Instructor: Ken Blake, Ph.D., associate professor of journalism
E-mail: kblake@mtsu.edu (Important note: Do not send e-mail to my Earthlink e-mail address, even though you occasionally will receive e-mail from me using that address. I use the account solely to send e-mail when I'm off campus. I never check the account's inbox, so if you send a message there, I won't see it.
Web: www.mtsu.edu/~kblake
Office phone: (615) 898-2226
Office: Mass Comm Building, Room 112B
Office hours: Please use my online calendar to schedule an appointment with me. You may reserve any time between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course emphasizes conceptualizations of the terms "public," "opinion," and "public opinion" as well as theories for understanding how public opinion develops and behaves in a democratic society and what role mass media play in the process. Three credits. Prerequisite: MC 6000 or permission..

COURSE MISSION: Students who complete the course successfully should demonstrate through class discussion, exams and a paper that they possess a sophisticated understanding of the different conceptualizations of public opinion, understand how these different conceptualizations both compete with and complement one another, can critically evaluate truth claims based on measures of public opinion, and can discern the processes by which public opinion, mass media, and government interact to produce public policy in a democratic society.

TEXTS:

• Required: Glynn, C.J., Herbst, S., O'Keefe, G.J., & Shapiro, R.Y. (1999). Public Opinion. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ISBN: 0-8133-2917-5.
• Required: Price, V. (1992). Communication Concepts 4: Public Opinion. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. ISBN: 0-8039-4023-8.
• Optional: Gawiser, S.R. & Witt, G.E. (1994). A Journalist's Guide to Public Opinion Polls. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. ISBN: 0-275-94989-3.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Weekly reading responses. If a reading has been assigned as homework, you must use the online class discussion board to post a brief reaction to the reading no later than 9 a.m. on the Friday preceding the next class meeting. Furthermore, by 10 a.m. that Friday, you must post a brief response to one of your classmates' reactions. To reach the class discussion board, follow the "Discussion Board" link from the course web page. The reaction you post Friday morning should demonstrate that you have read what was assigned and have given it some critical thought. Ways of doing so include summarizing the reading's key points, asking questions about points you felt were unclear, incomplete or omitted entirely, or showing how some current issue illustrates or contradicts points the readings made. I will read all posts but will not grade them individually. I'll use them mainly to frame the discussion for the upcoming class meeting. 
• Exams. There will be one in-class essay exam and one take-home final exam.
• Paper. Early in his book Public Opinion, Vincent Price describes five "enduring problems of public opinion" (pp. 15-22). You will be required to choose one of these problems as the topic of a paper to be submitted toward the end of the semester. The paper should explain the problem, discuss its history, present and critique evidence of the problem's existence, and both describe and evaluate the contributions recent research has made toward clarifying, resolving, and/or discounting the problem. You also might indicate why the problem interested you and give examples of the problem's manifestation in current events. The paper should be written as a coherent essay, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Additionally, the paper should: 
  • Be between six and 12 pages in length plus title and reference pages.
  • Use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation and adhere strictly to the formatting and citation rules found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
  • Be based on at least six scholarly articles, four of which must have been published within the past five years, and draw as well from material in both the Price and Glynn texts, one other scholarly book related to communication, public opinion, psychology, or sociology, and one of the original articles that first defined the problem.

• A: Truly outstanding work. This grade will be reserved for assignments that show exceptional creativity, initiative, expertise and/or originality compared to work done by others in the class.
• B: Average work. This grade will be awarded for the type of high-quality, mature work typically expected of graduate students.
• C: Below-average work. Sloppy writing and poor organization will earn you one of these. So will omissions of important aspects of the assignment and /or an obviously poor grasp of competencies needed to complete the assignment well. This grade means you put some effort into the work, but you were hampered by a lack of knowledge or ability.
• D: Barely acceptable work. This grade will be given for poor work done with an apparently minimal level of effort. Failure to grasp the material, coupled with laziness or carelessness, will earn you one of these.
• F: Complete failure. No appreciable effort made to complete the assignment. 

The weekly reading responses as a whole will be worth 15 percent of your grade. The in-class essay exam will will be worth 25 percent, as will the take-home final. The paper will be worth 35 percent.

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Discussion will play a key role in the course. Accordingly, attendance is expected at every class.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: Any assignment received after its deadline will be awarded a grade of zero and may not be made up. Exceptions to the policy can be made at my discretion.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY: Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited. Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are immediately responsible to the instructor of the class. In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions which may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an F or a zero for the exercise or examination; or to assign an F in the course. If the student believes he or she has been erroneously accused of academic misconduct, and if his or her final grade has been lowered as a result, the student may appeal the case through the appropriate institutional procedures.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have a question related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., please speak with me as soon as possible. Students also may contact the Office of Disabled Student Services (898-2783) with questions about such services.

NOTE TO STUDENTS NEEDING CHILD CARE DURING CLASS: Middle Tennessee State University offers an after-school program for kindergarten through 8th grade children of university faculty, staff, and evening students. The Evening Extended School Program (EESP) provides children with recreational, enrichment, and learning opportunities from 3:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.  The program's operating schedule will follow MTSU's class schedule for holidays, breaks, and closings due to inclement weather.  Faculty, staff, and students taking advantage of this program must be on campus while their children are attending EESP. You may call the program's director, Jacque Johnson, at 904-8220 for more information.