Week 1, Day 1: Welcome & Blog Set-Up

REVIEW SYLLABUS  It is on Blackboard.

CREATE  A new blog using Blogger.com. If you have an old blog, don't use it. Start a fresh blog for this class. 

WRITE  An About Me gadget in the sidebar — using the Blogger-generated profile or a blank text box or both.


READ  The instructions and tips in the tab above labeled Blog Prompt. See at the end a few tips about hallmarks of a good blog post.

BROWSE  The links in the right-hand column that will take you to blogs created by students last spring — and use them as models. 

Getting Started

— When you sign into Blogger.com, the first thing it will ask you to do is pick a URL. Try your name first. If Blogger says it's not available, try adding 1450 to make it unique. So mine might look like this: deansmith1450.

— During that step, Blogger will also ask you to make up a title for your blog. This blog will be specific to this class, so it can be something related to the title of the course, Media Law & Literacy. Be straightforward or be creative. Doesn't matter because you can always change it later.

— Next, Blogger will ask you to choose a template. Don't fret much about this because you can always change it later. Start by picking one under the theme SIMPLE or PICTURE WINDOW.

— Now that you've created a blog, Blogger will put you in the editing view. Look for POSTS in the left hand column and click that. Now look for NEW POST and click that.

BLOG POST #1  Tell us about your TOP FIVE SOURCES OF NEWS AND INFORMATION. Link to them so we can check them out. Write ONE PARAGRAPH for EACH ONE telling us why you like them and why you would recommend them to us.

PRO TIP

Look at the blog rolls on the right hand side of this page. Click on some of the links to see how students have managed their blogs in past classes. Have fun with it!

Week 1, Day 2: Six Freedoms of the First Amendment

LECTURE  Six Clauses, or Six Freedoms, of the First Amendment.

It is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQgSF-L1lws&t=308s


NOTE-TAKING  Watch the video and take notes just as if you were in class with me. Careful, detailed note-taking will help you ace all of the semester's open-note quizzes.

EXPLORE  The website of the First Amendment Center at the Freedom Forum Institute.

FILL OUT   A mini-bio survey — and introduce yourself! Go to Blackboard, then Discussions and see the first discussion thread.

Week 2, Day 1: The Founding Era

RECITATION  The Founding Era & the Idea of America.

VIDEO  — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piN6uMrXzMM&t=194s

VIDEO — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfl2NBfvff4&t=32s 

VIDEO — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvayjZizPEo

NOTE-TAKING  Recreate the Founding Era Timeline as accurately as you can. Watch for terms/concepts such as Judicial Review, precedent, stare decisis, sedition, certiorari, positive vs. negative rights, prior restraints vs. subsequent punishments, etc.

BLOG POST #2   About the history and workings of the U.S. Supreme Court using this 20-minute video as a jumping off point — Part I and Part II. 

 Reflect on these questions:

• What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know?

• What is the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court?

• What was the most surprising thing you learned?

• How did the video change the way you thought of the Supreme Court?

Week 2, Day 2: Eight Values of Free Expression

REFLECT   We have talked a lot about the emergence and evolution of the First Amendment. We talked about what Jefferson, Madison and the other founders thought about the importance of freedom of speech, press, etc. Then we talked about how those ideas finally started to take shape with theories like the Marketplace of Ideas in 1919.

CLICK  On the tab at the top of the class blog labeled SPEECH THEORIES. Here what I've done is summarize the eight theories that scholars use to describe WHY freedom of expression is so important to us as Americans.

REFLECT   On the Eight Values of Free Expression. Think about which one resonates most with you. Which ones feel most important? Which ones feel most personal to you? Which one do you see in action today? (You can choose more than one.)  

CONNECT   This is also a chance to practice second-level thinking. Talk to each other about issues we've talked about so far. Talk about news that is happening right now. Think about technologies that you rely on, like social media. Now, think about connecting up one or more of those ideas to one of the theories. In other words, connect up a specific thing, like social media, to one of the theories. Think about how a theory can help explain something going on in the real world.

BLOG POST #3 — Write a post based on the directions above. This is a KEY POST of at least 500 words. Be sure to think about hallmarks of a good blog post — links to sources, visuals, point of view. Be expressive and share your thoughts! Make this one special!

Week 3, Day 1: EOTO Com Tech Timeline

Do you know where this mural is on the HPU campus? 

EOTO   Stands for Each One Teach One. Rather than my lecture about the development of communication technologies, YOU will take the helm and teach the rest of us, including me. Yes, I always learn something new when students do the research and presentations instead of me.

CLICK   On the photo above and browse the technologies on offer. Here are more ides that are not on the mural: Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Phonograph, Motion Pictures, VCR, Bluetooth, Hulu.

PICK   A technology that you would like to research.

RESEARCH  The technology of your choosing. Try to go beyond Google. For example, try Google Scholar instead.

BLOG #4  Do a KEY POST based on your research for this EOTO project. This will be graded as a separate assignment. Make this post 500 words minimum. Be sure to think about hallmarks of a good blog post — at least one visual element and at least one link. But since this is a special assignment, I think you should do more. Make it special! 

• History: Who invented your technology? What were the circumstances? What problem were they trying to solve with their invention? 
• Impact: How did the invention change our world? What problems did it solve? How did it change communication? Did it have any negative effects?

Week 3, Day 2: Privacy, Online & Off

This week's theme is privacy — the most vexing issue of the Digital Age. As we have discussed, part of the problem is the information we voluntarily put online, and part of the problem is how companies like Facebook use that information. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Technology is wonderful — until it is turned against us. When you discover your privacy has been violated, it can feel frightening, humiliating, degrading, maddening, depressing. Unfortunately, today's technologies enable people, corporations and governments to violate our privacy on a massive scale . . . around the clock, 365 days of the year.
 
WATCH   The TED Talk videos above. All are in the five-minute range.

EXPLORE  More TED Talks searching for the term "privacy," like the ones below.

FREAK OUT  About what you just learned about privacy.

BLOG #5  Write a regular post about issues raised in the videos you watched.

• How do these issues affect you? You friends and family?

• What should the government be doing about these issues?

• What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy?
  

Week 4, Day 1: Civil War & Reconstruction

RECITATION   Civil War, Reconstructions & the Birth of the Second Bill of Rights.

VIDEO —https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9IJeHuiOIY&t=224s

VIDEO — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qnMm6_xG50

VIDEO — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0c0beUaNhI&t=6s

NOTE-TAKING   Recreate the three-level timeline as accurately as you can. Watch for words/terms such as Second Bill of Rights, Substantive Due Process, Corporate Personhood, Separate But Equal, Three Clauses or Three Freedoms, secession, State Action Doctrine, Missouri Compromise, etc.

Week 5, Day 1: The Progressive Era

RECITATION  The Progressive Era, Marketplace of Ideas and the Modern First Amendment.  This is the last of the traditional history lectures, thus ending the Media Law half of the course.

VIDEO (13 min.) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0he_OScdFec

VIDEO (first 3 min.) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbZ2eaCIttg&t=8s

VIDEO (2.5 min.) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwrUvjkRMI8&t=67s

REFLECT   Think about the role of dissent, especially about war, and the role of the First Amendment in protecting it. As we saw in the historical recitation above, the Progressive Era was fired up by WWI — specifically antiwar voices who did not want America to get involved. They were persecuted for their antiwar views, and hundreds of them were thrown into jail just for voicing their opinions.

BLOG #7  Fast forward to today, when the United States government is waging military operations all over the globe. Explore this website: ANTIWAR.COM  Also explore this one: The American Conservative  Notice how the writers on these sites are all very strong antiwar voices that you NEVER seem to hear in the mainstream news. I wonder why that is, don't you? You've probably never even heard of these websites. I wonder why that is? Why do you think you have to seek out obscure websites in order to hear strong antiwar voices?

Week 6, Day 1: EOTO Terms & Concepts

Lots of talk these days about "fake news" in the media. What is it? Who decides?

Summer Online students — This is an assignment that we would do in groups at school. In this case, each of you can simply pick a term or concept that interests you. (I think the theories in Group 3 are particularly interesting, but something else might catch your eye.)

BLOG #9 — KEY POST   Like the last EOTO, this is a special assignment that will be graded separately. Make it 500 words. Add those special touches that will elevate it beyond a regular blog post. Go for the A!

Keep this idea in mind: You are researching that term or concept so that you can TEACH the rest of us about it through your presentation and blog post. 

 Questions to spark your thinking:

• Beyond a simple definition, what are the implications? What might be good, what might be bad?
• How might it affect society as a whole?  
• How might it affect different segments differently — rich/poor, old/young, male/female, gay/straight, majority/minority?
• How might it affect you? Your family and friends? Your generation?

GROUP 1 AWARENESS Propaganda Disinformation Smith-Mundt Act Total Information Awareness False Flag Five Eyes	GROUP 2 MEDIASPHERE MSM Alternative Media Echo Chamber Whistleblower Online Influencers Citizen Journalism
GROUP 3 THEORIES Illusory Truth Effect Confirmation Bias Gatekeeping Agenda Setting Overton Window Spiral of Silence	GROUP 4 POLICY Sherman Anti-Trust Act Media Consolidation Vertical Integration Net Neutrality News Deserts Cord Cutting

                        GROUP 5

                     AGE OF AI

                Machine Learning

                Transhumanism

             Social Credit Score

Week 6, Day 2: Living in the Age of AI

 

This is an excellent documentary by one of the most important shows on television, Frontline on PBS. Ever week, the show presents top-notch, well-documented investigations of issues ripped from the headlines. MPE majors will appreciate the distinct challenge of writing, filming and editing an hourlong program in a matter of weeks to respond to current events.

"In the Age of AI" is a perfect example of our discussions about new technology. The documentary does not deny the awe and endless positive changes Artificial Intelligence might bring to mankind, but it also is clear-eyed about the de-humanizing downside risks.

Video link: IN THE AGE OF AI  

WATCH the second hour. Or watch the whole thing if you like!

BLOG POST #10   Write a regular post reflecting on the video — what you learned, what you thought were important take-aways, things that surprised you, things that frightened you. Questions to spark thinking:

What are positive aspects of more and more complex artificial intelligence and machine learning?

• What about privacy, pros and cons?

• What about national security?

• What about online security and identity theft?