Objective:

This course is designed to introduce students to honors level study. Students will become comfortable with discussing ideas of others and their own. The result will be a project that is a creative expression of some notion related to the course.

Purpose:

We will read two classic works that comment on our media environment in two very different ways; one is a novel, the other is a social critique. Our first concern is: how do these texts "work" in getting their points across? Which is more powerful -- to whom, when, etc.?

Our other concern is the topic addressed by the texts. What is the media environment? What is the impact of television on culture, history, and society? How has this new environment changed us as individuals and communities? Your ideas are essential to the success of this course.

Main Texts:

DeLillo, D. (1985). White noise. Penguin.

Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of   show business. Penguin.

Requirements:

Attendance: For each unexcused absence, your grade will be reduced by one letter grade.

Reading: You will be ready to discuss the readings when they are assigned.

Participation: Discussion is only valuable if it is purposeful.

Project: A topic of your choice will be presented to the class. More about this in class.

Events: You will attend two co-curricular honors events and write a short description of each.

Grade:

Based on the requirements above, with each of the last four contributing 25% of your grade.

1 Introduction to the course and the participants

2 Ideas about the impact of stories and myths
            TBA, "Amusing" introduction

3 The Medium is the Massage, Message, Mass Age
            "Amusing" 1,2

4 Typographical Environments, The Individual and the Image
            "Amusing" 3-5
            "White Noise" 1-10

5 This is Showbiz, The Family Network
            "Amusing" 6, 7
            "White Noise" 11-20

6 Reach Out and Touch Your Environment and Other Toxic Events
            "Amusing" 8, 9
            "White Noise" 21-26

7 Doing What Comes Real
            "Amusing" 10, 11
            "White Noise" 27-40

8 So what can I do, Captain Critical?
            Rules from "How to Watch Television News"

9 Projects A-G

10 Projects H-Z