This is an archived course. Visit the most recent syllabus.

Course Description

This course will survey some fundamental theories about mass media and culture. We will methodically summarize, evaluate, and compare these writings and critical approaches. The writings we will cover criticize media as popular culture, a commercial industry, and a territory for cultural citizenship.

Goals

This Media Criticism course is best regarded as a criticism of media criticism, or media criticism criticism, if you will. This in-person course will require you to read one or two essays per week before class that criticizes some aspect of mass media and culture. At each class session, we will cover the historical and scholarly context in which the essays were written and extract some key terms and concepts. In subsequent classes, we will revisit some of the essays compare them the other essays we have already read. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with the literature of media studies and will be able to understand any other essays you encounter in media studies and several other fields. Your success in this course depends less on memorizing class material and more on developing the ability to be a critical media scholar through intensive reading and argumentative writing.

Time and Place

Mondays, 1:40 – 4:30 PM
Kiely Hall, Room 321
Section: MEDST 201W–03 (8608)

Mondays, 6:30 – 9:20 PM
Kiely Hall, Room 321
Section: MEDST 201W–04 (8638)

Instructor

Juan Monroy

Connect

Office Hours

G Building, Room 102-D
Mondays, 5:00 – 6:00 PM

Schedule an Appointment

Also available remotely on Google Hangouts by advance appointment.

Course Materials

Textbooks

The following textbook is available through Amazon, Textbookx, and on reserve at Rosenthal Library

You should also review Goals for Student Writing published by Writing at Queens College.

Reserve Readings

Required course readings not found in the textbook are available electronically from the course website under the particular class session. You will need to use your QC G Suite account to access these materials.

Review Materials

For each class, I will post a review questions and relevant web links based on the material we covered in class. Use these materials to prepare for the midterm and final exams.

Blackboard

We will not be using Blackboard for this course. Instead, consult the Course Website for the syllabus and Google Classroom for submitting assignments.

Writing Center

Would you like free in-person assistance with writing your papers?

The Writing Center at Queens College offers in-person tutoring with your writing assignments. You can schedule recurring weekly sessions or a one-time “drop-in.” You can also stop-by the Writing Center to consult with a tutor. Students can also submit work online via the Writing Center’s e-tutoring service.

  • Monday-Thursday: 10 am–2 pm and 3–8 pm
  • Friday: 10 am–1 pm
  • Saturday: 10 am–2 pm

The Writing Center is located in Kiely Hall, Room 229 and can be reached at 718–997–5676.

Google Workspace for Education

This course will use Google Workspace for Education using your QC CAMS (often referred to as the QC ID or QC Active Directory) account.

Below are instructions for how to activate your QC Google Workspace for Education account (titled “Step 1” below) and how to join our course on Google Classroom (titled “Step 2” below).

New Queens College students and students enrolled at another CUNY campus will have to take an additional, initial step (titled “Step 0” below).

About Google accounts

You can have more than one Google account. If you use Gmail, you already have a Google Account: this is your personal Google account. Google also offers organizations, businesses and educational institutions Google Workspace accounts for its users. Since you’re enrolled at Queens College, you have access to a QC Google Workspace for Education account.

You cannot access Queens College Google Workspace for Education using your personal Gmail or another Google Workspace account.

You can be logged into both accounts at the same time, but you will likely have to switch between accounts to access your QC Google Workspace for Education account versus your personal Google Workspace.

Step 0: Activate your QC Username

Students New to Queens College, Recently Transferred to QC, or Enrolled at another CUNY Campus.

You must first activate your Queens College username and email account at https://cams.qc.cuny.edu.

The process takes about three (3) business days so please start this process as soon as possible.

Step 1: Activate Your QC Google Workspace for Education account

Information Technology at Queens College offers detailed instructions for activating (or claiming) your QC Google Workspace for Education account. The process comes down to four steps.

  1. Sign out of Google
  2. Go to https://drive.google.com/.
  3. Enter your qmail email address as your Google account (e.g., juan.monroy18@qmail.cuny.edu).
  4. From the QC authentication page, sign in with your QC ID credentials (e.g. jmonroy100) and your QC CAMS password. (If you’re having trouble contact the QC CAMS Help Desk at 718–997–4444.)
  5. Accept the terms of service.

You can now access your QC Google Workspace for Education account at https://drive.google.com/a/qc.cuny.edu.

Your Google Google Workspace for Education username is the same as your qmail address (e.g., jmonroy100@qc.cuny.edu).

About Google Classroom

Google Classroom is a barebones, learning management system that you will use to submit your assignments and I will use to grade your work. We will not be using Blackboard.

I will also post announcements to Google Classroom instead of emailing everyone in class. However, you should use email to contact me, instead of the private commenting system in Google Classroom because it doesn’t work well.

Step 2: Join Google Classroom

Google has instructions for joining a course in Google Classroom. The process basically comes down to four steps:

  1. Go to Google Classroom.
  2. Sign in using your qmail.cuny.edu address as your Google account.
  3. Click the “+” to “Join class.”
  4. Enter the code I provided at the first meeting (for face-to-face classes) or via email (for online classes).

I highly recommend downloading the Google Classroom mobile app for iOS or Android. If you allow push notifications, you will immediately receive important announcements from me and learn when assignments are posted.

Use the QC Google Workspace for Education Apps

We will be using some QC Google Workspace applications in this class.

  • Google Docs is a cloud-based, word-processing application. It is comparable to Microsoft Word on your personal computer except that all your documents are stored in your Google Drive. Be sure you’re using your QC Google Workspace account, not your personal Google account. Download the Google Docs mobile apps for iOS or Android.
  • Google Meet is a video-based, communication platform used for remote office hours. Download the Google Meet mobile apps for iOS or Android.
  • Google Forms is a survey and data collection platform that we will use for quizzes in some courses. There’s a bug in Forms that requires you to authenticate using your QC Google Workspace account on a web browser if you navigate to the quiz from the Google Classroom apps. To avoid this bug, I recommend taking the quizzes on a desktop computer.
  • Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage platform. Your QC Google Drive offers unlimited storage, compared to 15 GB with your personal Google Drive. Download the Google Drive mobile apps for iOS or Android.

Troubleshooting

A majority of access issues can be resolved switching to your Queens College Google account. This article describes how to switch between Google accounts.

Another resolution that always works is to log out of all your Google accounts in your web browser and then logging back into your QC Google Workspace account at https://drive.google.com/a/qc.cuny.edu.

Requirements

Attendance and Participation

Please be present in each class.

In each class, we will be reviewing the readings, which can be challenging to understand without some collective guidance, and we will be working on drafting your writing assignments. Additionally, we will critiquing and commenting on each other’s works in class, requiring attendance at each class.

Readings

Please read the assigned course material prior to each week’s class. Consult the Course Schedule (below) for the required reading assignments.

Assignments

All assignments must be completed on time in order to receive full credit. Late assignments will be penalized by a 10% reduction for each 24-hour period it is late. After seven calendar days, the assignment will not be accepted and you will likely fail this class.

Exams

Exams comprise forty percent of your course grade and are designed to reward regular attendance and diligent studying. Exams will be administered in class and must be taken at the specified date and time.

Policies

Attendance

I will take attendance at every class meeting and consider it in the evaluation of student performance.

All absences, whether excused or unexcused, are counted equally. The maximum number of absences is limited to 30% of the number of class hours. Note: Absences are counted from the first day of class even if they are a result of late registration or change of program.

For in-person classes, regular attendance is required. Attend 85% of our class session and receive five bonus points added to your final grade. Students missing more than 30% of classes will not be permitted to take the final exam.

For synchronous courses, regular attendance is required. Attend 85% of our class session and receive five bonus points added to your final grade. Students missing more than 30% of classes will not be permitted to take the final exam.

This policy does not apply to fully asynchronous courses.

Verification of Attendance

You must be present or participating in class during the verification of attendance period. Otherwise, I will report you as not attending and you will be dropped from the class.

The verification period is as follows:

  • fall and spring semesters: the first three weeks of classes
  • summer and winter semesters: the first three days of classes

Academically-related activities include, but are not limited to:

  • physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
  • submitting an academic assignment;
  • taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction;
  • attending a study group that is assigned by the school;
  • participating in an online discussion about academic matter;
  • engaging in an online academically-related activity, or initiating contact with the instructor to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course or ask a course-related question.

Note: Logging into an online class is not sufficient, by itself, to demonstrate participation in an academically-related activity by the student.

Professionalism in In-Person Classes

Digital devices are prohibited in in-person classes. Unfortunately, students in the past have failed to use computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. in a professional, responsible, or productive manner, and, as such, you are not allowed to use these devices in class after the first class session.

I recommend buying a spiral notebook, some nice pencils, and a portable pencil sharpener to do this.

Further, if I find you engaging in any other disruptive behavior, such as passing notes, instant messaging, chatting, photographing, or texting, I will remove you from the classroom and have you withdraw from the class.

Professionalism in Remote Classes

Students are expected to use proper language, wear appropriate attire, and be mindful of backgrounds that may or may not be distracting, offensive, or harassing to others when using virtual conference tools, such as Zoom.

Late Work

Please submit your work on time.

In some cases, late assignments due at the end of the term will not be accepted. In-class exams must be taken at the date and time listed below unless other we make other arrangements.

No assignments will be accepted after the assignment closes on Microsoft Teams.

“Incomplete” Grades

There are no incomplete grades for this class except in the case of a documented emergency in the final weeks of the semester. If you experience such an emergency, please contact me immediately, and we will work out a schedule for you to complete the outstanding work before the beginning of the following semester.

But aside from these circumstances, no late work will be accepted and no “incomplete” grades will be granted. If you have difficulty keeping up with coursework, consider giving yourself extra time to complete assignments, reducing your overall course load, and/or taking this class at a later semester.

No Extra Credit Assignments

There are no opportunities for extra credit. As a matter of fairness, your grade will be based on the work assigned to all students.

Email

To maintain professionalism, always use your QC email account (stu.dent00@qmail.cuny.edu) to email me, and also direct all emails to my jmonroy@qc.cuny.edu account. This is the only way I can communicate with you, other than face-to-face meetings or via video conferencing.

CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity

The CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, as adopted by the Board, is available to all students. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in the City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.

This includes the use of homework helper sites, such as like chegg.com, or generative AI tools. These may not be used for class assignments. Students who use these unauthorized tools may be able to obtain an unfair advantage over other classmates. Gaining an unfair advantage is a violation of CUNY policy on academic integrity.

Use of Student Work

All programs in New York State undergo periodic reviews by accreditation agencies. For these purposes, samples of student work are occasionally made available to those professionals conducting the review. Anonymity is assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have your work made available for these purposes, please let the professor know before the start of the second class. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Course Evaluations

During the final four weeks of the semester, you will be asked to complete an evaluation for this course by filling out an online questionnaire. Please remember to participate in these course evaluations. Your comments are highly valued, and these evaluations are an important service to fellow students and to the institution, since your responses will be pooled with those of other students and made available online, in the Queens College Course Information System. Please also note that all responses are completely anonymous; no identifying information is retained once the evaluation has been submitted.

Online Netiquette

Please maintain a professional demeanor when posting online. You can be respectful even when you have a difference of opinion. Treat others as you’d want to be treated yourself. Don’t type in all caps, as that is the online equivalent of shouting. If you need to emphasize a word or phrase, use italics.

Campus Resources

Counseling Services

The mission of Counseling Services is to enhance students’ academic, intellectual, personal, and social growth. Special attention is given to students’ health and well-being, with the aim of alleviating the effects of painful experiences, enhancing self-understanding and understanding of others, and fostering students’ pursuit of their goals. Counseling Services also presents workshops, training, and educational consultation to the college community.

For more information, contact Counseling Services website: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/cs/.

Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should register with the Special Services Office by emailing QC.SPSV@qc.cuny.edu​. For more information about services available to Queens College students, visit the Office of Special Services website: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/sp/.

Technical Support

The Queens College Helpdesk, (718) 997–4444, helpdesk@qc.cuny.edu is located in the I-Building, Room 151 and provides technical support for students who need help with Queens College email, CUNY portal, Blackboard, and CUNYFirst.

Help with Writing

One of the most important skills you will learn throughout your education is writing. If you cannot write, you will not succeed at communicating your ideas and will endanger your professional development.

The Writing Center at Queens College offers free assistance to students with writing. Please visit the center at least once for each writing assignment you have for your classes this semester. You can schedule a one-hour session or drop in to consult an on-duty tutor.

Assignments

In-Class Presentations

Starting week three, all students are to present one of the readings assigned this semester.

Do not summarize the entire essay. Instead, your presentation should follow these guidelines:

  • Identify the author and explain his/her biography.
  • Briefly summarize the central argument of the essay.
  • Identify and recount an example or case study that the author uses to illustrate his/her argument.
  • Explain how the example or case study illustrates that central argument.
  • Introduce your own example to illustrate the central argument of the essay.
  • Compare the essay to one essay we’ve already covered in this class.

Bring a written copy of your presentation:

  • a paragraph for each of the list items outlined above
  • a paragraph-by-paragraph outline of the essay you were assigned

You may use a presentation slideshow as long as it contains no text and you supply your own device that connects to a VGA projector. Your presentation should last about twenty minutes. Be prepared to answer questions from students.

  • We will randomly draw essays in class on Monday, February 5. Don’t miss this class
    • the first students to present on February 20 will receive two extra-credit points to their final grade
  • Schedule of Presentations
  • Weight: 15%

Essay 1: What is Popular Culture?

In their influential essay, “The Culture Industry,” Adorno and Horkheimer criticize newly emergent mass culture of the late–nineteenth and early-twentieth century as an industrial product that deceives its audiences.

Discuss how the author of the one of the following essays may agree or disagree with this argument by characterizing mass culture as popular culture, that is culture that is meaningful for the people that use it and engage with it.

  1. Walter Benjamin, “Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”
  2. Tania Modleski, “Mass-Produced Fantasies for Women”
  3. Lev Manovich, “The Practice of Everyday (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production”
  4. John Berger, “Ways of Seeing”
  5. Lynn Spigel, “The Domestic Economy of Postwar Television”
  6. Susan Douglas, “The Turn Within: The Irony of Technology in a Globalized World”
Assignment Guidelines
  • Consult my Guidelines on Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Citing Sources
  • Yes, this is a comparative essay
  • Your draft and final essay must be in the Google Doc attached to the respective Google Classroom assignments
  • Draft due March 16:
    • a one-paragraph summary Adorno and Horkheimer’s central argument about the culture industry and mass culture, including a relevant quote or two.
    • a one-paragraph summary of the argument made in the essay you selected, including determining whether the essay characterizes media as mass culture or as popular culture.
    • a provisional thesis statement that connects the essay you selected with Adorno and Horkheimer’s central argument.
    • a provisional outline—a list of topic sentences—of how you plan to support your thesis.
    • submit on Google Classroom
  • Schedule an appointment between March 19–30 to get your final thesis statement approved.
  • Your final essay will not be accepted without an approved draft.
  • Final due April 13:
  • Weight: 20%

Essay 2: Media and Culture Industries

Writing in the 1980s, Herbert Schiller observes the increasing control of culture by a decreasing number of corporations that prioritize profit over the artistic or cultural value of a work. Does this argument update and reinforce the “mass culture” argument made by Adorno and Horkheimer nearly fifty years earlier?

Discuss how the author of the one of the following essays extends Schiller’s argument about media and culture industries at the turn of the twenty-first century?

  1. Michael Curtin, “On Edge: Culture Industries in the Neo-Network Era.”
  2. Hector Amaya, “Citizenship, Diversity, Law and Ugly Betty.”
  3. Tom McCourt and Patrick Burkart, “When Creators, Corporations and Consumers Collide: Napster and the Development of Online Music Distribution.”
  4. Mark Andrejevic, “The Work of Being Watched: Interactive Media and the Exploitation of Self-Disclosure.”
  5. Lawrence Grossberg, “The Affective Sensibility of Fandom.”
  6. Mizuko Ito, “Japanese Media Mixes and Amateur Cultural Exchange.”
Assignment Guidelines
  • Guidelines on Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Citing Sources
  • Yes, this is a comparative essay
  • Your draft and final essay must be in the Google Doc attached to the respective Google Classroom assignments
  • Draft due April 27:
    • a one-paragraph summary of how Herbert Schiller updates and/or reinforces the argument made by Adorno and Horkheimer nearly four decades earlier, including a relevant quote or two.
    • a one-paragraph summary of how the essay you selected agrees or disagrees with Schiller’s argument about media and culture industries, including a relevant quote or two.
    • a provisional thesis statement that connects the essay you selected with Schiller’s central argument.
    • a provisional outline—a list of topic sentences—of how you plan to support your thesis.
    • submit on Google Classroom
  • Schedule an appointment between April 30–May 11 to get your final thesis statement approved.
  • Your final essay will not be accepted without an approved draft and thesis statement.
  • Final due May 21:
  • Weight: 20%

Exams

Midterm Exam

The in-class midterm exam consists of questions related to the assigned readings and the attendant discussions from the first half of the course. Use the review questions posted on this course website to help you prepare for the exam, including surveying the format of the exam.

This is an open-book exam: you may use your copy of The Media Studies Reader for the exam, but no other material is permitted.

  • March 26, in class
  • Weight: 20%

Final Exam

The in-class final exam consists of questions related to the assigned readings and the attendant discussions from the second half of the course. Use the review questions posted on this course website to help you prepare for the exam, including surveying the format of the exam.

This is an open-book exam: you may use your copy of The Media Studies Reader for the exam and a printout of the Sasha Torres essay, but no other material is permitted.

  • May 21, in class
  • Weight: 25%

Course Schedule

January 29 • Welcome

Assignments
  1. Buy the textbooks:
  2. Activate your QC G Suite account.
  3. Join our course on Google Classroom
    1. Go to Google Classroom
    2. Click on the “+” to join the course
    3. Enter the code: o7t1kx
  4. Download the Google Classroom app for your mobile device and sign in using your QC G Suite account.
  5. Review Goals for Student Writing published by Writing at Queens College.
  6. Complete the Welcome Survey

February 5 • Mass Culture and the Culture Industry

Reading

As you await the arrival of your textbooks, I am providing the reading as a PDF and as an EPUB file. Use your QC G Suite login for access.

February 20 • Popular Culture: Mechanical Reproduction

Reading

As you await the arrival of your textbooks, I am providing the following reading as a PDF as an EPUB file. Use your QC G Suite login for access.

In-Class Screening
  • John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, Episode 1 (1972)

February 26 • Popular Culture: Consumers and Producers

Readings
  • Tania Modleski, “Mass-Produced Fantasies for Women.”
  • Lev Manovich, “The Practice of Everyday (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production.”

March 5 • Media, Gender, Power

Readings
In-Class Screening
  • John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, Episode 3 (1972)

March 12 • Media Representation and Social Reality

Reading
  • Susan Douglas, “The Turn Within: The Irony of Technology in a Globalized World.”

March 19 • Media, Industry, and Political Economy

Reading
  • Herbert Schiller, “The Corporation and the Production of Culture.”

March 26 • Midterm Exam

We will take the midterm exam in class today.

April 9 • Media and Niche Marketing

Readings
  • Michael Curtin, “On Edge: Culture Industries in the Neo-Network Era.”
  • Hector Amaya, “Citizenship, Diversity, Law and Ugly Betty.”

April 16 • Media, Technology and Control over the Consumer

Readings
  • Mark Andrejevic, “The Work of Being Watched: Interactive Media and the Exploitation of Self-Disclosure.”
  • Tom McCourt and Patrick Burkart, "When Creators, Corporations and Consumers Collide: Napster and the Development of Online Music Distribution.”
In-Class Screening
  • Downloaded (Alex Winter, 2013)

April 23 • Media Audiences and Fan Culture

Readings
  • Lawrence Grossberg, “The Affective Sensibility of Fandom.”
  • Mizuko Ito, “Japanese Media Mixes and Amateur Cultural Exchange.”
In-Class Screening
  • Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Fans of My Little Pony (Laurent Malaquais, 2013)

April 30 • Media, Citizenship, and the Public Sphere

Reading
  • Peter Dahlgren, “Mediating Democracy”
  • Stuart Cunningham, “Popular Media as Public ‘Sphericules’ for Diasporic Communities.”

May 7 • Media and Cultural Citizenship

Reading
In-Class Screening
  • The Simpsons, “Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington,” September 26, 1991.

May 14 • Governmentality and Citizenship

Readings
In-Class Screening
  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, “The Harris Family,” April 11, 2004.

May 21 • Final Exam

We will take the final exam in class today.

  • Section 3, 1:45 - 3:45 PM
  • Section 4, 6:15 – 8:15 PM