This course introduces contemporary issues in media sociology, with a focus on the concept of the public sphere. The course has three key themes:
1) debates about news and the 'crisis' of journalism in the wake of digitization of communication;
2)  media/broadcasting policy and regulation—including social media—and the ideal of informed citizenship; and  
3) challenges to the notion of the public sphere from phenomena such as  populist politics and the rise of  'fake news'.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. recognise some key controversies and debates within the literature on public sphere and media;
2. identify the basic elements of dispute within a theoretical or methodological perspective;
3. display skills associated with scholarly inquiry about the public sphere including those related to critical analysis, argument and written expression; and
4. express ideas in writing with conceptual coherence.

Required Resources

TEXTBOOKS

Students are required to read the readings listed as required in Wattle. All should be available online via Wattle and the related Library collection that can be found by entering ‘SOCY2165’ in catalogue. 

Recommended Resources

RECOMMENDED GENERAL SECONDARY REFERENCE

Jones, Paul K. & Holmes, David C. (2011) Key Concepts in Media and Communications. London: Sage.

Most concepts covered in this course are in this book and my entries also drew on years of lecture material as well as research so it is worth consulting regularly. It is available online via Wattle and Library catalogue. Despite the title, the book is grounded more in media sociology than media and communications studies. Some more specific secondary references are provided in Wattle week by week. The above book also has extensive secondary lists for each entry.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Verbal feedback of a formative nature during tutorials 
• Written feedback of a summative nature based on the two written submissions 

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

The information provided is a preliminary Class Outline. A finalised version will be available on Wattle and will be accessible after enrolling in this course. All updates, changes and further information will be uploaded on the course Wattle site and will not be updated on Programs and Courses throughout the semester. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Course Convenor.

?WRITTEN ASSESSMENT TASKS – FAQS ANSWERED

1. It is OK to write in first person in all written work for this course.

2. There is no prescribed referencing system but a consistent one must be used. All quotations should be page-sourced where possible and all indirect referencing should include page-sourcing where relevant. Your goal here should be to enable your source to be readily retrievable by me (if necessary) when I read the assignment.

3. Please use 12 point font and at least 1.5 spacing.

4. There is no prescribed number of references to be cited per assignment 

5.10% higher/lower tolerance is permitted on word counts for the two written assignments.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Lecture Topic: Introduction	Please note that lecture topic list adjacent is indicative only. Details of current iteration of course will be found on course Wattle site.
2	Lecture Topic: Habermas’s Public Sphere Thesis
3	Lecture Topic: The Liberal Norms of Professional Journalism
4	Lecture Topic: The Sociology of News Production
5	Lecture Topic: Public Sphere and the Claims of Opinion Polling
6	Lecture Topic: Normative and Technological Crises of News Production
7	Lecture Topic: Public Sphere, Privacy, Mediation
8	Lecture Topic ?Mediated Populism 1: Social Movements, Mediation, Public Sphere(s)
9	Lecture Topic Mediated Populism 2: Public Sphere vs ‘The Outrage Industry’ ?
10	Lecture Topic Regulation & Media Institutions in the Public Sphere ?
11	Lecture Topic: Satire: Light Relief or Best Hope? ?
12	Lecture Topic: Conclusions

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Critical Review 2000 words - Online Submission Only	40 %	15/04/2019	03/05/2019	1, 2, 3, 4
Final Essay, 3000 words - Online Submission Only (please note return date is an estimate and is partly governed by date of examiners' meeting)	50 %	03/06/2019	17/06/2019	1, 2, 3, 4
Seminar Facilitation and Related ‘Tutorial’ Tasks (10%)	10 %	28/05/2019	28/05/2019	1, 2, 3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Seminars commence in Week 1. Tutorial classes provide students with a space to discuss key topics raised in the lectures and core readings, and to partake in collective activities related to the course curriculum. They enable students to socialise with peers and develop friendships, raise questions, exchange ideas, complete tasks and prepare for assessments. Tutorial-related activities comprise 10% of the overall assessment mark for this course. Effective preparation is a component of 'tutorial work'.

Attendance at tutorials is compulsory. Being punctual for tutorials is also expected. Missing more than TWO tutorials without explanation or good cause (i.e. without contacting the tutor and supplying official documentation for absence) will mean failure of this component. 

Assessment Task 1

Critical Review 2000 words - Online Submission Only

Further Details of Critical Review such as the specific question to be answered will be in Wattle.

Assessment Criteria for Critical Review

Essential

(a) the central organizing presence of an argument (summarizing is not sufficient)

(b) competence in written expression and citation practices.

(c) location of your discussion within the relevant concerns and concepts of this course (I appreciate that this will be written at an early stage in course).

NB: The criteria in the rubric below are not necessarily weighted equally in determining the mark. 

Rubric

Criteria	0-49% (FL)	50-60% (PS)	65-70% (CR)	70-80% (DN)	80-100% (HD)
Argument	Misconceptions about question or failure to address essential issues	Satisfactory response to question, but lacking comprehensive coverage	Competent response to question, addresses the major relevant issues	Insightful response, identifying and prioritising relevant issues	Sophisticated response comprehensive coverage and prioritisation of issues
Critical analysis	No evidence of critical analysis	Limited critical analysis	Some critical analysis with assessment of contrasting viewpoints	Good critical analysis, arguments evaluated and defended	Excellent detailed critical analysis, convincing defence of argument
Use of evidence	Inappropriate or no use of evidence	Limited use of evidence, not well integrated	Some use of appropriate evidence	Good use of evidence/examples to illustrate argument	Excellent use of appropriate evidence to substantiate argument
Structure	No evident structure	Basic structure evident, some inconsistencies	Clear structure, minor inconsistencies throughout	Clear structure, maintained consistently	Extremely clear structure, logical progression of argument

Assessment Task 2

Final Essay, 3000 words - Online Submission Only (please note return date is an estimate and is partly governed by date of examiners' meeting)

Topics (from which one is slected for essay) will be distributed via Wattle.

General Assessment Criteria for Essay

(a) the central organizing presence of an argument which addresses the particular question chosen. This is the ‘bottom line’. Your essay mark is drastically reduced if you don’t fulfil this requirement, no matter how well you fulfil the other criteria.

(b) competence in written expression and citation practices.

(c) demonstration of familiarity with relevant ‘prescribed’ course content i.e. the set readings and substantive lecture material.

(d) demonstration of familiarity with elements and positions of the relevant thematic debates present within course content and readings (and to which the lectures/seminars provide a critical guide).

The more your essay fulfils these criteria, on a continuum from (a) to (d), and the greater the argumentative skill with which you fulfil them, the higher your essay will be graded. Assuming software permits your essay will be graded against each of these criteria.

An initial list of essay questions will be posted on Moodle during first weeks of course. This may be updated with extra questions as course progresses. Self-developed essay topics are encouraged (but need to be approved by convenor.) 

NB: The criteria in the rubric below are not necessarily weighted equally in determining the mark. 

Rubric

Criteria	0-49% (FL)	0-49% (FL)	65-70% (CR)	70-80% (DN)	80-100% (HD)
Breadth of research	Limited use of relevant Material, misconceptions re meaning	Basic literature covered, understanding at basic level	Good understanding of basic literature and some evidence of wider reading and/or depth of knowledge	Wide range of works consulted and/or clear and deep understanding shown	Extensive and/or intensive reading, sophisticated understanding demonstrated
Comprehensiveness of argument in response to question	Misconceptions about question or failure to address essential issues	Satisfactory response to question, but lacking comprehensive coverage	Competent response to question, addresses the major relevant issues	Insightful response, identifying and prioritising relevant issues	Sophisticated response comprehensive coverage and prioritisation of issues
Critical analysis	No evidence of critical analysis	Limited critical analysis, arguments and sources generally taken at face value	Some critical analysis with assessment of contrasting viewpoints	Good critical analysis, arguments evaluated and defended	Excellent detailed critical analysis, convincing defence of argument
Use of evidence	Inappropriate or no use of evidence	Limited use of evidence, not well integrated	Some use of appropriate evidence	Good use of evidence/examples to illustrate argument	Excellent use of appropriate evidence to substantiate argument
Structure	No evident structure	Basic structure evident, some inconsistencies	Clear structure, minor inconsistencies throughout	Clear structure, maintained consistently	Extremely clear structure, logical progression of argument
Language/written expression	Consistently poor spelling, grammar and syntax	Sound writing with few errors of grammar etc.	Good English expression, very few errors	Well written, clear and error free	Extremely well written, stimulating, fluent and error free
Referencing	Errors and inconsistencies in referencing &/or insufficient citations	Basic information provided, some inconsistencies/e rrors	All information provided, minor inconsistencies/e rrors	Accurate and consistent referencing, consistent and almost error free	Accurate, consistent referencing; perfectly presented.

Assessment Task 3

Seminar Facilitation and Related ‘Tutorial’ Tasks (10%)

Tutorial Work (10%): Each student (alone or with one other student) will be allocated a Tutorial/seminar to which they will be required to make a brief introduction/facilitation outlining the key points from a required reading for that week. This will contribute to the Tutorial Work mark. Students are required to contribute at other tutorial sessions, where a note will be made by the tutor of individual contributions. See also 'participation' below.

A facilitation is primarily the taking on of the role of ‘discussion leader’, not that of becoming an ‘instant expert’ on the material. More than anything else I am interested in your honest reaction to the set reading in terms of (i) any difficulties in comprehension (ii) your reaction to the argument(s) within the reading (iii) any links you can make to the lecture material in the course, including putting me on the spot!

Please avoid over-summarizing the set reading. While you’ll certainly need notes and some may prefer to write down in advance most of what you say, please avoid ‘reading out’ an essay-like text. Instead address the group in a more everyday style. My role often includes ‘interrupting’ the presenters just to make sure everyone is following the discussion, especially if I think a concept needs further unpacking or is worthy of immediate discussion. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) as submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

Not applicable to this course.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students