Anthropology / Sociology at EOU

Number of credits: 2 (this is a DDE weekend course)

Course time(s): Normally taught once in the fall, spring, and summer

General Education: SSC (Social Sciences); CO (Communication in 'old' gen-ed)

Catalog description: This course is a brief introduction into some of the ways in which commercial and corporate news media distort and filter news, how propaganda is targeted at news consumers and the public, and what people can do to protect themselves against commercial campaigns often disguised as news.

Prerequisites: Soc 205 or consent of instructor, at least sophomore standing.

Most current syllabus : Fall 2007

Textbooks used:

• Project Censored. 2004. Censored 2005: The Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2003-2004. Peter Phillips and Project Censored (eds). New York: Seven Stories Press. (we will use the most current edition)
• Richard Paul and Linda Elder. 2004. The thinker's guide to fallacies: The art of mental trickery and manipulation. Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.
  

General topics covered: commercial media bias, censorship, propaganda, techniques of deception, media literacy, alternative media

Learning outcomes

1. analyze media bias arguments and identify 'liberal' and 'conservative' viewpoints;
2. identify deceptive techniques of persuasion used in news stories;
3. explain how commercial news filters operate to censor some stories.
   

Examines the commercial and alternative news media, how political bias is expressed and news is filtered, how deceptive techniques are employed within and outside the news media, and what alternative, non-commercial sources are available and accessible.

The object of this course is to provide students with a framework for understanding news media and their effects on political processes and public opinion.