CMN 308
Urban Communication
Winter 2007
Dr. Daniel Makagon
Office: SAC 596
Office Hours: Monday 1:00-2:00 and
by appointment
Phone: (773) 325-7376
e-mail: dmakagon@depaul.edu
home page: http://www.communication.depaul.edu/dmakagon
Course Objectives
The rise of the metropolis has been one of the most
important and engaging stories in the twentieth century and into the new
millennium. Great hopes and fears are mapped onto the city. These hopes and
fears are reflected in cinematic, photographic, and televisual images of the city;
songs about urban life; talk about the metropolis; and cultural practices that
take shape in urban neighborhoods. The city is ultimately understood via a
complex mix of everyday cultural experiences, intercultural interactions, and
engagement with symbols (verbal and mediated). We will pay special attention to
relationships between the material (land, labor, and capital) and symbolic
features of city life in an effort to more fully understand the city as a site
of communication. Further, we will focus on the construction of public spaces
that facilitate a more active and engaged public life.
Required Texts
Daniel Makagon, Where the Ball
Drops: Days and Nights in Times Square
All other course readings are
available on-line. Download and print the files.
http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/student
Course Assignments
Class Participation 10%
____(pts.) X .10 = ______
Mid-term Paper (4-6 pages)
30%
____(pts.) X .30 = ______
Quizzes 30%
____(pts.) X .30 = ______
Group Project 30%
____(pts.) X .30 = ______
Final Grade= ____________
You are required to complete the
reading assignments before you attend
class. This will lead to more fruitful discussion.
Mid-term Paper
This assignment asks you to write
an analysis of some key issues raised in the first half of this class (likely
2-3 issues given the paper length). The objective of this paper is to assess
the ways in which communication allows us to more fully understand contemporary
urban life. In general, you should develop a thesis that identifies important
issues pertaining to urban life, as raised in course materials. The body of
your paper should (A) describe the issues, (B) flesh out the reasons why those
issues are important, and (C) discuss how viewing those issues through a
communication lens helps us understand the issues better. This paper is due
February 12th.
All papers must be typed,
paginated, double-spaced throughout the entire essay, and use a consistent
style (e.g., Chicago, MLA, or APA). Use one-inch margins and 12-point font. Do
not send me electronic copies of your work.
See the syllabus addendum (available in the folder that contains pdfs for this
class) for a description of my grading policies and expectations as well as
further details on written assignments.
Contact or visit the Writing
Center for assistance with your writing: Lincoln Park at 802 W. Belden, 150
McGaw Hall, 773-325-4272. The Loop at 25 E. Jackson, 1620 Lewis Center,
312-362-6726. wcenter@depaul.edu.
Final Group Presentation
You and your group will be
responsible for one group project and presentation at the end of the quarter.
This project will focus on the design of public space. These projects will be
presented in class. (A description of the assignment details and rationale is available
in the folder that contains pdfs for this class.)
Pop Quizzes
Quizzes will mix short answer and
multiple choice to allow me to gauge how well you understand the arguments made
in the readings. Unlike your papers and class discussion, where I am interested
in your opinions about the issues and the strength of the writer's argument(s),
the quizzes are designed for you to state the author's argument only. In other
words, I am not striving to understand what you think about the issues; rather,
I am interested in how well you understand the construction of the author's
argument. If we do not understand what s/he's saying then our critique of
her/his work will not be properly grounded. Possible points for each quiz
question will be listed after the question (usually 10 or 20 points per
question and usually 1-3 questions per quiz for short answer quizzes). Answers
will be graded based on your ability to clearly summarize the author's
argument(s) and use examples from the reading to support your answer(s).
Course Policies
Promptness is expected as a general rule. If you are consistently
late to class your grade will be negatively affected.
Attendance
and Active Participation are expected and
required. Participation grades are factored by considering how often you
participate in class discussion and how that discussion advances our overall
learning (i.e., I will consider how your questions help lead us to a greater
understanding of difficult passages, how your contributions further discussion
rather than hinder discussion, how your comments foster lively debate, how your
participation grows from an engagement with the reading and college experience
rather than functioning to advance an autobiographical tale only). If you miss
very few classes and your participation level is excellent, you can expect an
"A" for this portion of your grade. If you miss very few classes and your
participation level is above average (i.e., you participate during most class
sessions rather than every class session), you can expect a "B" for this
portion of your grade. If you miss very few classes and your participation
level is average, you can expect a "C" for this portion of your grade. If you
miss the most possible classes you can miss without failing the class and your
participation level is average, you can expect a "D" for this portion of your
grade.
If you
miss more than four class sessions (2 weeks of class), you will receive an
"F" for the class (even if the absences are excused). Missing this many
class sessions (more than 20% of the term) undermines the integrity of the
classroom experience. If you miss this much class because of illness or a
family emergency, you should meet with the Dean of Students to discuss withdrawal
options. (Note: This is my policy in terms of passing or failing the class
but I have never had a student get an "A" in the class when missing 4 classes
because the quiz and participation grades end up being too low.)
All assignments are due on
assigned days. There will be NO MAKE UPS.
Documented illnesses or documented emergencies are the only exception to this
policy. Changes in work schedules, personal celebrations (e.g., birthdays), or
vacations are NOT considered to be legitimate reasons for missing assignment
deadlines or class meetings. If you miss a quiz and have documentation for your
absence then you will take the quiz on the next date you attend class.
Similarly, if you have an excused absence for a class session when you would
turn in a paper then you can give me the paper on the next date you attend
class. (Note: If you will be missing a class because of a religious holiday,
let me know in writing at least two weeks before the holiday so we can make
arrangements to make up missed work.)
If you have a cellular phone or
pager, turn it off or set it to vibrate. Plagiarism will be discussed below but
for now you should note that all cell phones must be put away during quizzes
and you should not be sending or reading text messages during class sessions.
Plagiarism
I have often found that plagiarism
becomes tempting if students are feeling pressured. Remember, when in doubt
quote. If you are quoting somebody directly then you need to list the information
within quotation marks and cite a page number. If you are paraphrasing then
you need to cite the person and a page number. Never copy and paste entire
documents into your paper and do not quote others to the point where your
ideas become indistinguishable from your source's ideas. There is no reason
to plagiarize given the resources available to you (e.g., opportunities to
meet with me; coaches in the writing center; my handout on writing for the
class; and DePaul's policy on academic integrity, which can be found at http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/handbook/code16.html.
If you do plagiarize, you will automatically receive a grade of "F"
in this class. Moreover, the Academic Affairs office will be contacted.
Grade Scale
93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 88-89 B+,
83-87 B, 80-82 B-, 78-79
C+, 73-77 C, 70-72 C-, 60-69 D,