-Century News Items – available in Moodle Readings Folder

In class:

  • Intro to Thursday Night Assigment (and Paper #1)
  • Paper Writing! Writing Exercise
  • The 19th c. Press Revolution
    • industrialization, commercialization, sensationalism and reform
  • Key examples
    • WT Stead, Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Nellie Bly, Yellow Kid, War in Cuba
  • 19th c. News Styles
    • emotional styles
    • telegraphic styles

For Fun:

  • Watch Citizen Kane (1941) – Orson Welles as a William Randolph Hearst figure – on how to run a newspaper – here on Youtube

Thurs—Week 3 Assignment

  • Note: I’ll extend the due date to Friday morning before class at 9am
  • The assignment? Present a primary source.
  • First, read the short excerpts, “Stanley Finds Livingstone, 1871” and “Through the Dark Continent with Henry M. Stanley, 1877” – available in Moodle Readings Folder.
    • Both were adapted from Stanley’s reporting for the New York Herald. Warning! These texts include racist language and characterizations
    • Mark up the next (underline important words and phrases) and add your annotations in the margins
  • Next, do some initial research on Stanley and his reporting in the reference sources highlighted on our research links page – go beyond Google, ChatGPT, and Wikipedia. You might simply read the entry in the Oxford reference series – The Dictionary of African Politics or the Dictionary of African Biography
  • And then write two ¶s to present this primary source (the excerpts from H.M. Stanley). The first paragraph should explain the context (who was the author and what is this source). The second paragraph should explain the subject and style of the text (what story does it tell).
    • Include short citations of some kind (footnotes or parenthetical citations) to show us the source of your information
  • Don’t make this too complicated or too hard! I think it will require two hours of work. I suggest 40 minutes to read and take notes, 40 minutes to research author and context and take notes, and 40 minutes to write two paragraphs. The result is not a final paper but a starting draft
  • Due by midnight before class (Thursday night, Friday morning) – extended to Friday morning at 9am
  • Upload to Moodle in pdf format

Fri 1/31—Stanley & Twentieth C. Examples

Before class:

  • Prepare to discuss: “Stanley Finds Livingstone,” H.M. Stanley from the New York Herald, 1871 – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • Read Paper #1 Assignment

In Class:

  • More on the 19th c. Press
  • Content Warning!
  • Paper #1 Assignment
  • Footnotes/Notes
  • Discuss context and text for H.M. Stanley report
    • Start paper planning in our Paper #1 for History 201 Folder

WEEK 4—News in the 20th c. (2/3)

Mon 2/3—Stanley Paper / The Twentieth Century – part 1

Before class:

  • Read Paper #1 Assignment
  • Come to class with notes for the paper in electronic form (so you can easily share them with others. Keep these in categories:
    • 1. Context notes
    • 2. Primary source notes (on Stanley’s reporting)
    • 3. Brainstorming ideas (ideas for the argument of our paper)
    • Please include a short citation so that we can use these notes in our paper (Snyder, 244)
  • Take 15 minutes to skim Kovarik, “Print Media in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries,” pp. 105-122 (first part of chapter). I’ll tell you some take away ideas in class
  • Bring laptop to class

In class:

  • Kovarik on 20th c. News – Key Themes & Examples
  • Arguments for history paper
  • Work on argument & outline for our paper

More:

Wed 2/5—Stanley Paper / The Twentieth Century – part 2

Before class:

  • Take 15 minutes to skim Kovarik, “Print Media in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries,” pp. 123-138 (second half of chapter) – I’ll explain some take away points in class
  • Read “Plagiarism” at UNC Chapel Hill – online here – and on our Handouts page
  • Look over handout, “Tips for Writing Short College Papers” on the Handouts Page – on our Handouts page
  • Read through our Paper 1 Preparation Notes – see documents in Stanley Paper Preparation folder
  • Now write one ¶ for our paper
    • I’m looking for completion first of all – write something (however good or bad) and bring it to class ready to share
    • A ¶ that fits in our paper? Presents an idea about Stanley’s reporting – and example and analysis to flesh it out
    • Please print hard copy and bring to class
  • Bring laptop to class

In class:

  • Briefly – Kovarik on 20th c. News – Key Themes & Examples
  • Talk Plagiarism
  • Review outline for our paper – work on intros and examples

Fri 2/7—Writing Workshop

Before class:

  • Reread the Paper #1 Assignment
  • Read handout, “Sample Short Paper” for format – on our Handouts page
  • Read through the Paper #1 Outline – see documents in Stanley Paper Preparation folder – this argument and these examples belong to all of us
  • Draft your paper – print out two hard copies to bring to class
    • You don’t need to complete the paper – just write what you can and bring to class
    • Your goal? What Annie Lamott calls a “shitty first draft”
    • And to cultivate your own voice. The less this sounds like the encyclopedia the better

In class:

  • Workshop our papers together!

Sat 2/8—Paper #1 Due

  • Paper #1 due Saturday 2/8 by 12pm noon in pdf format uploaded to Moodle
  • Primary source analysis paper. See assignment for details
  • Extended to the end of the weekend!

PART 2—THEORIES OF NEWS

WEEK 5—History, Theory, Critique (2/10)

Mon 2/10—Does News Matter?

Before class:

  • From Michael Schudson, The Sociology of News
    • Read Introduction, “Making News” – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • Read – or skim if you are pressed for time – Ch. 2, “Does News Matter? (Media Effects, Part 1)” – in Moodle Readings

In class:

  • First: Sign up for presentations
  • Writing Without Drama and Shitty First Drafts
  • Michael Schudson and Sociology of News
  • Media Effects – What is the Impact of News?

For Fun:

  • Try your hand at this online game to edit the news and build a loyal readership – Republia Times

Wed 2/12—The Public Sphere

Before class:

  • Read Jürgen Habermas, “The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article” (1964) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • Note: this is a dense and complicated text from an influential German philosopher and social theorist! Take some time to read with care. Look for the larger point and don’t sweat the details. Come ready to explain his ideas as best you can
  • Skim or read Jürgen Habermas, “Introduction,” The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1962) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • Read the Wikipedia entry for The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere

In class:

  • Presentation on Jürgen Habermas and the Public Sphere
  • Discuss public sphere

Thurs by midnight—Due: Week 5 Assignment

  • Summarize the argument of Jürgen Habermas on the public sphere, based on the class reading for Wednesday.
  • Or, summarize the argument of Michael Schudson on media bias, based on the class reading for Friday.
  • Write one paragraph to present an overview of the argument in your words. Make sure you have a topic sentence and a clear organization. Don’t try to fit everything in to this paragraph! It is an overview that lays out the main lines of the author’s thinking. You might want to include one or two short quotations from the source.
  • Important: I’m looking for you to put these ideas into your words – not to reprint an encyclopedia entry or ChatGPT summary. Feel free to try using evocative language – or metaphors or similes – or contemporary comparisons – to convey your explanation.
  • Cite your sources with a Chicago-style footnote format. No bibliography is necessary. Some details:
    • Put the footnote at the end of the sentence, after the period or quotation marks. See Rampolla for details.
    • A first footnote, for the encyclopedia article, would look like this:  Jürgen Habermas, “The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article (1964),” trans. Sara Lennox and Frank Lennox, New German Critique (1974), 49-55.
    • The following footnotes would look like:  Habermas, “Encyclopedia,” 49.
  • Due by midnight before class (Thursday night, Friday morning)
  • Upload to Moodle in pdf format.

Fri 2/14—What is The Power of the Press?

Before class:

  • From Michael Schudson, The Sociology of News
    • Rd. Schudson, chap. 3, “Media Bias (Media Effects, Part 2)” – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • “New Research Explores How Conservative Media Misinformation May Have Intensified the Severity of the Pandemic,” Washington Post, June 25, 2020 – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • See links to research articles within this news piece

In Class:

  • Presentation on Media Effects
  • Discuss media effects

WEEK 6—More Theories of News (2/17)

Mon 2/17—The Manufacture of Consent?

Before class:

  • Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent (1988) (selection) –  available in Moodle Readings Folder

IN class:

  • Presentation:
    • Amanda Crouse
    • Connor Weathers
    • Lexi Rosser
  • See Washington Post article from last week again. Reporting COVID…
  • In class: clips from Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War (2007) – see movie online at Vimeo

Wed 2/19—Moral Panic & Social Control

Before class:

  • Stuart Hall, et al, Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State, and Law and Order (1978) (selections) – in Moodle Readings
  • Take a brief look at the Wikipedia entry: “Moral Panic”
    • This is an idea much associated with Stuart Hall and his collaborators. It has wide and powerful usage in the story of media
  • Paper preparation
    • Ideally, you will one-page outline of your Paper #2. Include: tentative title, thesis, and an outline that describes the point of each paragraph
    • At the very least, prepare a document that includes your ideas for the paper
    • Print out and bring to class

In Class:

  • Presentation:
    • DT Franklin
    • Josie Fleischel
    • Sova Gannon
  • Workshop paper outlines

Fri 2/21—Imagined Communities

Before class:

  • Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities (1983) (selections) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • Paper preparation
    • Draft introduction to your paper
    • Bring your introduction to class

In Class:

  • Media Effects
  • Workshop paper intros

Sat 2/22—Paper #2 Due

  • Paper #2 due by Saturday 2/22 at 12:00 noon. Upload to Moodle in pdf format
  • Present and examine a theory of news. See assignment for details

WEEK 7—From Theory to Case Studies – of Victorian Journalism (2/24)

Mon 2/24—Lauren Berlant and the Intimate Public Sphere

Before class:

  • Read Lauren Berlant, “Intimacy: A Special Issue,” Critical Inquiry (Winter, 1998) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • Berlant can be dense, but they have had a powerful impact on American studies and literary studies, especially on the importance of emotion to the public sphere and with the concept of the intimate public sphere. To understand their work more fully you might take a look at The New Yorker piece (from 2019, in our Moodle Readings) or read the Wikipedia page on them

In class:

  • Introduction to Research Databases – and Handout Assignment for Thursday
  • Research in History
  • Presentation:
    • Andrew Rombach
    • Fridosse Adam
    • Jacob George

PART 3—CASE STUDIES

Wed 2/26—Victorian Journalism in Practice 1

Before class:

  • Read through research assignment for Thursday night – bring any questions you have
  • W.T. Stead, “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon,” The Pall Mall Gazette (1885) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • The document is twenty pages long. Please read the first four or five pages and the last three pages. That should be well enough to understand what Stead is up to
    • Warning: Stead’s reporting includes vivid descriptions of sexual violence and child abuse. This will be challenging to read and discuss. If you need an alternative come talk to me.
  • For more on Stead, you could take a look at the W.T. Stead Resource Site at: http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/
  • Some questions to consider:
    • Who is Stead? And what did he aim to do with his journalism?
    • What is the “maiden tribute”?  What does Stead describe? How does he tell this story?
    • Who is the audience?
    • How does this kind of journalism compare to some of the other examples we have discussed (say Stanley, or Waggles, or Woodward/Bernstein, or the Moon Hoax)?

IN class:

  • Questions About Research Assignment for Thursday?
  • Introduction to Victorian London and its press
  • Presentation:
    • Bennett Dickerson
    • Elijah Stewart
    • Louie Lindsay

Thurs at midnight—Due: Week 7 Assignment – Using Library Resources and Historical Databases

  • An exercise in using library resources and historical databases. This is a chance to master – or if you already know it, demonstrate – the use of library databases and the advanced search function.
  • See Week 7 Research Assignment
  • Due by midnight before class (Thursday night, Friday morning) – extended to Friday night at midnight
  • Upload to Moodle in pdf format

Fri 2/28—Scandal and Journalism

Before class:

  • Read Gretchen Soderlund, Sex Trafficking, Scandal, and the Transformation of Journalism, 1885-1917 (2013) (selections) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • I give you just the Preface. Read it to understand Soderlund’s framing of the topic and her larger argument.

IN class:

  • Research in History
  • The Historical Monograph and you
  • Presentation on Soderlund:
    • Constantine Vernadakis
    • Derrick Jones
    • Isabella Diehl

WEEK 8—Scandals in the Late 19th and Early 20th c. British Press (3/3)

Mon 3/3—The Whitechapel Murders and Social Reform

Before Class

  • Read Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, October 14, 1888 – online in our Moodle Readings Folder
    • Should have provided some details. Please read:
    • “Good Out of Evil,” page 1
    • “The East End Murders,” page 1
    • “The East End Murders,” page 3 (a lot here, but try to take away some key examples)
    • Skim the rest of this edition to get an idea of the papers’ coverage
  • You might want to read or skim the Wikipedia entry, “Jack the Ripper” – for a solid overview of the cases that have been ascribed to this unknown assailant – or the Wikipedia entry, “Whitechapel Murders”
    • Note: both articles include descriptions of sexual violence and bodily mutilation
  • Bring computer to class – we’ll have time to work on research assignment

IN class:

  • First: visit from Evelyn McCain on the Digital & Visual Storytelling Pathway
  • Intro Research Assignment for Thursday
  • Presentation:
    • Alex Markland
    • Nilay Ernst
    • William Hicks
  • Discussion
  • Work on research assignment

Wed 3/5—Jack the Ripper and Feminist History

Before class:

  • Read Research Assignment for Thursday – bring any questions you may have
  • Read Judith Walkowitz, “Jack the Ripper and the Myth of Male Violence,” Feminist Studies, (1982) – available in Moodle Readings Folder

IN class:

  • Questions About Research Assignment for Thursday?
  • Reading a historical article
  • Presentation:
    • Claire Allison McGuire
    • Catherine Colarusso

Thurs at midnight—Due: Week 8 Assignment – Building a Corpus of Primary Sources

  • An exercise in finding primary sources that might serve as the basis for a future research paper
  • Using our research databases, build a corpus of primary sources on a particular topic. Present these sources in a bibliography with a descriptive title for the project. Provide one or two sentences that explain the topic.
  • By a “corpus” (Latin for “body) of sources, I mean a collection of primary sources on a single topic that might be the starting point for a strong research paper. What does this entail? Well, for the research paper itself, you will need something equivalent to about 25-50 pages, something like a ten short news articles or broadcasts or three long news reports or one or two long magazine articles. For this assignment, I’m happy if you include a smaller number of sources for each set or corpus, such as three newspaper articles or three radio or tv broadcasts or two magazine articles or one pamphlet
  • You do not need to annotate each source. I simply ask for one or two sentences that explain the topic
  • All news sources must have been published or broadcast before 2015. I’d suggest you try include some sources from before 1900 and some non-print sources – just to see what is out there on similar topics
  • If you have multiple topics in mind, feel free to include sources that could serve as the basis of research for more than one topic.
  • Please use more than one database
  • Extra credit for using your foreign language skills
  • List your sources in bibliographical format. Follow the models from Mary Lynn Rampolla. Simplify capitalization. Use stable URL’s or database names to indicate the database you’ve used, rather than pasting in a long and messy (and unstable) URL. You don’t need a long annotation for each source. This is about building your corpus. For example:
    • “Spring to See Greatest Migration in History.” The Chicago Defender. February 21, 1925: 9. In Proquest: Historical Newspaper Collections.
    • “Birth Control Pill.” CBS Evening News. September 4, 1969. 3:00. At Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
  • Double space throughout
  • Note: This assignment prepares the way for your third paper, which will be a primary source analysis, and your final research paper. If you can find a set of sources that you want to write about, you are well along your way! (Oh, and if you decide you don’t like this topic or you want to shift gears, that is ok as well).
  • Due by midnight before class (Thursday night, Friday morning)
  • Upload to Moodle in pdf format.

Fri 3/7—Women’s Activism in Early Twentieth c. Britain

Before class:

  • Read the first edition of The Suffragette, October 18, 1912 – online in our Moodle Readings Folder
    • Read Christabel Pankhurst, “The Policy of the W.P.S.U.”
    • Spend a half hour reading in this paper. You are not responsible for reading the entire edition. But you should be able to answer: Who is it written by? And who is it written for? What kinds of subject matter does it include? What are its politics?

In class:

  • Feminist press in Edwardian England
  • Talk through our research

WEEK 9—The Critical Tradition of Muckraking (3/10)

Mon 3/10—The Critical Tradition – Muckraking in the Progressive Era

Before class:

  • Read Paper #3 Assignment (due after spring break) and Research Paper Assignment (due exam week)
  • Read S.S. McClure, “Concerning Three Articles in this Number of McClure’s,” McClure’s Magazine (January 1903) – at the end of the “Steffens-Minneapolis” pdf – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • Work on your research assignment for Thursday night

In class:

  • Introduce Paper #3 and Research Paper

Wed 3/12—The Critical Tradition – Ida B. Wells and Anti-Lynching

Before class:

  • Read Ida B. Wells, Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases (1892)  – available in Moodle Readings Folder
    • This reading requires a couple content warnings
      • It includes many references to episodes of rape and sexual assault, and to false accusations of rape
      • It includes deeply offensive racist language quoted from the white press
      • Note that Wells refers to African Americans as “Negros.” The term is anachronistic, and in some contexts, derogatory. We can quote the term in its historical context. When she was writing, and up to the 1970s, the word was a polite term for African Americans embraced by Black writers such as Wells and W.E.B. Dubois.
    • What is Wells’ story? And how does she tell it?
    • Question for discussion: what should be the role of the press in changing – not merely reporting – the world?

In class:

  • Questions about paper assignments?
  • The Black Press in US History
  • Ida B. Wells

For More:

Thurs at midnight—Due: Week 9 Research Assignment—Initial Bibliography for your Research Paper

  • The assignment for this week is to present an initial bibliography for your research paper. It should include:
    • a working title that defines the topic
    • a sentence or two to explain the question you are going to explore
    • a set of initial primary sources on your topic (a set of news sources that will be the basis for your primary source research)
    • a set of relevant and important secondary sources – the historiography on your topic. This might include:
      • historical monographs
      • book chapters
      • historical surveys
      • peer-reviewed journal articles
      • theoretical works
    • All sources should be in correct bibliographical format per Mary Lynn Rampolla (or close)
    • No annotations are necessary
  • For this assignment, I’d expect you to have:
    • for primary sources: at least three long sources (say, magazine articles) or six short sources (news reports)
    • three secondary sources (book chapters or articles by historians on your topic). You can also include encyclopedia articles from our reference databases for background. You will need more than this for your research paper!
  • Upload by Thursday night midnight to Moodle.

Fri 3/14—Muckraking: Still Relevant?

Before class:

In class:

  • Thinking Like a Historian – and Researching
  • Muckraking today
  • Questions about Paper #3 and Research Papers

*** SPRING BREAK!! *** 3/15 to 3/30 ***

WEEK 10—Research and Writing (3/31)

We will meet in small groups this week in our regular classroom. See the date that you are scheduled for and show up to class on that day. On the two other class days you should work on your own. For each day of class you should read in primary sources, add to your bibliography, and write some piece of your paper.

Mon 3/31—Small group meeting

For ALl – Your Monday Assignment

  • Read “Research Paper Assignment” – on our handouts page
  • Read “Paper #3 Assignment” – on our handouts page
  • Read “How to Talk Like a Historian” – on our handouts page
  • Revise your initial bibliography. Be sure you can answer yes to the following question:
    • Do you have a strong corpus of primary sources?
    • Do you have secondary sources that shed light on your topic?
  • Start writing your Paper #3. Answer the following questions and then start outlining and writing:
    • What historical question are you asking?
    • What is your argument? (That is, what do you have to say about these primary sources? What is your answer to this historical question?)
    • Why does it matter?

Before we meet

  • Bring to meeting:
    • Your updated initial bibliography
    • Outline and/or draft of Paper #3

Small group to come to class

  • Connor W.
  • Constantine V.
  • Elijah S.
  • Lexi R.
  • Andrew R.
  • Claire M.
  • Alex M.

Wed 4/2—Small group meeting

Before we meet

  • Read in primary sources, add to your bibliography, and write some piece of your paper
  • Bring to meeting:
    • Your updated initial bibliography
    • Outline and/or draft of Paper #3

Small group to come to class

  • Louie L.
  • Derek J.
  • Will H.
  • Jacob G.
  • Sova G.
  • DT F.
  • Josie F.

Fri 4/4—Small group meeting

Before we meet

  • Read in primary sources, add to your bibliography, and write some piece of your paper
  • Bring to meeting:
    • Your updated initial bibliography
    • Outline and/or draft of Paper #3

Small group to come to class

  • Nilay E.
  • Isabella D.
  • Bennett D.
  • Amanda C.
  • Catherine C.
  • Fridosse A.

Sat 4/5—Paper #3 Due

WEEK 11—Broadcast News (4/7)

Mon 4/7—Radio News, True and False

Before Class

  • Kovarik, Part III, “The Electronic Revolution,” pp. 249-253
  • Kovarik, Ch. 8, “The New World of Radio,” pp. 275-307
    • See esp. sections 5 (1920s), 6 (Licensing), 7 (Golden Age), 8 (Radio and the News), 9 (Hate Speech), 10 (WW II), 13 (Talk Radio)
    • This is a long chapter. You don’t need to read it closely. Don’t get bogged down in the detail of the technology or the many examples. Understand the main idea and a half dozen key examples. Note: the case of the Orson Welles broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” (1938) is overblown. Folks who have looked at it closely have seen no evidence of mass panic, certainly not of hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes.
  • Listen to at least one of the following radio clips. Bring your notes and be prepared to explain to class.

IN Class

  • Introduction to Era of Broadcast News
  • History of Radio
  • Mass Culture

Wed 4/9—Television News

Before Class

  • Kovarik, Ch. 9, “Television: A New Window on the World,” pp. 309-341
    • See esp. sections 3 (FCC), 4 (Murrow & McCarthy), 6 (TV Culture), 7 (Presidency), 8 (Vietnam), 9 (Civil Rights)
    • A lot of detail here. You don’t need to read closely. Spend an hour with this to understand the main shape of the historical trajectory Kovarik paints and to fathom some essential turning points, but don’t sweat the details.
  • Watch excerpts from any of the following television clips. Bring your notes and be prepared to explain to class:
  • Additional references

Fri 4/11—What Was Wrong With Mass Culture?

Before Class

  • Read Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (2005, orig. 1985), “In 1985” and “Foreword” pp. xix-xx – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • Read the cartoon version of Postman’s intro by Stuart McMillen (2009) – available in Moodle Readings Folder
  • Also… develop your historiography – find three secondary sources that you can use in your Research Paper and write a brief description of these works
    • More than encyclopedia articles
    • These might include:
      • Journal articles/chapters/introductions by historians on your precise topic (eg, Walter Cronkite’s reporting of the Tet Offensive of 1968)
      • Journal articles/chapters/introductions by historians on the context that your are exploring (eg, television in the late ’60s)
      • Excerpts from important works in media history that could help frame your discussion (Hall, Habermas, Schudson, etc.)
    • Bring citations and brief annotations to class – ready to discuss
  • Optional: If you want to read more I also give you Postman, Chap. 11, “The Huxleyan Warning” – available in Moodle Readings Folder

PART 4—FINAL PAPERS AND MORE

WEEK 12—Research Papers & Social Media (4/14)

Mon 4/14—Research Papers

Before Class

  • Read, research, take notes on your paper topic
  • Update your bibliography in an annotated bibliography
  • Prepare a first draft of “Project Notes” for your final paper
    • See the example – on our Handouts page
    • Project Notes provide a short (2 pp.) overview of your paper. They include (in overview, perhaps with bullet points):
      • Working title
      • Statement of Topic and Historical Question (and eventually, Argument). What precisely are you investigating? What is your research question? What do you hope to show?
      • Historiography. Brief description of the historiography that you will use to frame your paper. What is the gap you will fill?
      • Context. What do we need to know about your subject?
      • Primary Sources and Methods. Describe your corpus. What defines the sources you are looking at? How will you analyze your corpus?
      • Significance. Why does this research matter? What can it tell us? (Material you can use in the conclusion)
      • Outline of paper. Briefly, how will you organize your paper?
  • Put your Project Notes and Annotated Bibliography in one pdf and submit on Moodle before class – I’m extending this to Wed morning
  • Come to class ready to talk about your research paper
  • Bring your computer to class

In Class

  • Discuss Research and Writing
  • Check in on your topics
  • Workshop research papers

Wed 4/16—Social Media and News Media in the U.S. Today

Before Class

  • 2 options to think about social media
  • Continue working on your research paper
    • Read more on your topic – esp. on relevant secondary sources – take notes
    • Revise your project notes – the overview of your project
    • Start to outline and draft your paper

In Class

  • Discuss social media and news
  • Research papers

Fri 4/18—Research Paper Workshop

Before class

  • Review the Research Paper Assignment
  • Review the Sample Research Paper
  • Review the Model Outline of Research Paper
  • Work on the initial draft of your paper
    • Write! Build out your paper from your Project Notes and brief Outline – write something outside of what you’ve already done for Paper #3
    • Write – and submit to Moodle assignment before class – just turn in something you’ve started writing
    • Your draft should include a rough introduction – perhaps in 2 or 3 ¶s? – culminating in a clear statement of your thesis. Draw in your reader, announce your topic, lay out the question your paper will examine, tell us how you’ll answer that question, and present a statement of your thesis.
    • If you want to go beyond this, you might start to write context or historiography
    • Please feel free to write a sh%#y first draft
    • Bring your draft to class (either in hard copy or on your computer)
    • Bring your computer to class

In class

  • Discuss news today
  • Talk writing strategies
  • Workshop research papers and introductions

WEEK 13—Conclusions (4/21)

Mon 4/21—Freedom of the Press Across the World

Before Class

  • Read “RSF 2024 Roundup” Reporters Without Borders – online at RSF
  • Read “2024 World Press Freedom” – online at RSF
    • And then explore some different regions and countries that interest you
    • Look at trends over time
  • Come to class with a few notes and your observations

In Class

  • Press freedom
  • Looking at news media in the US and beyond

Wed 4/23—A Look Back on Where We’ve Been!

Before Class

  • Watch “History of How News Media has Changed with Matt Taibbi” (at Penn State 2024) – online at Youtube
  • Optional:
    • “Media and Democracy: Our American History” from The Report of the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy (2019) – online here

In Class

  • Conclusions / Reflections

Fri 4/25—Presentation Preparation

Before Class

  • Continue working on your papers! See all of the previous comments, handouts, discussions. A research paper requires time and effort. Keep putting in the time. Hone your historiography. Take your ideas/outline/draft/whatever you are working on to the Writing Center. Read your paper aloud…
  • Prepare materials for your poster presentation per Guidelines for Poster Session on the Handouts Page. You may also want to look at the Poster Session Examples. Bring your pages in physical copy
  • This is not the day of your presentation (that will come next week) but a day to prepare for your presentation. You will have a chance to revise slides, but you should come to class with the materials for your poster.

In Class

  • Talk about your take aways for the course
  • Discuss principles of presentations
  • Prepare posters

WEEK 14—Presentations (4/28)

Mon 4/28—Presentations

Presenters

GROUP A

  1. Amanda Crouse, National and Local News Coverage of Norman Morrison, The Human Torch
  2. Louie Lindsay, Crime News Coverage in Baltimore in the 1950s
  3. Connor Weathers, How the British Press’s Glorification of “Fighter Aces” Popularized Flying
  4. Jacob George, Coverage Surrounding the Munich Massacre: The Disbelief, Sadness, and Anger
  5. Isabella Diehl, Small Towns vs. Big Cities: How Newspapers Shaped Public Opinion During the Scopes Monkey Trial

GROUP B

  1. DT Franklin, Ida B. Wells and the Battle Over the Press
  2. Fridosse Adam Idrissou, News of the Death of Freedom: Media Narratives and the Occupation of Haiti
  3. Sova Gannon, The Community of Chavez Ravine and Their Fight to Keep Their Homes
  4. Andrew Rombach, Looking Back: How Hillsborough Reporting Changed
  5. William Hicks, How Print Media Covered Hurricane Katrina and the Racial Injustice

Wed 4/30—Presentations

Presenters

GROUP C

  1. Catherine Colarusso, The “Night Witches”: The Global Legacy of Soviet Women in Combat
  2. Constantine Vernadakis, How Local Papers vs National Papers Respond to the Black Sox Scandal
  3. Claire Allison McGuire, Think of the Children! Exploring Moral Panic Surround Children’s Television Programming in the 1980s
  4. Elijah Stewart, African American Athletic Life: Struggling Through the Sidelines, 1900–1910
  5. Josie Fleischel, How the language used in reporting the McMartin Preschool Trial reinforced conservative Christian family values?

GROUP D

  1. Bennett Dickerson, The Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team
  2. Alex Markland, Media Coverage of the Barry Bonds Steroid Scandal
  3. Nilay Ernst, London Underground in the Press
  4. Derrick Jones Jr., Lynching’s impact on Press
  5. Lexi Rosser, Society and State in the Imperial Russian Press

Fri 5/2—I.S. Symposium

No classes

  • No classes. But I require you to attend the I.S. Symposium. Listen to a talk – or visit a poster session – for at least two history seniors. Ask them a question. Here are some easy one?
    • What was their historical question?
    • Where did they get the idea for this research
    • What does the historiography look like?
    • What primary sources did they use?
    • What did they find?
    • What was most surprising in their research?
    • Are there any implications from their research?
    • Be ready to talk about what you’ve seen on Monday.

WEEK 15—Last Day (5/5)

Mon 5/5—Last Day of Class

Before Class

  • Bring final questions about research paper
  • Bring laptops for course evals

In Class

  • Course evals at start of class
  • Take stock of where we’ve been
  • Celebrate the end of classes!

EXAM WEEK

Mon 5/12—Final Paper Due