I’ve not yet read the two chapters assigned for this class (which I really should be doing now) but I wanted to get out just a little bit of information and my opinion about the class.
The first thing anyone should know about this class is that I am taking it in a four week module. This means that a class which would normally consume 16 weeks is compressed into four short weeks in June and July. This means a few things:
That being said I’ve always held a special place in my heart for these compressed courses. I once attended a special module at Purdue before my Freshman year that compressed a normal 16 week algebra/trig course into the span of a single week. I found it terribly enjoyable (yet tedious) and I felt that I got a lot out of the class despite its quickened pace.
This class, Mass Communication, focuses most of its energy on the history and impacts of the major mass media outlets: Radio, Television, Print, and the Internet. It is my understanding that by learning the histories of these different mass media outlets and how they relate to the model of mass communication we can readily recognize that mass media has on ourselves and how to respond to all the stimulii constantly directed at us.
I might provide a more detailed view once I read my chapters :)