Professor: Office: Office hours: Office phone: E-mail: Course website:

John F. Clark 217 Grehan Building MTWR 10:00 AM ­ 11:00 AM and by appointment 257-2810 jclark@pop.uky.edu http://www.uky.edu/~jclark/tel101

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is a pre-major requirement for those of you who want to become Telecommunications majors. Of course, it's open to everyone enrolled as an undergraduate at the university -- I'm glad to have you, whatever your reason for taking the class. If you haven't decided on a major yet, I hope you choose Telecommunications. I did, and I haven't regretted it. A career in Telecommunications is literally the most wide-ranging and exciting professional path you can take in today's world.

Here's the description of the course in the official university bulletin: "An overview of electronic technologies used for mass communication, emphasizing their historical development and interrelationships with economics, policy, and society. These include one-way media such as broadcast radio, television, and cable, as well as newer technologies such as wireless cable, HDTV, and other multi-channel video systems. The convergence of technologies is addressed in the treatment of two-way systems now being used for mass communication, including the Internet, World Wide Web, and other interactive communication systems."

With all that said, what I hope to do for you is outline the main events in the evolution of electronic media; help you make the distinction between mass media and other forms of telecommunications (in an age where it's becoming increasingly hard to do); increase your understanding of what makes mass media "work" and why regulatory agencies place limitations on electronic media; explain the differences among government-operated, public service, and commercial systems; and describe areas of concern about the social impacts and constitutional issues of mass media, hopefully provoking some discussion and debate on these interesting topics.

REQUIRED READING

There is only one medium-sized, moderately priced book that you are required to buy. It is:

Head, S.W., et al. (1998). Broadcasting in America: A Survey of Electronic Media (8th ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

EVALUATION EXPECTATIONS

Your grade for this course will be based on your weighted and averaged scores for a research paper, a mid-term examination, a final examination, seven quizzes, and your attendance in class.

Research Paper Mid-term exam Final exam Quizzes Class Attendance

20% 20% 20% 35% 5%

Research Paper: You will be writing a formal research paper (might as well get used to it) on a topic of your choosing within the very broad field of electronic mass media. Part of your grade will be based on a number of preliminary steps you take -- at intervals throughout the semester, you will be expected to submit a topic for my approval, a expanded topic paragraph, an annotated bibliography, and a two-page outline of the paper. The completed paper will be six to eight pages in length and will conform to APA style. I will provide you with further guidelines and a list of possible topics later in the semester.

Examinations: Both of the exams will consist of a number of multiple-choice, true or false, and/or matching questions, along with one or two essay questions. The final will not be comprehensive, and will cover only the second half of the semester. In the interests of higher academic success, as exam time draws near I will provide you with most or all of my lecture notes and a general indication of the nature of several potential essay questions. These will be accessed from the class website.

Quizzes: There will be seven quizzes, each consisting of ten multiple-choice, true or false, and/or matching questions. Each quiz will be worth five percent of your grade, and all seven will constitute 35 percent of your grade. There isnıt really any traditional "homework" in this class, so the purpose of the quizzes is simply to help ensure that you do the required reading for the course so that we may have some coherent discussion. Therefore, the subject material of each quiz will be the reading due on the date the quiz is given.

Attendance: Attendance for each class is strictly voluntary. Itıs not my responsibility to make sure you come to class. After all, each of you is old enough to drive, vote, serve in the military, think for yourself, and bear the consequences of your actions. With that said, the consequences of your actions if you miss class will be the loss of five percent of your attendance grade for every absence, unless you notify me of your absence beforehand or have a verifiable excuse after the fact. Wise students will let me know when and why they have to miss class before they miss it.

Grading Policy:

A   B C D E

Excellent work, 90 -- 100 Good work, 80 -- 89 Barely satisfactory work, 70 -- 79 Inferior work, 60 -- 69 Unacceptable work, below 60

THE USUAL WARNINGS

Make-up exams and quizzes will not be allowed without a valid and verifiable reason. The definition of valid and verifiable is left totally to my discretion. It is presumed that all work submitted for a grade is the original work of the student whose name appears on it, and that the work was prepared expressly for this course. Any student caught copying from another's exam or quiz or in any way plagiarizing from any source, whether published or not, will be sanctioned according to University rules. At the very least, he or she will receive a failing grade for the course.

CLASS SCHEDULE