Week 1

Greeting from Haveman Media Conglomerate President Theodore Haveman

INTRODUCTION:  Welcome to the Haveman Media Empire!  If you want to get anywhere in this company you’re going to have to need to know some basics about the mass media here in United States. For some background, read chapter 1 in the textbook.  That’ll get you up to speed on one of the main things are going to need to succeed in this company: media literacy.  Then jump over to the Chronicle’s automated Blackboard Performance Evaluation System (administered by Chronicle Human Resources) and take the quiz on Chapter 1 so we know you’re up to speed.

The Haveman Chronicle, the newspaper side of the Haveman media empire, is focusing on how the media influence our thoughts and behavior this week.  We need to find a human side to the story, so watch a movie or TV show and then write a 500 word story on how that media experience impacted you, even if only temporarily.  For example, whenever I watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition it made me wish I had a better house. Before I watched the program, it really wasn’t much of a concern.  Look for a media experience that you’re confident will change your view of the world for at least a little while.

Finally, because we believe that our employees should have a chance to talk about where we should take our company, every week our staff meets in the Conference Room and takes on a question about a current issue in one of our media arms.  This week, though, we’d just like to get to know you a bit better and how the mass media has influenced you.

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

  1. Define Mass Media and Communication
  2. Discuss Concerns with Mass Media
  3. Media Literacy Goals for the Semester

READING:  Chapter 1 “Mass Communication, Culture, and Media Literacy’

QUIZ:  Chapter 1 Quiz

ASSIGNMENT:  Watch a movie or TV show and submit a 500 word story on your worldview/personal status before your engagement with the medium and after.  What were you thinking about before you watched the program?  After?  Be specific about how exactly the program affected what you were thinking about after the program.  I’m looking for change.  How did it change you, or at least what you were thinking about, even if just temporarily?  The Mass Media doesn’t always tell us what to think, but what to think about.

How do you turn this in?  Post it by hitting “+ New’ at the top of the WordPress dashboard and typing in your  assignment. Make sure to use the “Assignments’ category listed on the right side of the page and put “Week [#]: [Your Name]’ in the subject heading. Then, head over to Submitted Assignments and see how it looks! Read the submissions of your peers and give constructive feedback.

DISCUSSION:  Our staff would like to get to know you better. Head on over to the Conference Room and reply to the discussion post about times in your life in which the media had a significant impact on your thoughts/behavior.