JMS 708
M 4-5:15 p.m.
1126 Greenspun Hall

Instructor: Gregory Borchard, Ph.D.
Telephone: (O) 702-895-4868
Office: 2134 Greenspun Hall
gregory.borchard@unlv.edu
Office Hours: M 10am-1pm; T 10-11am;
R 11-noon; and by appointment

Course Overview: Welcome to Journalism and Media Studies Colloquium, a 1-credit, S/N, introductory required core class for JMS graduate students. This course provides an overview of the fields and interrelationships of journalism and media studies. You will review and preview past, present, and future issues in JMS, including the theories, methods, and research skills you will encounter in the graduate program. You will also get hands-on experience as you explore literature and apply thoughts and ideas in a written assignment. This course provides an overview of what it means to study journalism and media studies at the graduate level, where we emphasize research more than courses at the undergraduate studies. You will begin looking at the most important contemporary issues in JMS scholarship and be exposed to research underway in the department, elsewhere at UNLV, and in the field more generally. You will learn to use the library and other tools and resources in the ways necessary to support your own graduate endeavors, demonstrating your familiarity with these resources through a written project due at the end of the semester.

Required Textbooks
• Barzun, Jacques and Henry F. Graff. The Modern Researcher. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2004.

Attendance: Please attend every class. Attendance is required for credit. Your success in this course will depend on active class participation and discussion. If you know you cannot attend a particular class, please notify the instructor in advance.

Academic Honesty: Be aware of UNLV's commitment to academic honesty. Review policies on cheating, plagiarism, and academic dishonesty. Students enrolling in UNLV assume the obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with UNLV's function as an educational institution. An example of academic misconduct is plagiarism.
• Plagiarism is a serious offense — in this course, at the university, and in media careers. You must attribute information to a source appropriately. If you use information from a publication, you must credit that publication. Using someone else's work as your own will result in a zero ("F") for an assignment. Plagiarism may also result in an "F" for the class, and in some cases, it can lead to expulsion from the University.
• When you have time out of class to work on an assignment, you must do your own work. Friends may proofread, but the research and writing must be yours.
• Please notify me if you are aware of a climate that promotes academic dishonesty.

Copyright: The University requires all members of the University Community to be familiar with and to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The University will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liability as well as disciplinary action under University policies. To familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright Web site at <copyright>.

Office Hours: I will hold office during the hours listed in this syllabus, and can be available at other hours by appointment. You can discuss specific questions you may have or review your work to see how it may be refined.

Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the Disability Resource Center for the coordination of services. The DRC coordinates all academic accommodations for students with documented disabilities, and is the official office to review and house disability documentation for students, and to provide them with an official Academic Accommodation Plan to present to the faculty if an accommodation is warranted. The DRC strongly encourages faculty to provide accommodations only if they are in receipt of said plan. Faculty should not provide students accommodations without being in receipt of this plan. UNLV complies with the provisions set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, offering reasonable accommodations to qualified students with documented disabilities. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC), Room 137, and the contact numbers are: VOICE (702) 895-0866, TTY (702) 895-0652, FAX (702) 895-0651. For additional information, please visit <disability>.

Grading for the Course: You will receive a pass or fail mark for the colloquium based on the following criteria:
1) 50 percent attendance: You must attend every session. If you miss three or more meetings, you receive a zero for attendance and must re-register for the class another semester to continue JMS program.
2) 50 percent: A presentation of a topic idea from a Prospectus draft. The presentation will take place toward the end of the semester and feature materials you have collected about a particular topic in JMS. We will discuss the components of a prospectus throughout the semester.

Schedule

Aug. 25: Intros; Course Overview

Sept. 1: Labor Day (class does not meet); Read: Barzun and Graff, Chs. 2-7, 10, 11.

For the Sept. 8 Lied Library Session: Develop a topic idea—preliminary only, but you should write in a few paragraphs a general description with a focus, a summary of "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," and "how," using as much specific detail as possible. Include a "so what?" sentence, and citations for at least three related sources. Before Sept. 8 (by Thursday, Sept. 4), email Dr. Borchard a Word attachment with these materials.

Sept. 8: Meet in Pioche Room at Lied Library, Susie Skarl, JMS resources (arrive on time, ready to discuss your topics).

Sept. 15: Greg Borchard, faculty research

Sept. 22: Stephen Bates, faculty research

Sept. 29: Julian Kilker, faculty research

Oct. 6: Gary Larson, faculty research;
For Oct. 13, watch <The Long Road to Decatur>.

Oct. 13: Larry Mullen; For Oct. 20, watch <The Mean World Syndrome>, and find these via <jstor.org>.

• Hughes, "The Fruits of Cultivation Analysis: A Reexamination of Some Effects of Television Watching"
• McCombs and Shaw, "The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media"

Oct. 20: Paul Traudt, faculty research

Oct. 27: Olesya Venger, faculty research

Nov. 3: Prospectus discussion

Nov. 10: TBA

Nov. 17: Prospectus presentations

Nov. 24: Prospectus presentations

Dec. 1: Study Week (class does not meet)

Dec. 8: Projects Due