EMAC 6365.

501
Journalism and the Digital Network
Spring 2015
ATC 2.918
T 7:00-9:45pm
Contact Information
Angela M. Lee, Ph.D.
Phone: 972-883-7539
Email: angela.lee@utdallas.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Office: ATC 1.907
Course Description
New media technology and different digital platforms are altering the relationship
between journalists and audiences. In the context of this emerging media landscape, we
will explore the nature, promises, and limitations of contemporary journalism in
informing, engaging and entertaining the public.
Learning Objectives
In this course, students will:
Examine the nature, promises, and pitfalls of contemporary journalism by actively
participating in class discussions and completing a number of reading responses;
Explore the impact of digital technology on journalism through a series of in-class
exercises;
Develop critical thinking skills by participating in team debates;
Learn to be creative in thinking about the future of journalism and present novel
solutions to the problems that the industry is facing in the final presentation.
Required Readings
There are no assigned textbooks for students to purchase. Instead, all of the readings are
available online and their links can be found on the course calendar below. Be sure to
check the course calendar regularly and complete all assigned readings before class.
Additional Course Requirements

Access to a computer (some in-class exercises may require that you bring a laptop
to class)
An active email account that is checked every day
Be in class on time

Course Syllabus

Page 1

Course Policies

Students should familiarize themselves with official UTD course policies, which
can be found here: http://provost.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies/
No plagiarism. In particular, you should familiarize yourself with the concept of
plagiarism see the Avoiding Plagiarism section from the link above.
Plagiarism is NOT tolerated in this course. If you have any questions about this,
ask me before you turn in an assignment.
No late assignment. Many assignments are due in class. Unless otherwise
arranged with me prior to the deadline, late assignments are not accepted and will
automatically result in a zero.
Attendance. Our class meetings are an integral part of the learning experience for
the students. As such, you are expected to attend class, complete in-class
exercises or quizzes, and participate actively in class discussions. Arriving more
than 30 minutes late or leaving more than 30 minutes early will be marked as
absent.
Religious holidays. You must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen
days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a
class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a
religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work
within a reasonable time after the absence.
Disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior is defined as behavior that interrupts
or interferes with daily functions of the University of the education processes by
the Dean of Students at UTD. To create a safe and welcoming environment for
learning, no disruptive behavior is allowed in this class. Students who make
inappropriate (e.g., hostile or threatening) remarks in class will be reported to the
Dean of Students. Also, Please silence your phone so it does not disrupt other
students learning experience.
Communication. In this class, e-mail will be used as a means of communication
with students. You are responsible for checking your e-mail every day for class
work and announcements.

Grading Policy

Class Participation (20%) This course is designed to be interactive and

participatory. Students are expected to attend class, arrive on time, participate in
class discussions and debates, and respond to class readings regularly. All
students are permitted three class absences over the course of the semester, no
questions asked, but there will be no make-ups for in-class exercises or quizzes.
Students who miss more than five class meetings will receive a zero for
participation. You are asked to use all electronic devices for class purposes only.
Students who are caught surfing the Internet in class, for example, will lose
participation points and be reported to the Dean of Students.
Reading responses (20%) You are expected to write at least 5 reading
responses throughout the semester. There is only one rule for the reading

Course Syllabus

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responsesdo NOT summarize the readings. Instead, please feel free to use these
opportunities to share your view on, or raise questions about, the readings, discuss
issues related to or inspired by the readings, and/or bring up reading-related topics
for class discussion, etc. You are encouraged to synthesize the readings in your
responses. Because your reading responses will be incorporated into the lecture,
they are due at noon on the Monday before class (i.e., if you want to respond to
the Week 2 (1/20) readings, your first response will be due at noon on 1/19).
Please keep in mind that there are only 8 opportunities to do the reading responses
this semester and plan accordingly. No late responses are accepted, and you will
need to add a label to your responses on Blogger in order to receive credit.
Debate (20%) Fostering critical thinking skills is important to this class. As
such, you will participate in a group debate. The topics will be announced before
spring break.
In-class Exam (20%) April 14. To assess your understanding of class
materials, this closed-book exam will cover major concepts covered in lecture and
readings. No make-up exam is allowed unless it is for medical reasons, which
requires a doctors note. The exam comprises of multiple choice and T/F
questions. Make-up exams, on the other hand, may entail fill-in-the-blanks and
short answer questions in addition to a different set of multiple choice and T/F
questions to ensure that the exam is fair to all students.
Final presentation (20%) To be discussed in class.

Grading Scheme
A = 93 or above
A- = 90-92
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79

C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
D+ = 67-69
D = 63-66
D- = 60-62
F = 59 or below

Please form a study group and write down the contact information of other members here
(Name, email and/or phone number).
1.
2.
3.

Course Syllabus

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Our course blogs URL is: emac6365s15.blogspot.com.

Course Calendar & Readings
Week 1
1/13
Week 2
1/20

Introduction & Overview

Questions:
What is journalism/news?
Why study journalism?

Read before class:

- CAJ What is journalism?:
http://bit.ly/what-is-journalism
- Columbia Journalism Review who,
what, when, where, why, and how:
http://bit.ly/CJR_define_journalism
- Debate Does journalism education
matter?:
http://bit.ly/journalism_matters_2006
- American Press Institute The
elements of journalism:
http://bit.ly/elements_of_journalism
- Mike Carter FBI created fake
Seattle Times Web page to nab
bomb-threat suspect:
http://bit.ly/fakeSeattleTimes

Week 3
1/27

Questions:
How is news produced?
Who is a journalist?

Read before class:

- David Manning White The gate
keeper: A case study in the selection
of news:
http://bit.ly/white_gatekeeper
- Warren Breed Social control in the
newsroom-a functional analysis:
http://bit.ly/breed_social_control
- Gregg Leslie Who is a journalist
and why does it matter?
http://bit.ly/define_journalist
- Tadhg Kelly What is journalism
anymore? http://tcrn.ch/13ACRJZ
- Wikipedia Citizen journalism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_j
ournalism

Week 4
2/3

Questions:
Does journalism matter?
To whom?

Read before class:

- Peter Levine Journalism and
Democracy: Does it matter how well
the press covers Iraq?:
http://bit.ly/PeterLevine
- Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul

Course Syllabus

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Waldman The press as storyteller:

http://bit.ly/The_Press_Effect_Ch1
-

William Comcowich PR puzzle:

Does traditional media matter much
anymore?
http://bit.ly/does_traditional_media_
matter
Asawin Suebsaeng Last Week
Tonight does real journalism, no
matter what John Oliver says:
http://bit.ly/John_Oliver_Journalism
Tony Rogers Why dont young
people follow the news more closely?
http://bit.ly/Tony_Rogers

Week 5
2/10

Questions:
How are news values defined by the (1)
supply and (2) demand sides?

Week 6
2/17

Questions:
Read before class:
How does/should journalism make money
- Iris Chyi Paying for what, how
(1) offline and (2) online?
much, and why (not)?:
http://bit.ly/chyi_paying_for_what
- Bettig & Hall The news and
advertising industries: On eLearning
- Jer Thorp You are not your browser
history:
http://bit.ly/browserhistory100714
- Matt Carlson native ads, comic
stream version:
http://bit.ly/mattcarlson
Questions:
Read before class:
Why is the news industry in trouble?
- Reuters Institute for the Study of
Future of journalism?
Journalism Paying for digital news:

Week 7
2/24

Course Syllabus

Read before class:

- Boczkowski & Peer The choice
gap: On eLearning
- Tom Stafford Why bad news
dominates the headlines:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/201
40728-why-is-all-the-news-bad
- Alain de Botton The News: A
Users Manual A Little Hope:
http://bit.ly/de_botton_good_news
- Philip Bump Study shows the
media has a clear bias in favor of
dogs: http://bit.ly/philipbump

Page 5

http://bit.ly/Reuters_Paying_for_New
s
Robert Kaiser The bad news about
the news:
http://bitly.com/robertkaiser
Robert Picard - Twilight or new dawn
of journalism?: On eLearning
Chyi et al. A matter of life and
death? Examining how newspapers
covered the newspaper crisis:
http://bit.ly/death_narrative

Week 8
3/3

Question:
Is offline or online better for news
consumption?
How do we encourage news
consumption?

Read before class:

- Philip Napoli the transformation of
audience information system: on
eLearning
- Joathan Stray Metrics, metrics
everywhere: How do you measure the
impact of journalism?:
http://bit.ly/measure_journalism_imp
act
- Tewksbury & Rittenberg Offline
and online news content:
http://bit.ly/Tewksbury_Rittenberg_2
012
- Pew Research Center How
Americans get TV news at home:
http://bit.ly/tv_news_consumption
- Angela Lee and Iris Chyi
Motivational consumption model:
Exploring the psychological structure
of news use:
http://bit.ly/Motivational_Consumpti
on_Model

Week 9
3/10

Questions:
How have social media transformed
journalism? How may emerging media
transform journalism?

Read before class:

- ING 2014 study impact of social
media on news:
http://bit.ly/ING_study
- Pew Research Center 8 key
takeaways about social media and
news: http://bit.ly/social_and_news
- Pew Research Center Twitter news
consumers:
http://bit.ly/Twitter_news_consumers
- Stuart Dredge Social media,

Course Syllabus

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journalism and wars: Authenticity has

replaced authority:
http://bit.ly/Dredge_social_j
Week 10
3/17
Week 11
3/24

Spring Break
Final presentation consultation

Bring your ideas for the final presentation

Week 12
3/31
Week 13
4/7

Debates

Due in class
- Debate evaluation forms
- If you have any questions or concerns
about the exam, this would be a good
time to bring them up.

Week 14
4/14
Week 15
4/21
Week 16
4/28

In-class exam

Field day for final presentation

Exam Q&A
Debate outcome announcement

Final presentations

No class

Exam date

Optional consultation available upon

request
Due in class
- Optional team evaluation

The descriptions and timelines contained in this syllabus are subject to change at the
discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus

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