Thinking About Transfer?

Are you really aware of all the factors that make you a good candidate for admission to a top university? This article may include some information you were not aware of.

Is This the 9th Milestone in Communications History?

This is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in March 2014. Virtual Reality is one of those cool ideas that hasn't yet become mainstream. But maybe that is about to change.

Oculus Rift is a gaming device that puts the user into the action to an unprecedented degree. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Does anyone have experience with virtual reality? What current devices have some VR capabilities?

•Will this technology make films and TV obsolete? How should the film and TV industries use this device?

•Will this device increase or physical activity, or decrease it?

•How could this technology be used in a GCC classroom?

•How could advertisers use this technology?

Do the Movies Flunk History?

Make a movie about a historic event or person and someone will inevitably denounce its accuracy. The is happening now with "Selma," "American Sniper," and "The Theory of Everything." Los Angeles Times movie critic Kenneth Turan explores why there will never be a movie about a historical event that is universally hailed as accurate and fair.

Questions...

•Name some movies about historic events and people. Can you tell what parts are factual and what parts are not? How are you able to tell the difference?

•Why do historians and scientists have to call press conferences to correct the historical portrayals or science in a movie?

•How true to life should a movie about a historical event be? What is a reasonable level of truthfulness, and what is asking for too much?

•Why might two movies about the same event turn out differently, even if the moviemakers are trying to tell the truth?

•What could happen in this class on final exam day that is so big that a movie will be made about it? What would be fair storytelling? What would be unfair?

Facebook Is Watching You

Who knows you the best? Your Friends? Your parents? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? How about Facebook. Your pattern of "Likes" say a lot about your personality, not to mention your preferences. In fact, the more things you like, the closer Facebook comes to knowing the real you better than any living, breathing person. The Los Angeles Times reports.

The War on Free Speech

The recent mass murders at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has once again highlighted an unsettling fact: We are living in an era in which journalists and others who express controversial ideas are in mortal danger. What does this mean for freedom of speech in the U.S. and around the world? NPR reports.

Questions...

•Why does free speech matter? Does it have any connection to our daily lives?

•In many places, the killing of an on-duty police officer is a special circumstances homicide that carries particularly heavy penalties. Should we extend the same protection to on-duty journalists? Why or why not?

•What are legitimate ways to oppose a media outlet you strongly disagree with?

•Are you in favor of or against college civility codes that allow ideas but punish slurs and hate speech?

Supplemental Instruction

As mentioned in class, there will be weekly optional, extra-credit MC101 study sessions. Glendale College calls these sessions Supplemental Instruction (SI). This semester, your SI instructor will be Mike Arvizu. His SI sessions will be in CS177 (the same room that our class meets in) from 1:30-2:30, on the following Mondays: Jan. 12, Jan. 26 and Feb. 2. Bring your textbook and your notes to SI sessions. Your SI leader has also created a Winter 2015 Mass Comm 101 Facebook Group.

Don't Buy Music, Rent It!

iTunes helped the music industry find an alternative to declining CD sales. For about a decade, it was popular and up-to-date. But now streaming services supported by monthly subscription fees have gained popularity and iTunes suddenly looks like a fading business. NPR reports.

Questions...

•What are other examples of a type of a website or a type of media hardware that was popular for awhile, then faded in popularity?

•In the 1980s, music made a transition from vinyl to CD and 20 years later from CD to iTunes. Are we in the midst of another historic transition in how people buy music?

•As a consumer, do you generally prefer paying for things that you actually use (like iTunes or Kindle eBooks) or do you prefer a subscription approach (cable television)? What do you think of the Pandora approach where a basic service is free and the consumer pays for a more complete version of the service?

•In your opinion, do you think major recording companies (which generally promote mainstream musical acts) prefer the iTunes approach or the Spotify approach? What about small independent record companies or musical acts that put their music online without record company backing? Which approach do you think will do more to cut down on pirated music?