CMST 132 – Techniques & Technology of Propaganda Spring 2019 INSTRUCTOR: Michael Korolenko PHONE: 425-564-4109 OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment TEXTBOOK: AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH, by Neil Postman COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on the technological and communicative techniques of film and video that allow information to be targeted at specific individuals and groups, to create opinions, generate sales, develop propaganda, and other goals of media persuasion. It is the goals to: 1) increase student awareness of media persuasion by examining a variety of historical and current media campaigns; 2) demonstrate the techniques and technologies of media-based persuasion; 3) give students the opportunity to test and validate persuasion techniques with simple media presentations; and 4) assist in the development of critical analysis skills as applied to the production of media messages. This will be accomplished through online "lectures", discussions, written assignments, and a variety of film and video clips. THE ONLINE COURSE will be presented in the form of a museum or World’s Fair exhibit dealing with the technology of persuasion and propaganda. Each area will contain different forms of propaganda: print, television, etc. as well as the types of propaganda and persuasion we face in our technological society: political, product-oriented, philosophically oriented, etc. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the class, the student will be able to: 1. define the terms: media, persuasion, propaganda, technology application, symbol, metaphor, "yellow journalism," editorial, sound bite, manipulation, soft sell, motivation, instructional training, education, hands-on, virtual reality, educational television, documentary film/video, docudrama, advertising, infomercial. 2. list and explain the significance of five or more historical examples of media persuasion and propaganda between 1600 and 1990. 3. list and discuss five or more criteria that are indicative of a media propaganda campaign. 4. compare and contrast the American political left and American political right in their approaches to televised media messages from 1939 to the present. 5. explain the development of the use of media by grass-roots organizations and trace the impact of its use from 1960 to the present. 6. compare and contrast the technology utilized in creating documentaries, instructional videos, infomercials, local and network news programs, and subjective propaganda messages. 7. compare and contrast the persuasion techniques utilized in creating documentaries, instructional videos, infomercials, local and network news programs, and subjective propaganda messages, based on the source and destination of the intended message. 8. list and explain five or more symbols that have been used to persuade, sell, or influence public opinion during the Twentieth Century. 9. analyze and explain the role of audience analysis and goals and objectives in the development of persuasion materials. 10. list and explain the application of camera and model placement, light and shadow, color, and editing techniques in media production and explain their effect on the audience's point of view. 11. list and explain five or more critical viewing skills that allow a media consumer to analyze a video news broadcast for fairness and objectivity. 12. list and explain five or more critical viewing skills that allow a media consumer to analyze a commercial, infomercial, or other product-related media production for accuracy and truthfulness. 13. list and explain five or more instructional tools utilized in educational and industrial training film/video that can (or cannot) assist in the persuasion and motivation of learners. 14. analyze five or more applications of persuasion in the "emerging technologies" and explain their possible effects on the present and future users of these technologies. OUTCOMES: Define the terms: media, persuasion, propaganda, technology, application, symbol, metaphor, "yellow journalism", editorial, sound bite, manipulation, soft sell, motivation, instructional training, education, hands-on, virtual reality, educational television, documentary film/video, docudrama, advertising, infomercial. Demonstrate an understanding of criteria used for developing a media propaganda campaign. Compare and contrast the persuasion techniques utilized in creating documentaries, instructional videos, infomercials, local and network news programs, and the subjective propaganda messages, based on the source and destination of the intended message. Analyze and explain the role of audience analysis and goals and objectives in the development of persuasion materials. Apply the propaganda techniques and concepts presented in your Case Studies. MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS: 1. Each student will develop case studies which demonstrate their ability to analyze a one-sided media campaign or advertisement and present both the pros and cons of the issue, subject, or product that is presented. 2. Throughout the course, there will also be a series of short essay assignments, some embedded in the material available online due at the end of each week. 3. Each case study is worth 100 points. 4. Students are also required to put at least two postings on the Discussion Boards each week: one being your opinion concerning the particular week's material, the other being a response to a posting made by another member of the class. If a student fails to meet this requirement, his or her grade will drop a full grade point for each board missed at the end of the quarter - in other words, if you earn a "B+" and do not post to the DB at least twice a week, the grade you receive will be a "C+"(think of it as 10 points per board) . GRADING will be as follows: To figure out your grade, simply add your grades together and divide by the number of assignments there are (for example: if there are four assignments, you add the four grades together and divide the sum by four). STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO POST ON EACH DISCUSSION BOARD AT LEAST TWICE! Each Discussion Board posting is worth 15 points. Should you have concerns about any aspect of the class, I encourage you to come to me with them. If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable raising your concerns with me, the usual next step would be to speak with the program chair (Katherine Oleson, [email protected]). You can refer concerns about this class to the Arts and Humanities Division Dean. IMPORTANT: THE DISCUSSION BOARDS AND ARTICLES TEND TO CHANGE EACH QUARTER - PLEASE DO NOT USE THE SYLLABUS TO POST TO DISCUSSION BOARDS - ONLY POST TO THOSE DISCUSSION BOARDS FOUND IN EACH WEEKLY MODULE. 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