Department of Mass Communications and Center for New Media
Colorado State University - Pueblo
2200 Bonforte Blvd.
Pueblo, CO 81004

Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing

INSTRUCTOR: Samuel Ebersole, PhD
Office location, hours, email & phone: see link
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Description

Generalized research methodology course. Effective and appropriate research tools to define and describe various publics contained within the mass audience. Emphasis on sampling practices, encoding and interpretation of results. Pragmatic task activities via Nielsen, Arbitron, SRDS, content analysis and related data sources.

Overview

Audience research using established social scientific methods is an exciting and often rewarding endeavor. With the competitive nature of the mass media marketplace, informed decisions can only be made after careful analysis of data. Although data-driven decision-making is not perfect, the alternative is no longer acceptable practice in any media organization larger than a small family business. Some of you will take management positions that require audience research as part of the everyday routine of doing business. Others of you will go on to graduate school. In either case, a firm grasp of basic and applied research methods will serve you well. This course will introduce you to the foundational concepts and methods used by audience researchers in their quest to discover who’s watching, reading and listening, and why.

Objectives

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. explain the process of audience research as it applies to various mass media;
2. appreciate the ethical choices to be made by researchers;
3. access the full range of available library and electronic resources, including the Internet, to locate scholarly and professional audience research reports;
4. understand and evaluate media research as reported by the popular press;
5. formulate worthy problem statements and hypotheses;
6. distinguish between independent and dependent variables;
7. understand and articulate definitions (conceptual and operational) related to audience research;
8. contrast and compare different approaches to research design--e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative or historical/critical vs. social scientific--and processes for working within those perspectives;
9. develop appropriate methods used to analyze different kinds of research data.
10. present research results in a clear and compelling manner

Text

Wimmer, R.D., & Dominick, J.R. (2006). Mass Media Research: An Introduction, (8th ed.), Belmont: CA: Wadsworth.

Evaluation

There will be regular quizzes and one examination on the assigned readings, class discussions, and lecture presentations. Quizzes will cover assigned textbook readings and are designed to assess your knowledge of the material as well as to prepare you for the cumulative final exam. The final exam will be comprised of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Assignments and projects are described in detail in the Master Assignments Schedule document.

Policy Statements

Attendance
Because the class will be taught using a combination of lecture presentations and discussions, punctual attendance at class sessions is expected. Make-up of any quizzes, exams or other assignments missed due to an excused absence must be arranged with the professor before the next scheduled class meeting to avoid a grade of 0 being registered. Cell phones and other portable electronics devices may not be used during class time. Please be sure that they are turned "off" before class begins. If it rings during class, I get to answer it! If you must leave before the normally scheduled end of class, please make arrangements with me ahead of time and sit near the door in order to minimize disrupting your classmates.

Academic dishonesty
Academic dishonesty in any form, including cheating on examinations, fictionalization, using another student's work as your own, plagiarism of written documents, whether covered by copyright protection or not, or falsely representing another's work as your own, is not tolerated in the professions of mass communications, nor in this department. Students found in violation of this policy will receive a grade of F or unsatisfactory for the course upon the instructor's findings and recommendations to the department chair. In extreme cases, such violations may also result in dropping such students from the department and their major or minor in mass communications.

Disability Statement
This University abides by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education "solely by reason of a handicap." If you have a documented disability that may impact your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see the instructor as as soon as possible to arrange accommodations. In order to receive accommodations, you must be registered with and provided documentation of your disability to the Disability Resource office, which is located in the Psychology Building, Suite 232.