MMC4640: Public Opinion and Modernity
Spring 2014
3 Credit Hours
Professor James F. Tracy
Office: CU 220
Office Hours: Monday, 7:00PM-9:00PM, Thursday 7:00-9:00PM,
or by appointment.
Office Phone: (561) 297-6265
Email: JFTracy@fau.edu*
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an examination of the nature and extent to which a citizenry is informed on important
affairs of the day, and how the nation’s news media perform in furthering this process. Public opinion
figures centrally in this regard, affirming or calling into question prevailing social policies and the
behavior or political and economic institutions. With this in mind course content is selected and
structured to focus on historic and recent criticism of mass media and journalistic functioning, and how
news-generating outlets as a whole have often fallen short of their stated goals.
Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes
In the liberal arts tradition, through engagement with and discussion of assigned literature and related
course content students will sharpen their critical and intellectual capacities, thereby becoming more fully
developed individuals.
Required Texts (Available at Boca Campus Bookstore and Booksmart, Glades Road):
Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth with Project Censored. Censored 2014 Fearless Speech in Fateful
Times: The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2012-13. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2013.
Robert W. McChesney and Ben Scott. Our Unfree Press: 100 Years of Radical Media Criticism. New
York: New Press, 2004.
PLEASE NOTE: The above texts will be on reserve at the Circulation Desk of the Boca Campus
Wimberly Library.

*

Please allow 48 hours (M-F) for responses via email.

 COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Reading Observation Assignments. 7 X 5 = 35 percent.
At the start of the term class participants will be assigned to a discussion group for the semester’s
duration. The discussion groups are intended to foster interaction on lectures, videos, and readings in a
more intimate setting both inside and outside of class. For each Monday meeting students should prepare
a typed, double-spaced one-and-one half-to-two page observations on the reading assigned for that
week. Throughout the term a total of at least six should be submitted. Students may submit up to eleven
observations if they wish and the highest seven scores from these will count toward 30 percent of the final
grade.
Papers should be completed using Times 12 point font, with a maximum one-inch margin. The heading
for this assignment should be single-spaced, placed at the top of the paper, following this format (with
your name):
Jane Q. Student
Group 3
January 15
Seldes, “The House of Lords”
Papers that do not conform to the above format will be returned ungraded.
The question or observation should aim to explain the relationship between the given week’s assigned
reading to any previous reading selection, observation from lecture or discussion, and/or a video
viewed in class. Drawing on these papers at each meeting, discussion groups will explain the significance
of an assigned chapter or article and place it in the context of other course content. Grammar,
succinctness and thoughtfulness of papers or lack thereof will contribute to full (or partial) credit. Groups
will be given fifteen-to-twenty minutes at the beginning of each class to discuss the assignment among
group members and members of other groups assigned the same reading, to prepare for presentation of
their questions/observations to the larger class.
Censored Story Proposal: 10 percent
One of our texts this term is Censored 2014. Since 1976 Project Censored, a national body of journalists,
activists, scholars, and undergraduate and graduate students at Sonoma State University, annually compile
a list of twenty-five stories of undeniable importance that have been overlooked or ignored by mainstream
US news media. Over the years submissions to Project Censored for editorial consideration have been
solicited from journalism classes throughout the US. With this in mind, each class participant will
research and submit a news story of their choosing that has been reported in alternative or foreign news
outlets over the past year (from April 2013 onward) that mainstream US news publications have failed to
cover, and thus “censored” from public view. Look here for a list of independent, non-corporate news
sources:
http://www.projectcensored.org/news-sources/
Samples of Censored Stories and Proposals may be found here:
http://www.mediafreedominternational.org/category/validated-independent-news/
Students will be expected to make an appointment to see Dr. Tracy sometime between January 8 and
February 5 to discuss the assignment.
Project Censored Story Proposals are due no later than February 12th and if necessary will be
returned the following week with suggestions for improvement. Students whose proposals are

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 approved will be promptly notified via email. Otherwise final drafts are due no later than
November 4th.
All PC Proposals should follow the following format:
The following information needs to be single spaced:
1) Your name
2) Story title,
3) Citation(s) of source(s) (Here is an example: Shedlock, Mike. 2011. “SEC Destroys 9,000 Fraud Files
Involving Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Deutsch Bank,
Morgan Stanley Lehman,” Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis, August 17,
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/08/sec-destroys-9000-fraud-filesinvolving.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MishsGlobal
EconomicTrendAnalysis+%28Mish%27s+Global+Economic+Trend+Analysis%29, Accessed August 17,
2011)
4) A 150-to-200 word story synopsis in your own carefully edited words.
Selected Story Proposals will be submitted for possible publication in the forthcoming Censored 2015
Yearbook (to be published in October 2014).
Midterm and Final Exams (15 + 25) = 40 percent
One in-class essay exams will be given at the midpoint of the term to test class participants’
comprehension of material presented in readings, lectures, discussions, and videos. These exams will
consist of two groups of compound essay questions where class participants will select one question each
to write on. Essay questions require an essay response immediately informed by relevant ideas from
readings, lectures, and discussions that satisfactorily demonstrates an understanding of and ability to
apply such material. Ungrouped essay exam questions will be distributed via email 48 hours prior to each
exam. Class participants will have 95 minutes to complete the midterm. Please bring one Blue Book.
Reading Quizzes (3 X 5) = 15 percent
Four quizzes on readings for the given meeting will be given on random dates at the start of class
throughout the term. These quizzes will be given within the first six minutes of class (7:11 to 7:15PM)
and will consist of five multiple-choice questions based on the readings assigned for the given week.
Class participants who are more than four minutes late for class or absent for any reason on the evening
of a quiz automatically relinquish their right to take the quiz. The lowest quiz score of the four will be
dropped.
Grade Breakdown.
Reading Observation Assignments:
Midterm Exam:
Censored Story Proposal:
Reading Quizzes:
Final Exam:
Total:

35
15
10
15
25
100

Corresponding Letter Grade Scale
95-100% =
90-94 =
87-89 =
85-86 =

A
ABB

71-75 =
67-70 =
65-66 =
63-64=

C
CD+
D

80-84 =
76-79 =

3

BC+

61-62=
<60=

DF

 GENERAL COURSE POLICIES
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Students at Florida Atlantic University are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Academic
dishonesty is considered a serious breach of these ethical standards, because it interferes with the
university mission to provide a high quality education in which no student enjoys an unfair advantage
over any other. Academic dishonesty is also destructive of the university community, which is grounded
in a system of mutual trust and places high value on personal integrity and individual responsibility.
Harsh penalties are associated with academic dishonesty. For more information, see
http://wise.fau.edu/regulations/chapter4/Reg_4.001_5-26-10_FINAL.pdf
Absenteeism, Tardiness, and Class Breaks
All class participants are advised to arrive to class promptly and attend class on a regular basis. A routine
pattern of absence, tardiness, or leaving before the end of class, can adversely affect one’s grade. No
Reading Observations will be accepted from students who are not also present for the entire class.
Further, some videos screened in class are not available at the FAU Library. Thus, it is important that you
are present to view screenings.
Personal Electronic Devices
Cell phones, laptop computers, and other personal electronic devices are not allowed in class unless they
are related to a student disability and are pre-approved. Please keep such gadgets stowed away. Students
who use or display such devices during class will be asked once to put them away. Subsequent use of
such personal media during class will result in a 5% grade reduction of the total possible grade per
violation.
Class participants with Disabilities
Disability policy statement: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students who
require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register with
the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) -- in Boca Raton, SU 133 (561-297-3880); in Davie, LA
240 (954-236-1222); in Jupiter, SR 110 (561-799-8010); or at the Treasure Coast, CO 117 (772-8733441) – and follow all OSD procedures. http://osd.fau.edu/
Student Complaints
Complaints regarding the course material or instruction in this course should first attempt to be resolved
with the professor. If the issue cannot be resolved within the structure of the course, contact the Director
of the School of Communication at 561-297-3850.

 CLASS SCHEDULE AND READINGS
January 8th
Introduction; Course overview; Discussion group designations
Screening: Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press, Rick Goldsmith, director,
1996.
January 15th
Readings: George Seldes, “The House of Lords,” in McChesney and Scott, pp. 35-46; The Hutchins
Commission, “The Problem and the Principles,” pp. 220-228.
Group 1: presents Seldes, “The House of Lords.”
Group 2: presents The Hutchins Commission, “The Problem and the Principles.”
Group 3: presents Seldes, “The House of Lords.”
Group 4: presents The Hutchins Commission, “The Problem and the Principles.”
Group 5: presents Seldes, “The House of Lords.”
Screening: Project Censored: The Movie, Doug Hecker and Christopher Oscar, dirs., 2013.
January 22nd
Readings: Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth, “Introduction,” “The Top Censored Stories from 2012-13,”
both in Censored 2014: Fearless Speech in Fateful Times, pp. 25-33, 41-64.
Group 1: Huff and Roth, “Introduction,” “The Top Censored Stories from 2012-13.”
Group 2: Huff and Roth, “Introduction,” “The Top Censored Stories from 2012-13.”
Group 3: Huff and Roth, “Introduction,” “The Top Censored Stories from 2012-13.”
Group 4: Huff and Roth, “Introduction,” “The Top Censored Stories from 2012-13.”
Group 5: Huff and Roth, “Introduction,” “The Top Censored Stories from 2012-13.”
Screening: Fear and Favor in the Newsroom, Beth Sanders, dir., 1996.
January 29th
Readings: Edward A. Ross, “The Suppression of Important News,” in McChesney and Scott, pp. 181192; Brian Covert, News Cluster: “Whistleblowers and Gag Laws,” in Censored 2014, pp. 65-84.
Group 1: Covert, News Cluster: “Whistleblowers and Gag Laws.”
Group 2: Ross, “The Suppression of Important News.”
Group 3: Covert, News Cluster: “Whistleblowers and Gag Laws.”
Group 4: Ross, “The Suppression of Important News.”
Group 5: Covert, News Cluster: “Whistleblowers and Gag Laws.”
Screening: American Drug War: The Last White Hope, Part I, Kevin Booth, dir., 2008.
February 5th
Readings: The Kerner Commission, “The News Media and the Disorders,” pp. 247-261; Susan Rahman
and Donna Nassor, News Cluster: “Human Rights and Civil Liberties,” in Censored 2014, pp. 101-112.
Group 1: Rahman and Nassor, News Cluster: “Human Rights and Civil Liberties.”

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 Group 2: The Kerner Commission, “The News Media and the Disorders.”
Group 3: The Kerner Commission, “The News Media and the Disorders.”
Group 4: Rahman and Nassor, News Cluster: “Human Rights and Civil Liberties.”
Group 5: The Kerner Commission, “The News Media and the Disorders.”
Screening: American Drug War, Part II.
February 12th
Readings: Warren Breed, “Social Control in the Newsroom: A Functional Analysis” in McChesney and
Scott, pp. 229-244; Bagdikian, “The Growing Gap,” in McChesney and Scott, pp. 275-286.
Group 1: Bagdikian, “The Growing Gap.”
Group 2: Breed, “Social Control in the Newsroom.”
Group 3: Bagdikian, “The Growing Gap.”
Group 4: Bagdikian, “The Growing Gap.”
Group 5: Breed, “Social Control in the Newsroom.”
Screening: 20/20 Hindsight: Censorship on the Frontline, Part I, Paul Verge, dir., 2010.
CENSORED STORY PROPOSALS DUE
February 19th
Exam I will take place from 7:10PM to 8:35PM. There is no break this evening. Students who finish
the exam before 8:35PM may excuse themselves until 8:35PM, at which time the screening below
will commence.
Screening: Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives, Jeffrey M. Smith, dir., 2012.
February 26th
Readings: James F. Tracy, News Cluster: “Plutocracy, Poverty and Prosperity,” pp. 85-100; Peter
Phillips and Brady Osborne, “Exposing the Financial Core of the Transnational Capitalist Class,” pp. 313330.
Group 1: Tracy, News Cluster: “Plutocracy, Poverty and Prosperity.”
Group 2: Tracy, News Cluster: “Plutocracy, Poverty and Prosperity.”
Group 3: Phillips and Osborne, “Exposing the Financial Core.”
Group 4: Phillips and Osborne, “Exposing the Financial Core.”
Group 5: Phillips and Osborne, “Exposing the Financial Core.”
Screening: Take Back Your Power, Part I, Josh del Sol, dir., 2013.
March 5th
Mid-Semester Break
March 12th
Readings: Susan Rahman and Lilliana Valdez-Madera, News Cluster: “Health and the Environment,” pp.
127-142; Elliot D. Cohen, “Digging Deeper: Politoco-Corporate Media Manipulation, Critical Thinking,
and Democracy,” pp. 251-270.

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 Group 1: Cohen, “Digging Deeper: Politoco-Corporate Media Manipulation, Critical Thinking.”
Group 2: Rahman and Valdez-Madera, “Health and the Environment.”
Group 3: Cohen, “Digging Deeper: Politoco-Corporate Media Manipulation, Critical Thinking.”
Group 4: Rahman and Valdez-Madera, “Health and the Environment.”
Group 5: Cohen, “Digging Deeper: Politoco-Corporate Media Manipulation, Critical Thinking.”
Screening: Take Back Your Power, Part II.
REVISED CENSORED STORY PROPOSALS DUE
March 19th
Readings: C. Wright Mills, “The Mass Society,” in McChesney and Scott, pp. 343-364.
Group 1: Mills, “The Mass Society,” pp. 343-352.
Group 2: Mills, “The Mass Society,” pp. 343-352.
Group 3: Mills, “The Mass Society,” pp. 352-364.
Group 4: Mills, “The Mass Society,” pp. 352-364.
Group 5: Mills, “The Mass Society,” pp. 343-352.
Screening: The War You Don’t See, John Pilger, dir., 2010.
March 26th
Readings: Daniel Ellsberg, Josh Wolf, et al, “Media Democracy in Action: Free Press and Free Speech
Advocates Who Make a Difference” (Part I), in Huff, Roth, pp. 207-226; John Pilger, “Censorship That
Dares Not Speak Its Name: The Strange Silencing of Liberal America,” in Huff and Roth, pp. 287-296.
Group 1: Ellsberg, Wolf, et al, “Media Democracy in Action.”
Group 2: Ellsberg, Wolf, et al, “Media Democracy in Action.”
Group 3: Pilger, “Censorship That Dares Not Speak Its Name.”
Group 4: Ellsberg, Wolf, et al, “Media Democracy in Action.”
Group 5: Pilger, “Censorship That Dares Not Speak Its Name.”
Screening: Beyond Treason: The US Government’s Long History of Conducting Deadly Military
Experiments, (Part I), William Lewis, dir., 2005.
April 2nd
Readings: Targol Mesbah and Zara Zimbardo, News Cluster: “Technologies and Ecologies of War,” pp.
113-126; Brian Martin Murphy, “The ‘New’ American Imperialism in Africa: Secret Sahara Wars and
AFRICOM,” pp. 353-364.
Group 1: Murphy, “The ‘New’ American Imperialism in Africa.”
Group 2: Mesbah and Zimbardo, “Technologies and Ecologies of War.”
Group 3: Murphy, “The ‘New’ American Imperialism in Africa.”
Group 4: Murphy, “The ‘New’ American Imperialism in Africa.”
Group 5: Mesbah and Zimbardo, “Technologies and Ecologies of War.”
Screening: Beyond Treason, Part II.
April 9th

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 Readings: Gaye Tuchman, “News as the Reproduction of the Status Quo,” in McChesney and Scott, pp.
399-404; Huff and Higdon, Déjà vu: What Happened to Previous Censored Stories,” pp. 155-176.
Group 1: Huff and Higdon, Déjà vu: What Happened to Previous Censored Stories.”
Group 2: Tuchman, “News as the Reproduction of the Status Quo.”
Group 3: Huff and Higdon, Déjà vu: What Happened to Previous Censored Stories.”
Group 4: Tuchman, “News as the Reproduction of the Status Quo.”
Group 5: Huff and Higdon, Déjà vu: What Happened to Previous Censored Stories.”
Screening: A Noble Lie: Oklahoma City 1995, Part I, James Lane, dir., 2010.
April 16nd
Readings: W.E.B. Du Bois, “On the Collection of Honest News,” and “On the Right to Express and Hear
Public Opinion,” in McChesney and Scott, pp. 338-342; James F. Tracy, “Diffusing Conspiracy Panics:
On the Public Use of Reason in the Twenty-First Century Truth Emergency,” pp. 271-286.
Group 1: Tracy, “Diffusing Conspiracy Panics.”
Group 2: Tracy, “Diffusing Conspiracy Panics.”
Group 3: Du Bois, “On the Collection of Honest News,” and “On the Right to Express and Hear.”
Group 4: Tracy, “Diffusing Conspiracy Panics.”
Group 5: Du Bois, “On the Collection of Honest News,” and “On the Right to Express and Hear.”
Screening: A Noble Lie: Oklahoma City 1995, Part II.
April 23rd
Readings; Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky, “Propaganda Mill,” in McChesney and Scott, pp. 405411; Rob Williams, “Screening the Homeland: How Hollywood Fantasy Mediates State Fascism in the
US of Empire,” pp. 297-310.
Group 1: Herman and Chomsky, “Propaganda Mill.”
Group 2: Williams, “Screening the Homeland.”
Group 3: Williams, “Screening the Homeland.”
Group 4: Williams, “Screening the Homeland.”
Group 5: Herman and Chomsky, “Propaganda Mill.”
Screening: 9/11: Press for Truth, Ray Nowosielski, dir., 2006.
April 30th
Exam II

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