University of North Alabama

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Communication and Theatre


Course Syllabus

Communication 328: Credit Hours: Course Description: Placement: Class Schedule: Faculty: Textbook: Objectives: Teaching Methods: Student Grades: Important Dates: Reading Assignments by Lesson Topics: Project:

Program Research [and Decision Making] 3 semester hours An introduction to the research methods and findings used to evaluate telecommunication programs. The application of research in decisions on the use and placement of programs will be emphasized. Prerequisites: COM 240 OR 241/242 AND COM 316. Spring 2008 MWF, 10:00 -- 10:50 am Avon Edward Foote, Ph.D. Associate Professor Room 108 Office: (256) 765-4489 E-mail: aefoote@una.edu FAX: (256) 765-4839 Office Hours: Monday 9-10  &  11-1, Wednesday 9-10  &  11-1, Thursday 3-5, Friday 9-10  &  11-1. And by appointment when necessary Eastman, Susan and Ferguson, Douglas, Broadcast/Cable Programming, 7th edition  Wadsworth, 2006. The student is expected to complete the following objectives: To know the history of industry and academic electronic media audience research from 1925 to 2005. To be able to identify and define the most-often utilized techniques of evaluation research. To be able to compute the basic units of measurement used in ratings research. To be able to list the advantages and disadvantages of different sampling techniques used in evaluation research. To be able to list the primary decision-making criteria for radio. To be able to list the primary decision-making criteria for television and cable. To be able to list the primary decision-making criteria for television and cable. To be able to list the primary decision-making criteria for the internet. Assigned readings in text, lectures, reading from Broadcasting and Cable for annual NAPTE Convention and other industry coverage, guest speakers, class discussion, programming research project, and festival attendance. The following are methods by which the course objectives will be evaluated: Two exams will count 20% each. 30% of grade will come from program project. Lindsey Festival attendance and written report turned in within one week of event will count 20%. Reports from B&C -- Broadcasting and Cable and class participation count 10%. A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=<60 Attendance: Required by University policy. After four weeks of absences your grade will be become an "F" as announced in University literature. Grade will be lowered for excessive absences over three. Because of the importance of being on-time and meeting deadlines, tardiness will be noted on the roll and will affect the grade if it becomes a problem for an individual student. January 21 --- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day February 15 --- University closed for Winter break February 29 --- Middle of term March 6,7,8,9 --- Lindsey/UNA Film Festival March 7 --- Last day of "W"period March 21 to 30 --- Spring Holidays April 16 --- Last day to drop a class May 1 --- Study Day May 2 to 8 --- Semester Exams Electronic Media Programming Challenge, Chapter 1. History of Academic Research in Electronic Media, no reading. History of Commercial Ratings Research, no reading. Exam 1 on February 22 Ratings Research Process, Chapter 2. Key Terms and Calculations, Chapter 2. Ratings for syndication, Chapter 3, Exam 2 on April 2. Broadcast Television Decisions, Chapter 4. Programming Public Television, Chapter 7. Cable Decisions, Chapter 8. Way of the Web, Chapter 10. Project Presentations will be on last week of regular classes and at final exam period. Students will program the prime-time schedule for one Huntsville market television station for one week during the most recent past ratings sweeps, OR create a new program for use in the DMA, present the idea to the class, and create at least 15 minutes of script and/or digital video segment for presentation to class. If undertaking the station programming project, all programming decisions will be backed up with appropriate research support and practical programming guidelines, developed and verified through industry case studies and textbook references. The program creation project will depend on concept, pitch, persuasive-sell to class. Other students roleplay television executives to review quality of production idea and completion. For either of the two types of projects, the project grade will depend on written project decisions, written documentation and class presentation. Written components of project are due April 18. High academic standards should be applied to the written components. The last three meetings of the regular class and the final exam period will be devoted to student presentations of final projects.

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