CMST 8 [001] - Rhetoric of Popular Culture, 3 units (CRN TBD)

Fall 2022, Asynchronous Online course with optional weekly live zoom meetings.

You may also view and download a google document version of the syllabus.

INSTRUCTOR: Orion Steele

OFFICE: Home Quarantine Office Spring 2022

E-MAIL: orion.steele@gmail.com

OFFICE HOURS: Monday 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. or by appt.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

• This course is a “zero materials cost” course. The required texts for this course will be distributed online through Canvas. There are many free to use resources and texts related to the academic study of rhetoric that are available online. As such, the instructor will provide PDF documents and other regular readings through Canvas. There will be about 4 movies that I will ask you to access on your own throughout the semester, and that may cost a small amount of money if you do not have access to online streaming sites.

• There is an official text for the class, but you are not required to purchase a copy of it to succeed in the course. I will be providing excerpts for any required reading. If you would like to purchase a copy of the text, the information is as follows: Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice, 4th Edition. Sonja K. Foss. Waveland Pr Inc. 2008. ISBN-13: 978-1577665861.

• This class focuses on Rhetoric of Popular Culture and as such we will spend time analyzing television, movie, music/radio and internet artifacts. You will be expected to have regular access to a computer with internet access so that you can watch/hear/read the artifacts for discussion. You will also be responsible for obtaining and watching any videos we discuss in class. Most assignments can be found on mainstream streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The bulletin describes this course as: “Studies U.S. popular culture as a means to communicate cultural values and attitudes. Evaluates popular culture in different mediums, such as advertisements, social media, television, film, and politics. Uses communication methods to develop a greater understanding of the ways communication functions as a vehicle for social change.”

In this class you will learn the art and practice of rhetorical analysis regarding popular culture. Starting with the theoretical foundations of rhetoric, we will develop a theoretical understanding of language, meaning and power as expressed in popular culture. We will discuss the features and values of different channels of communication to analyze contemporary communication artifacts (including public speeches, popular culture, art and advertising) and uncover and discuss the cultural implications of our findings.

This class will also focus on the continued development of your academic and professional writing. You will write multiple essays demonstrating complex critical thinking and high quality writing, in addition to several small writing prompts to help you develop your voice.

STUDENT EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students earning a degree in Communication Studies demonstrate articulation and use of appropriate communication theories to multiple contexts, can articulate ethical standards and engage in the ethical practice of communication, can read critically and evaluate appropriately communication scholarship, and can apply their knowledge of communication to personal, professional and political life.

We will explore rhetorical criticism as a method of analysis. This is a skills-based class designed to develop your critical thinking, reading and writing skills. We will do this by reading and discussing rhetorical theory, conducting close readings of media texts, and in-class writing workshops.

Specifically, this course should improve your ability to:

1. Assess significant examples of popular culture.

2. Explain the influence of popular culture in the construction and maintenance of identity.

3. Analyze how popular culture rhetoric communicates and constructs power.

4. Evaluate the effects of communication mediums on the meaning-making process.

5. Determine the effectiveness of popular culture rhetoric as a tool of social change.

CLASS FORMAT

A course in communication requires active participation in class discussion and exercises. In the context of our online class, participating is about regularly attending the course on canvas and completing the new module each week. Though I will provide lecture materials, instruction on activities, and facilitation of in-class discussion, it is your responsibility to participate. Please feel free to share relevant thoughts and ideas in class. Although open expression of ideas in this class is encouraged, your freedom to share your thoughts should not infringe on other students' freedom to share theirs. Please be considerate of others and of your instructor so that all can enjoy a dynamic, engaging, and comfortable environment.

A NOTE ABOUT THE PANDEMIC AND ONLINE INSTRUCTION

In addition to our asynchronous course work, I will be hosting weekly optional live zoom meetings to meet together to discuss course content. I will be recording all of our live zoom sessions and posting them for students who could not attend. Attending our live meetings is optional. You can succeed in this course and complete all of the work without attending the live meetings. However, I hope that you will choose to attend the live meetings because they offer an opportunity for us to develop a sense of community and interact with each other concerning a variety of critical topics.

Everyone has experienced tremendous struggles throughout the COVID pandemic and that requires flexibility and understanding. I will act with maximum humanity, compassion, and understanding, and I will work with you if you need help or accommodations.

CLASS POLICIES

Course Communication Policy

Over the course of our class, I will be present and engaged in all class discussions and forums. I will read everything that you contribute to the class and I promise to respond with meaningful feedback to your thoughts and expressions. While I may not be able to respond to every single message on a discussion board, I will read and participate in each discussion. Additionally, I want you to know that you can reach out for additional communication whenever you wish. You may always send me messages using the Canvas Inbox, or direct email, and I will respond to your messages within 48 hours of receiving them. Please keep in mind that I often travel on weekends to support the debate team, and so weekend messages might have a delayed response. I have regular office hours online on Monday from 3pm to 4pm, so you can drop in to speak with me live over zoom during that time. If that does not work, then you can request an office hour appointment at a time that works for both of us and I will ensure that I am available to meet with you at that time.

Drop Policy

In general, I do not take preemptive action to drop students from my classes. In other words, I will try to avoid administrative withdrawals for this class. I do not plan on dropping anyone from the course unless they communicate a desire to do so within the drop period. There is one exception to this general rule: Each semester, there is a census date upon which I must drop students who have not appeared or participated in any way. If you have not completed the required items in Module 1 by the census date, then I will interpret that to mean that you are a "no show" and drop you from the course as required by university policy.

If you appear for the beginning of the class, but stop engaging after that initial appearance, then I will reach out to you over email to see if we can work together to find a strategy for catching up. I want everyone in this class to succeed and I will provide accommodations and alternative assignments to help any student who expresses a desire to complete the course. Again, I do not plan on dropping students who have appeared in the course but stopped engaging after an initial appearance, unless those students directly communicate a desire to drop the course.

Late Work Policy

This class is designed to be as flexible as possible so that you have the freedom to engage with the material at a level that works for you. For that reason, there is no late work penalty in this class. Each module has several assignments to complete before moving on to the next section, but those assignments have "soft" deadlines to keep material spaced out. I recommend that you plan to complete each module so that you can complete work before the posted soft deadline. However, the assignments in this class will never close. In other words, our modules and assignments will never become unavailable to you throughout the semester. If you miss a deadline for an assignment, then that is ok! You may complete the assignment after the soft due date and still receive full credit for the work. All work is on time. There is only one real deadline in this class, and that is the date that I turn in my final grades at the end of the semester. As long as you are able to submit your assignments to me before the final date for me to turn in grades, then you will receive credit for that work with no late penalty.

The COVID pandemic has invited me to reflect on my own teaching practices as an instructor, and it has affected my feelings about late work. Everyone has experienced tremendous struggles throughout the COVID pandemic and that requires flexibility and understanding. Some people are out of work, some people are sick or caring for those who are sick, and some people have trouble connecting at reliable times. I will act with maximum humanity, compassion, and understanding, and I will work with you if you need help or accommodations.

Plagiarism Policy

Required language from CCSF: Plagiarism occurs when a student misrepresents the work of another as his or her own. Plagiarism may consist of using the ideas, sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text of another without appropriate acknowledgement, but it also includes employing or allowing another person to write or substantially alter work that a student then submits as his or her own. Any assignment found to be plagiarized will be given an “F” grade (i.e. zero points). All instances of plagiarism in the Communication Studies department will be reported to the Department Chair, and may be reported to the Dean of the College and/or University Judicial Affairs Officer for further action.

Disability Policy

I want everyone in this class to succeed and I will offer any accommodations you may need. Please let me know if you have a disability that might affect your participation or study in this class and we can work to develop a plan to help you succeed. The instructor will, of course, keep this information in strict confidence. You should also contact the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) for any other accommodations.

EVALUATION

Activities

As with all communication studies courses, this class requires active participation to succeed. As a participant in an online course, you have many different options about how to actively participate:

Option 1 - You may attend our live optional weekly zoom meetings to discuss course content and cultivate a sense of community. We will meet every Thursday evening from 6pm to 8pm (Pacific Time). You may access our live weekly zoom meetings by clicking on the link that says CityZoom on the left hand course navigation bar.

Option 2 - You may participate in optional online class discussion forums throughout the semester. Each module has a discussion forum at the end for students to ask questions, discuss artifacts of popular culture, and offer arguments and analyses.

I will actively participate in all live and online class discussions as much as possible. However, it is important to keep in mind that the participation portion of your final grade does not depend on your participation in optional class discussions (whether they be live over zoom or written as part of the discussion forum). Rather, your final participation grade at the end of the semester will be determined based on whether you completed each of the requirements from each module posted on Canvas.

Written Assignments

1. Reaction Papers – Typed notes in direct response to the assigned readings that review and identify major and important concepts from the reading and/or videos. Each one should be no more than 1 page and each is worth 5 points. You will complete 10 of these reaction papers over the course of the semester.

2. Analysis Paper – You will prepare a typed, 3-page essay analyzing an artifact in the context of an appropriate rhetorical method. This paper is worth 30 points.

3. Mid Term Exam – The Mid Term will be a take-home exam on the theoretical concepts underlying a rhetorical criticism of popular culture artifacts. This will be a short answer and essay exam, worth 20 points. The mid-term exam will be open book, open note, open internet. You may use any resources available to you to help with the mid-term.

4. Final Research Paper and Presentation – This assignment will be a typed, 5-page rhetorical criticism. Students will have the opportunity to turn in a draft of the paper (introduction, artifact description, methodology and theoretical framework, findings, discussion) for instructor and peer feedback, before refining and polishing the final paper. Students will be required to present their findings at the end of the semester. The presentation is worth 20 points. The final paper is worth an additional 50 points.

GRADING

In addition to regularly participating in class discussion forums, I will provide written feedback about every single one of your written assignments throughout the semester. For manually graded assignments, I will aim to return your work within one week of the due date. You are welcome to re-submit work after making any remediations, and I will adjust any score based on your re-submission.

It is very important that you read all the valuable feedback and suggestions for improvement that you receive throughout the course, and incorporate the feedback. Please review the Canvas Guides for how to access feedback How do I view my grades in a current course?

The following table indicates the number of points and the percent of total possible points associated with each grade. At the end of the semester, your final grade will be determined by the total number of points achieved during the class. Plus and minus will be used for my own calculation purposes but will not be used in final grade calculation. City College does not use plus or minus final grades.

Grade

Percentage of Possible Points

A

93 - 100

A-

90 - 92.9

B+

87 - 89.9

B

83 - 86.9

B-

80 - 82.9

C+

77 - 79.9

C

73 - 76.9

C-

70 - 72.9

D+

67 - 69.9

D

63 - 66.9

D-

60 - 62.9

F

59.9 or below

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Assignment

Possible Points

Reaction Papers

50

Analysis Paper

30

Midterm

20

Final Paper Presentation

20

Final Paper

50

Participation

30

Total

200

Paper Grading

Papers are graded on the basis of effort that students put into the project. Trying hard and taking risks will pay off. It is clear to me when a student does not prepare effectively for a paper and that is where points are lost. Here are some general guidelines for paper grades:

A papers go beyond merely providing information on a generic topic; they adopt unique, audience-aware angles of presentation; they are well supported with sound reasoning and a variety of well-researched evidence, are clearly organized, with a thesis statement, revealed through well researched analysis. A papers engage the assignments seriously and creatively, and project a tone that enhances the purpose of the paper.

B papers meet all the basic assignment requirements, and provide well-reasoned arguments in an appropriate manner. They use transitional elements effectively, and possess an adequate amount of internal coherence and consistency.

C papers follow the basic requirements of the assignment, but may be deficient in one or more ways in the areas described above. (e.g., a well-crafted paper that otherwise may be an "A" or "B" speech will probably get a "C" if it has extensive grammar/editing mistakes, misinterprets major theories or misapplies concepts).

D and F papers are seriously deficient in meeting one or more basic requirements of the assignment. (e.g., an organized interesting paper may receive a "D" or "F" grade if it is unapologetically offensive).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR CMST 8 (001)

Date

Day

Topic

9/1

Thursday

Welcome and Introductions

9/8

Thursday

Ideological Criticism: American Beauty

9/15

Thursday

Aristotelian Criticism: Aliens and Aristotle

9/22

Thursday

Foucault and Nickelodeon Cartoons / Disney

9/29

Thursday

Narrative Criticism: Comic Book Heroes and Ethics

10/6

Thursday

Metaphorical Criticism: Zombies and Immigration

10/13

Thursday

Culture and Identity: Race and Gender

10/20

Thursday

Visual Activism - Art and Photography for Social Change

10/27

Thursday

Music Festivals and the Temporary Autonomous Zone

11/3

Thursday

Video Game Legacies

11/10

Thursday

Willy Wonka and the Psychoanalysis Factory

11/17

Thursday

Baudrillard: Social media and Simulation

11/24

Thursday

No Class - Thanksgiving Holiday

12/1

Thursday

Commodify Your Dissent - Pop Culture and Capitalism

12/8

Thursday

Student Presentations

12/15

Thursday

Last Class - Goodbye and Final Thoughts