Fall 2019 Final Exam and Office Hours Schedule

Every class is given a two-hour and 20-minute time slot for the final exam. Mass Comm 101 final exams are always given at the day and time mandated by the college. You can view this semester's Final Exam Schedule here.

Furthermore, office hours change during the final exam period. My final exam office hours are below...

Final Exam Office Hours

Dr. Mike Eberts 818/240-1000 x5352
meberts@glendale.edu

Wed 12/11 Noon-1 pm
Thu 12/12 8-9 am
Fri 12/13 2-3 pm
Mon 12/16 Noon-1 pm
Tue 12/17 TBA

On-Campus Field Trip, Dec. 5

You will have one more opportunity to earn five field trip points this semester... and you won't have to leave the campus to do it. Mona Field, professor emeritus of political science at Glendale College, will speak in Kreider Hall on Thursday, Dec. 5, 12:30-1:30 in Kreider Hall. To receive field trip credit, you must attend the lecture (the hall will fill up, so it is best to arrive a little early), sign the roll sheet and complete the following assignment:

1. What is CENSUS 2020 and why is it important for all Californians to participate?

2. What is REDISTRICTING and why does it affect you?

3. Describe how you would use media for a low-cost campaign to make GCC students aware of the census and to stress the importance of their participation?

Your assignment should be 200-300 words and it should be turned in by Thursday, Dec. 12.

Screens Great and Small

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in October 2017.

Academic researchers have done a tremendous amount of research over the potential damage that can be done to children if they are allowed to watch too much television. But what about children (8 or younger) who spend a lot a time online? NPR reports.

Questions...

•Which do you feel is worse: letting small children watch a lot of TV, or spend a lot of time online? Does anyone want to make the case that a lot of screen time is beneficial to small children?

•Which is more addicting: TV or the Internet? Why?

•Which is a better teacher: TV or the Internet? Why?

•Under what conditions would you allow an 8-year-old go online?

Making the Call

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in May 2019.

Is a social media platform more like a publisher (Time Magazine, Washington Post) or is it more like the phone company? The difference is that publishers are responsible for what they put in their newspaper while the phone company is a common carrier that is not expected to listen in n phone calls. As a result, if a murder is discussed over the phone, legal scholars generally agree that the phone company is not an accessory to the crime.

Recently, Facebook removed some high-profile political extremists. What are the implications of this? NPR reports.

Questions...

•Legally speaking, do you think Facebook is more like a publisher or more like the phone company? Why?

•Does the First Amendment right to freedom of speech give controversial figures a right to access to Facebook or any other online platform?

•Should Facebook or any other online platform be held legally responsible for violent acts that are originally discussed or planned on their platforms?

•How should Facebook and other social media platforms handle speakers and messages that are deemed dangerous in other countries?

Get Real

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in November 2018.

In Fall 2019, this MediaNote was presented only to MW classes.

Apparently, Italian youth have some of the same problems telling the difference between factual news reports and fiction that American students have. So the Italian government (public education is more centralized there) has added How to Spot Fake News to the curriculum. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Should government offer training in how to spot fake news?

•Should school districts like Los Angeles and Glendale Unified (or GCC) offer training in how to spot fake news?

•Should social media companies do something about fake news? What should they do?