LS 395: Mass Media Ethics
Fall, 2001
Dr. Paul Martin Lester, Visiting Professor
California State University, Fullerton
Practical Ethics Center, 1000 E. Beckwith Ave.
OFFICE: Corbin Hall 334
Office Hour: Monday 10-11am (Online)
406 243-6688; E-MAIL: lester@fullerton.edu
PROFESSOR'S HOMEPAGE: http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/
Class Meetings: Mondays 6 - 8pm, Online using Blackboard.com Software (Click Here). NOTE: You will need an ID and password.

Course Objectives:

Mass Media Ethics is the study of moral and professional conduct within various communications contexts. This course will look at cases involved with advertising, broadcast journalism, film, photojournalism, print journalism, public relations, television, and the World Wide Web. The goal of Mass Media Ethics is to provide students with the ability to recognize and confront potential ethical issues they might find within their careers. Communications is a profession that demands the highest of standards. As a member of this professional program, you will be expected to meet those standards and find that doing so—as a student and a fledgling professional —brings a great personal reward and sense of accomplishment. Through successful completion of course readings and assignments—and through active participation in class discussions—you will have the tools to identify and analyze ethical issues.

Required Text:

Additional Resources, Journals and Web Site:

Additional Books:

Course Grading and Requirements:

Commentaries:

Write one to two pages articulating the ethical issues at stake and your position based on a case from the texts. You will write a total of nine commentaries. Each of your commentaries should address these questions:

1. What are the ethical issues at stake?
2. What would you do and why?

Discussion Board Responses:

Each week you will answer a discussion question posted on the website. Read your fellow student responses and make additional comments.

Community Coverage Report:

You will select a community for the semester. A community could be a physical community (university area, downtown, a specific neighborhood), a gender community (all male or woman's group), an ethnic community (Anglos, Native, Latinos, African Americans, Asians), a disadvantaged community (immigrants, the poor, the homeless, the disabled), or a business community (store, advertising or public relations agency, newspaper, television station). You will write a three–page report on your community that will include:

A first draft of this report will be due Wednesday, November 14 by 5pm with the final draft due at the final date. The two drafts will be worth a total of 50 points.

Professional Issue:

Write a three–page paper that describes and analyzes an issue of particular professional importance. Find an appropriate case or issue based on your background and career interests. The topic of the paper must come from the journals or ethics website listed above. A first draft of this report will be due Wednesday, November 14 by 5pm with the final draft due at the final date. The drafts will be worth a total of 50 points.

Short Research Paper:

Write a five–page paper that analyzes an ethical dilemma and its resolution within a motion picture from Kristie Alley Swain's list at journalism.tamu.edu/web1/Undergrad/Course/JOUR440/films.htm or my Media Ethics Goes to the Movies course at: commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/courses/mediamoviessummer.html. You will need to rent the video. In your paper you should identify and briefly describe what appear to be the major issues, select and detail the one you feel is the most important of these issues, and develop appropriate guidelines that will caution other media professionals about this ethical challenge. Your paper will be worth 150 points.

Mass Media Ethics Course Outline

Monday, September 10
Online Orientation
We will use this class time to get you comfortable with participating in an online course. How to navigate around the class's website, create your own homepage, chat within the virtual classroom, break out into small group discussions, answer discussion board questions, and upload papers to the professor will be some of the topics covered.

Monday, September 17
Ethical Imperatives and Philosophies
Pgs. xi–xiii & 1–17.

Monday, September 24
Becoming a Moral Adult
Pgs. 287–295.
Due:
1) A Short Biography. A 2–3 page biographical sketch that gives me a sense of your professional and intellectual interests and plans.
2) A Personal Ethical Dilemma. A 2–3 page description of a personal dilemma you've faced that you think has tested or challenged your own ethical principles or values or sense of right and wrong. Did you resolve it? If so, how?

Monday, October 1
Information Ethics
Pgs. 18–46.
Due: Commentary #1, select one case from II–A to II–E

Monday, October 8
Loyalty
Pgs. 70–94.
Due: Commentary #2, select one case from IV–A to IV–E

Monday, October 15
Privacy and Ethics
Pgs. 119–146.
Due: Commentary #3, select one case from VI–A to VI–E

Monday, October 22
Promise Keeping
Pgs. 147–176.
Due: Commentary #4, select one case from VII–A to VII–E

Monday, October 29
Economics and Ethics
Pgs. 177–202.
Due: Commentary #5, select one case from VIII–A to VIII–E

Monday, November 5
Mid–Term Examination
You will be given an in–class examination worth 100 points.

Monday, November 12
Veteran's Day Holiday

Wednesday, November 14
Due: Community Coverage Report First Draft and Professional Issue First Draft

Monday, November 19
Image Ethics
Pgs. 203–236.
Due: Commentary #6, select one case from IX–A to IX–F

Monday, November 26
Advertising and Public Relations Ethics
Pgs. 47–69 OR 95–118.
Due: Commentary #7, select one case from III–A to III–E OR V–A to V–D

Monday, December 3
Art and Entertainment Ethics
Pgs. 260–286.
Due: Commentary #8, select one case from XI–A to XI–E

Monday, December 10
Internet and World Wide Web Ethics
Pgs. 237–259.
Due: Commentary #9, select one case from X–A to X–D

Wednesday, December 19
Due: Community Coverage Report Final Draft (25 Points), Professional Issue Final Draft (25 Points), and Short Research Paper (150 points)