This may be harder than it first appears. We are so immersed in it that it is hard to see it as a distinctive force. We will develop and evaluate different ways of analyzing our mediated environment. The ethical thrust of the course arises out of the apparent relationship between these information and entertainment forms and our own political and social system. We live in a democracy.
Democracy depends on the informed participation of citizens.
If the answer is a significant amount, then there are clearly implications for democracy and social harmony, implications we need to think through carefully and on the basis of reliable empirical description. This semester, we will take particular advantage of current events to analyze the role of the mass media in shaping U.S. electoral politics. There are, therefore, no prerequisites, and the course is suitable both for those who have had some sociology before as well as for those new to the field. The reader is available for sale at Metro Copier as well as on reserve. To buy the reader, you must call ahead 875-1829 to order a copy and pick it up at 2372 Broadway between 86th and 87th Streets.