MEDIA

AUDIENCES – FALL 2022- 1

Course MEDIA AUDIENCES
MCC-- -UE 1016-002 (12688)

Instructor Sujay Pandit, spandit@nyu.edu
Term Fall 2022
Meetings: Class Meetings: Silver Center, Room 514
Monday/Wednesday, 6:20-7:35pm
Office Hours: Fridays, by appointment only

Course Description:

Communication and media scholars have long concerned themselves with the relationship
between various media/communication technologies and ‘the audience.’ Different intentions
and perspectives inform the discourse and research on how media and communication
technologies and their audiences/users interact. This course examines the history, theories,
and methodologies of audience research, always questioning the construction of audiences and
media users - constructions that are shaped by commercial, academic, political and cultural
interests. We focus on why and how audiences are researched because the why and how have
everything to do with what we know, and do not know, about audiences. We also go back in
time to understand some of the similarities and differences among audience research and
knowledge then and now.

Question about something else? Check the syllabus for the answer before writing me.

Course Objectives:

Gain competence in understanding how an “audience” is constructed within a variety of fields
(commercial, academic, political, and cultural) and apply critical theories and methodologies to the
analysis of audiences.

Achieve familiarity with critical vocabulary related to media studies

Develop skills related to media production technologies used in the course

Learn to ask and explore sophisticated critical questions about media and culture

Format:

Each class will begin with a student presentation examining the methods, readings, and media
examples assigned. The remainder of the class will be in seminar form (i.e., class discussion
about the various readings, projects, and media).

Required Reading and Media:

All readings will be posted as PDF documents under “Resources” on our NYU Brightspace site.

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Readings should be completed before the class in which they are assigned in this syllabus.
Please bring copies with you to class discussion. If you show up to class without the readings,
you will be marked as an unexcused absence for the day. You will also be responsible for
viewing several media examples on your own. These should be completed before the start of
the week in which they appear in this syllabus. All media will be available either online (via
YouTube, for example) or under “Course Reserves” at Avery Fischer on the 2nd floor of Bobst
Library. All suggested texts are available for purchase at the NYU Bookstore, Bobst Library and
at a variety of other booksellers and marketplaces. Bring a copy of the assigned readings to
class.

Policies (Grading, Attendance, Plagiarism)

Course Requirements:

Attendance and Participation:15%
In-Class Readings Presentation: 15%
Reflection Papers (3 x 2-3-page reflections): 10% each - 30%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Paper: 20%

Students are required to do all the readings and participate in class discussions. You are
required to come to class on time having read the assignments and ready to critically engage in
the readings. This is a small class in which discussion is very important, and as such I expect
everyone to have at least one contribution to each class session. If you find that you are having
difficulty doing this, then please see me and we will talk about other ways in which you might
fulfill your participation grade. No Late Submissions of Assignments Accepted!

In Class Presentations:

Class presentation based on the readings listed with each class week: 10–12-minute
presentation.

For one day, you will oversee our navigation into a particular set of texts. As facilitators, before
each class discussion you will present background information on the texts and authors, a
short summary of the important keywords and concepts, and provide at least 2-- -3 discussion
questions that relate to the text. These presentations should be around 10-12 minutes.
This presentation should in some way engage with the week’s reading but may be in whatever
style your group thinks works best. Presentations must include some media component, and
should be formatted using presentation software like PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, or
Keynote. (Please consider using Google Slides because it is very easy to share the presentation
when you are finished.)

You will be graded on the thoughtfulness, creativity, and clarity of your presentation, as well as
your success in engaging the class with questions and sparking discussion.

Reflection papers: 3 papers
Based on a topic presented in class, and with class group research time, each student will write a
2---3-page short paper based on the theories presented.



MEDIA AUDIENCES – FALL 2022- 3

Midterm Exam:
There will be a Take-Home Midterm Exam. Essay Questions to be administered in class.

Writing Assignments:
You will also have one, 8---10-page writing assignment this semester. This paper will focus on the
application of key theories to photographic works and will be due at the end of the semester.

Attendance, Lateness and Food:

PLEASE BRING YOUR READINGS TO EACH CLASS. Showing up without your READINGS
will result in you being marked with an unexcused absence for that day.

Attendance is always expected. In case of emergency, please notify me before class via email
(spandit@nyu.edu). More than two unexcused absences and each subsequent unexcused
absence (excluding emergency/medical) will result in a half letter grade deduction (i.e. from an
A to an A-- -). You must provide a physician’s note for any medical absence. After three
unexcused absences, you will be dropped from the course.

Lateness is not accepted. Any lateness over ten minutes after the start of class will be marked
as an unexcused absence. Please be on time.

Formatting Papers:

All papers must be printed on 8.5-- -by-- -11-- -inch paper, double-- -spaced, numbered, and in a 12-- -point,
Times New Roman font with standard margins (1-- -inch top and bottom, 1.25-- -inch left and right).
All assignments must be in hard copy with the student’s surname (last name) and response paper
number (i.e., Response Paper 2) on each page. Handwritten and emailed assignments will not be
accepted. Proper citation and bibliographies will be expected in all papers. Please see
http://www.libs.uga.edu/ref/chicago.html for a formatting guide. Proofread!

Email Policy
Your @nyu.edu email address is the primary email address through which you will be contacted in
the course. I will answer email during work hours (9am-- -5pm) Monday through Friday. Emails
sent outside of these hours, or on the weekends, will not be answered until the following business
day. Before sending questions via email, please make sure your question cannot be answered
by the syllabus or by a fellow student. If your issue requires a face-- -to-- -face conversation and
cannot be handled via email, I will direct you to come to my office hours.

Building a Respectful Classroom Community

For our class to succeed, we will need to foster an environment of respect among us all,
remaining open to others’ opinions and questions (and critically self-- -reflective of our own),
realizing that we all have various areas of expertise and unique perspectives on the world.

Technology Policy:

Mobile device (e.g., smart phones, pagers, etc.) ringers will be turned off or placed on vibrate prior
to class. Laptops and tablets can be used in the classroom to take notes, make calculations, and
download/read course materials. PLEASE DO NOT USE DEVICES FOR NON-CLASS RELATED
ACTIVITIES. Research suggests that non-academic use of the internet is associated with poorer

MEDIA AUDIENCES – FALL 2022- 4

learning outcomes.

Evaluation Rubric:

A= Excellent
 This work is comprehensive and detailed, integrating themes and concepts from
discussions, lectures, and readings. Writing is clear, analytical, and organized. Arguments offer
specific examples and concisely evaluate evidence. Students who earn this grade are prepared
for class, synthesize course materials, and contribute insightfully.

B=Good
 This work is complete and accurate, offering insights at general level of
understanding. Writing is clear, uses examples properly and tends toward broad analysis.
Classroom participation is consistent and thoughtful.

C=Average
 This work is correct but is largely descriptive, lacking analysis. Writing is vague
and at times tangential. Arguments are unorganized, without specific examples or analysis.
Classroom participation is inarticulate.

D= Unsatisfactory
 This work is incomplete, and evidences little understanding of the readings
or discussions. Arguments demonstrate inattention to detail, misunderstand course material
and overlook significant themes. Classroom participation is spotty, unprepared and off topic.
F=Failed
 This grade indicates a failure to participate and/or incomplete assignments

A = 94-- -100 A-- - = 90-- -93 B+ = 87-- -89 B = 84-- -86 B-- - = 80-- -83 C+ = 77-- -79 C = 74-- -76 C-- - = 70-- -73 D+ = 65--
-69 D = 60-- -64 F =0-- -59

Grade Appeals
 Please allow two days to pass before you submit a grade appeal. This gives you
time to reflect on my assessment. If you still want to appeal your grade, please submit a short
but considered paragraph detailing your concerns. Based on this paragraph I will review the
question and either augment your grade or refine my explanation for the lost points.

Course Policies

Absences and Lateness
More than two unexcused absences will automatically result in a lower grade. Chronic lateness will
also be reflected in your evaluation of participation. Regardless of the reason for your absence you
will be responsible for any missed work. Travel arrangements do not constitute a valid excuse for
rescheduling exams. There are no extra credit assignments for this class.

Format
Please type and double-space your written work. Typing improves the clarity and readability of
your work and double-spacing allows room for me to comment. Please also number and staple
multiple pages. You are free to use your preferred citation style. Please use it consistently
throughout your writing. If sending a document electronically, please name the file in the following
format Yourlastname Coursenumber Assignment1.doc

Grade Appeals
Please allow two days to pass before you submit a grade appeal. This gives you time to reflect on
my assessment. If you still want to appeal your grade, please submit a short but considered

MEDIA AUDIENCES – FALL 2022- 5

paragraph detailing your concerns. Based on this paragraph I will review the question and either
augment your grade or refine my explanation for the lost points.

General Decorum
Slipping in late or leaving early, sleeping, text messaging, surfing the Internet, doing homework in
class, eating, etc. are distracting and disrespectful to all participants in the course.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/current-students/register-classes/registration/statement-academic-
integrity

The relationship between students and faculty is the keystone of the educational experience at New
York University in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. This
relationship takes an honor code for granted and mutual trust, respect, and responsibility as
foundational requirements. Thus, how you learn is as important as what you learn. A university
education aims not only to produce high-quality scholars, but to also cultivate honorable citizens.
Academic integrity is the guiding principle for all that you do, from taking exams to making oral
presentations to writing term papers. It requires that you recognize and acknowledge information
derived from others and take credit only for ideas and work that are yours.

You violate the principle of academic integrity when you cheat on an exam, submit the same work
for two different courses without prior permission from your professors, receive help on a take-
home examination that calls for independent work, or plagiarize.

Plagiarism, one of the gravest forms of academic dishonesty in university life, whether intended or
not, is academic fraud. In a community of scholars, whose members are teaching, learning, and
discovering knowledge, plagiarism cannot be tolerated.

Plagiarism is failure to properly assign authorship to a paper, a document, an oral presentation, a
musical score, and/or other materials that are not your original work. You plagiarize when, without
proper attribution, you do any of the following: copy verbatim from a book, an article, or other
media; download documents from the Internet; purchase documents; report from other’s oral
work; paraphrase or restate someone else’s facts, analysis, and/or conclusions; or copy directly
from a classmate or allow a classmate to copy from you.

Your professors are responsible for helping you to understand other people's ideas, to use
resources and conscientiously acknowledge them, and to develop and clarify your own thinking.
You should know what constitutes good and honest scholarship, style guide preferences, and
formats for assignments for each of your courses. Consult your professors for help with problems
related to fulfilling course assignments, including questions related to attribution of sources.
Through reading, writing, and discussion, you will undoubtedly acquire ideas from others, and
exchange ideas and opinions with others, including your classmates and professors. You will be
expected, and often required, to build your own work on that of other people. In so doing, you are
expected to credit those sources that have contributed to the development of your ideas.

Avoiding Academic Dishonesty
• Organize your time appropriately to avoid undue pressure, and acquire good study
habits, including note taking.

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• Learn proper forms of citation. Always check with your professors of record for their
preferred style guides. Directly copied material must always be in quotes; paraphrased
material must be acknowledged; even ideas and organization derived from your own
previous work or another's work need to be acknowledged.
• Always proofread your finished work to be sure that quotation marks, footnotes and
other references were not inadvertently omitted. Know the source of each citation.
• Do not submit the same work for more than one class without first obtaining the
permission of both professors even if you believe that work you have already completed
satisfies the requirements of another assignment.
• Save your notes and drafts of your papers as evidence of your original work.
Disciplinary Sanctions
When a professor suspects cheating, plagiarism, and/or other forms of academic dishonesty,
appropriate disciplinary action may be taken following the department procedure or through
referral to the Committee on Student Discipline.

The Steinhardt School Statement on Academic Integrity is consistent with the New York University
Policy on Student Conduct, published in the NYU Student Guide.

Student Resources

• Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students requesting reasonable accommodations due to a disability are encouraged to
register with the Moses Center for students with Disabilities. You can begin
the registration process by completing Moses Center Online Intake. Once completed, a
Disability Specialist will be in contact with you. Students requiring services are strongly
encouraged to register prior to the upcoming semester or as early as possible during the
semester to ensure timely implementation of approved accommodations.

• NYU Writing Center (Washington Square): 411 Lafayette, 4th Floor. Schedule an
appointment online at https://nyu.mywconline.com or just walk-in.

Chosen Name/Pronouns:
Some members of the NYU community are known by a name that is different from their legal name.
Students who wish to be identified by a chosen name can contact me via email and request their
chosen name and pronoun be used.

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Course Schedule

9/7: Introduction and Overview

9/12:
CLASS DISCUSSION: How do we use media?

9/14:
Snyder, R.W. (1994) “The vaudeville circuit: A prehistory of the mass audience”.
In Ettema, J.S. & Charles Whitney, D. (Eds) Audiencemaking: how the media create the audience.
Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp.215---231.

9/19:
Siefert, M. (1994) “The audience at home: the early recording industry and the marketing of
musical taste.” In Ettema, J.S. & Charles Whitney, D. (Eds) Audiencemaking: how the media
create the audience. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 186--- 214.

9/21:
Blumer, H. (1933). “Adolescents and Imitation” & “Methods” In Movies and Conduct. New York:
The MacMillan Company, pp. 141---213, (Chapter 3 and Appendix);

9/26:
First Reflection paper due in class (submitted on NYU Brightspace) on the influence of
movies on their own behavior and attitudes and relate their experiences to the reading.
Discuss student reflections.

9/28:
Gerbner, G,; Gross, L.; Morgan, M. and Signorielli, N. (1987) "Charting the Mainstream:
Television's Contributions to Political Orientations", in Lazere, D. (Ed.), American Media and
Mass Culture: Left Perspectives. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp. 441---464.

10/3:
Agenda Setting research------ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda---setting theory
------In class, discuss Documentary—The Brainwashing of My Dad –review these sites:
www.thebrainwashingofmydad.com and https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-fox-news-made-my-dad-
crazy

10/5:
Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch, “Uses and Gratifications Research.” The Public Opinion Quarterly,
Winter, 1973-1974, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Winter, 1973- 1974), pp. 509-523

Discussion of Effects and Uses and Gratifications Research Approaches and Methods;
guidelines for reflection Paper #2: find Effects research on the influence of contemporary TV
on different people’s political views and activities

10/11 (Classes Meet on Monday Schedule):
Students present/discuss Short Reflection #2 and submit on Brightspace


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10/12:
Seiter, E. (1999) “Qualitative Audience Research” In Television and new media audiences. Oxford:
Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 9---33.

10/17:
Gillespie, M. (1995) "Coming of Age in Southall: TV News Talk." In Television, Ethnicity and
Cultural Change, London: Routledge. (Introduction and other chapters recommended)

10/19:
Take Home Midterm – due by 11:59pm on Brightspace

10/24:
Bird, S. E. (2003) “Imagining Indians” in The Audience in Everyday Life: Living in a Media World, NY:
Routledge, pp. 1---20; pp. 86---117; (Other chapters recommended).

10/26:
Wilson, P. (2004) “Jamming Big Brother: Webcasting, audience intervention, and narrative
activism” In Murray, S. & Ouellette, L. (Eds) Reality TV: Remaking television culture. New York:
NYU Press, pp.323---343.

10/31:
Ito, Mizuko, et.al. “Introduction,” “Project Overview,” and “Project Descriptions” in
Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media.
Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2010. (other chapters recommended)

11/2:
boyd, danah, “Introduction,’ Chapter 1 “Identity” and Chapter 2 “Privacy” in It’s Complicated:
the social lives of networked teens, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014 (other chapters
recommended)

11/7:
Before Class: Watch Generation Like (PBS Frontline) Available here:
https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-generation/

Short Reflection Paper #3 Prep: find contemporary scholarly/journalistic articles, on different

groups of people’s use of internet/social media around the world and analyze in relation to
Cultural Studies assigned readings classes.

11/9:
Reflection Paper #3 due; students present in class

11/14:
Bellotti, Karina Kosicki. “Media and Christian Youth Groups in Brazil.” In Fisherkeller (Ed).
International Perspectives on Youth Media: Cultures of Production and Education, NY Peter Lang,
2011.

11/16:
Damiana Gibbons, Téa Drift, and Deanna Drift “Whose Story Is It? Being Native and American:

MEDIA AUDIENCES – FALL 2022- 9

Crossing Borders, Hyphenated Selves.” In Fisherkeller (Ed). International Perspectives on Youth

Media: Cultures of Production and Education, NY Peter Lang,2011.

11/21:
Soep, Elizabeth. “All the World’s an Album: Youth Media as Strategic Embedding.” In
Fisherkeller (Ed). International Perspectives on Youth Media: Cultures of Production and
Education, NY Peter Lang, 2011.

11/28:
Amy Stornaiuolo, Glynda A. Hull, and Urvashi Sahni “Cosmopolitan Imaginings of Self and
Other: Youth and Social Networking in a Global World.” In Fisherkeller (Ed) International
Perspectives on Youth Media: Cultures of Production and Education, NY Peter Lang, 2011.

11/30:
Students work in small groups in class to find a Cultural Study of different groups of people’s uses
of cellphones and/or internet/social media, locally and globally and relate to the readings Classes
20---24.

12/5:
Students group presentations on research from 11/30 class

12/7:
Students group presentations on research from 11/30 class
Paper Workshopping in Class

12/12:
Paper Workshopping in Class

12/14:
CLASS PARTY/FINAL PAPER DUE BY 11:59pm on BRIGHTSPACE