Required readings for COMT 425/525

January 17:

"Americans Will Devote Half Their Lives to Forms of Media Next Year" by Janet Kornblum (USA Today, December 14, 2006)

"Fatter, Taller, and Thirstier Americans" by Sam Roberts (New York Times, December 15, 2006)

Introduction to Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives by Todd Gitlin (New York: Henry Holt, 2001).

February 7:

"Commercial Media and Corporate Presence in the K-12 Classroom" by Margaret Cassidy (in Critical Studies in Media Commercialism, edited by Robin Andersen and Lance Strate; Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2000). [NOTE: This reading can also be found (1) on electronic reserve via the library web site; and (2) at the library's reserve desk in 2 forms: as a stand-alone article and as a chapter in the Andersen & Strate book.]

February 26:

"From Flick to Flack: The Increased Emphasis on Marketing by Media Entertainment Professionals" by Matthew P. McAllister (in Critical Studies in Media Commercialism, edited by Robin Andersen and Lance Strate; Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2000). [Note: This reading is found only in the Andersen/Strate book, which is on reserve at the library.]

March 12:

Introduction to Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives by Todd Gitlin (New York: Henry Holt, 2001). [Yes, this is the same reading we looked at the first day of class--but it's even more relevant now, as we begin our media-ecology unit.]

March 26:

"The Social Effects of Commercial Television" by Neil Postman (in Critical Studies in Media Commercialism, edited by Robin Andersen and Lance Strate; Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2000). [Note: This reading is found only in the Andersen/Strate book, which is on reserve at the library.]

April 26:

selected articles from TIME's "Person of the Year" issue (December 25, 2006/January 1, 2007):

- "Now it's Your Turn" by Richard Stengel

- "Time's Person of the Year: You" by Lev Grossman

- "Andy was Right" by Josh Tyrangiel

- "The Beast with a Billion Eyes" by Jamie Poniewozik

- "Enough about You" by Brian Williams (yes, that Brian Williams!)

- "It's All about Us" by Steven Johnson (yes, that Steven Johnson!)

[Note: You can also find copies of these and other articles from the "Person of the Year" issue at the reserve desk at the library. The library should also have their own original of the issue. You can also find these articles on electronic reserve on the library's web site.]