FIU School of Journalism & Mass Communication
Senior Instructor: Professor Carlos Suris
Office Location: ACII / 319A
Office Hours: Monday 1:00-5:00 or by appointment
Phone: 305-919-5269
E-mail: surisc@fiu.edu
Classroom: A2-255 Class Hours: Monday 6:25-9:05
Course Description
A series of readings, discussions and presentations immerse students in contemporary
issues in Media Management and Entrepreneurship. Prerequisite: Permission of the
instructor.
Prerequisites
This is a graduate level course. It assumes prior knowledge of Web Design and New
Media Techniques.
Course Objective:
The main objective of the course is to provide the students with the basic knowledge on
how to develop and manage a digital media company. The course will be organized in
three main phases. On the first one, the students will be exposed to the most recent
literature on digital media economics and the media business models that have
succeeded online. On the second phase, businessmen that have succeeded in their
digital media companies will lecture the students on the basics for success. And the third
phase will be dedicated to establish the bases of their own digital media business model,
which will become the course's final project.
Learning Goals:
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
- Understand what the media economy is. Learn about its impact on the general
economy and how the landscape has change with the rise of the Internet and the
digital media.
- Learn about the media business models that have been successful on the Web,
their main traits and trends.
- Design a business model and how to promote it using guerrilla-marketing tools.
TEXTBOOKS USED IN THE COURSE:
Albarran, Alan B. The Media Economy. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2010.
Briggs, Mark. Entrepreneurial Journalism: How to Build What's Next for News. Los Angeles: Sage, 2012
Jarvis, Jeff. What Would Google Do?New York, NY: Collins Business, 2009
Teaching Method:
The course will be a mixture of lectures and in-class discussions. You are expected to
participate in these discussions as part of your grade for the course. A term research
project will also be required.
The instructor encourages all students to ask questions about the topics under
discussion and to state freely their viewpoints on any of the controversial issues that
may be covered. At the same time, however, the instructor demands that students also
respect the right of others to disagree. No student in this class should feel intimidated; all
students enrolled in this class hopefully are here to participate and to learn.
Email
All students are required to have a working email address for this class. With the
university providing an email address to all students and that all university
announcements will be sent to this university address, the FIU email address will be one
used in this class. Early in the semester, students will learn where to get their FIU email
address, how to access it, and how they can forward it to a different email account (e.g.,
AOL, Yahoo, or Hotmail) if they wish.
Students with Disabilities
If you have any special circumstances it is your responsibility to make me aware of them
so that you may be better accommodated. It is also helpful to mention this on your profile
sheet. For questions and information, please call the FIU Office of Disability Services at
305-348-3532 (University Park Campus: GC 190) or 305-919-5345 (Biscayne Bay
Campus: WUC 139).
Attendance
Though I may not take attendance at every meeting, it should not be interpreted to mean
that students should not be concerned about coming to class regularly. Points for case
discussions, in-class exercises, and homework assignments are not only contingent on
participation, but also on the student’s record of attendance. If s/he is not present, s/he
cannot participate. Informal rather than formal methods of taking attendance will be
used. I will notice your absence although I will not track it directly. Habitual and routine
unexcused absences will directly affect your grade.
Cellular telephones and PDAs
If you carry a cellular telephone and/or a PDA, please be certain
that at the start of every class, you have turned these devices off. If your phone rings or
your pager beeps during class, you will be asked to leave the room, as this is very
distracting to me and to other students in the class. If it continues, you will lose class
participation points.
Deadlines and key dates
Unless you have a legitimate, documented excuse, there will be no make-ups for the
tests or assignments. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. A onepoint
deduction will result for each day an assignment is late up to five days at which
time you will receive a zero.
Office hours
My office hours are listed at the top of the syllabus. I will do my best to be accessible to
you. If my office hours are not convenient, please call or e-mail me and we will set up an
appointment. Do not hesitate to ask me any questions you may have about the readings
or the lectures. This course will involve a number of assignments, but remember I’m
here to help you do as well as you can!
Departmental writing policy – Graduate
Good writing is vital to a career in Journalism and Mass Communication. Thus, all
papers, reports, and tests written outside of the classroom - regardless of length - will
first be graded for content. Following that, the paper will be reviewed for writing. While
the first two "errors" will not impact the grade, any paper containing 3 - 5 errors will
automatically lose 10 points (based on 100); any paper containing 6 - 8 errors will
automatically lose 20 points (based on 100); any paper that contains 9 - 11 errors will
automatically lose 30 points (based on 100), etc.
Academic Honesty
In meeting one of the major objectives of higher education, which is to develop selfreliance,
it is expected that students will be responsible for the completion of their own
academic work. The use of literature, notes, aids, or assistance from other sources
should be clearly identified with respect to all course assignments and examinations. In
addition, students are expected to use all resources, including books, journals, and
computers only in legal and authorized ways. They should also refrain from falsification
of records, attend class as required, and participate in the educational process without
disrupting the orderly processes and functions of the University.
Course Evaluation
The evaluation of coursework will be based on the student’s performance in four areas,
each which constitutes a proportion of the final grade. These include exams, written case analyses, assignment, and a team project. Whenever possible, extra
credit opportunities may also be made available and points will be allocated at the
instructor’s discretion. The following provides a point allocation for each of these areas:
Percent of Final Grade
Written Test 1 The Media Economy- 20%
Written Test 2 What Would Google Do? - 20%
Final Project - 50%
Attendance/class participation- 10%
TOTAL Grading Scale: 100%
The plus/minus system will be used according to the following scale:
A 92-100, A- 89-91
B+ 87-88, B 82-86, B-79-81
C+ 77-78, C 70-76
D 66-69
F 0 – 65
Exams
If you know in advance that you will be unable to take any the midterm exam on the
scheduled date, please let me know at least two (2) weeks before the exam so we can
make other arrangements. In the event that you miss the exam, it is imperative that you
provide written documentation pertaining to the reason for your absence. A make-up
exam will be administered ONLY if legitimate, written documentation is provided within
two (2) days of the scheduled exam date. Otherwise, you will receive a zero. No
exceptions will be made! Also, please note that make up exams will be significantly more
difficult than the regular exam, so I strongly advise you to take the exam when they are
scheduled.
Assignments
In order to fully comprehend the process of media management and entrepreneurship,
students must have the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the course. The quality
of one’s experience in this course can be attributed, in part, to his or her level of
involvement in the learning process. Therefore, students are expected (and encouraged)
to be part of the learning process through participation.
Students should be prepared to contribute their views and explanations on the various
topics covered over the course of the semester. Participation in the form of homework
assignments, in-class discussions, and team projects are among the ways that this
course helps students become more proficient in the planning process. Any assigned
readings (textbook, case, or other) should be completed prior to the class meeting in
which the topic will be discussed.
Generally, assignments will be collected at the beginning of class on the
specified due date. Unless otherwise specified, all assignments should be typed or
word-processed on 8 ½ x 11” paper with the student’s name, the course name, and date
of submission. Failure to turn in an assignment will result in zero credit for that
assignment. Late, missed or revised assignments will be accepted after approval from
the course instructor. A one point per day late grade penalty is assessed (assignments
later than five days will result in a zero).
Term Project
You are required to work with a team on a term project. This course is designed to give
you "hands on" experience working with an actual situation. The details of this project
will be introduced to you at an appropriate time early in the semester.
Grades are not negotiable. For example, if you earn an 89%, you will receive a B+, not
an A-. Grades will be rounded up only if the tenths place is .5 or greater (e.g., an 89.5
will be rounded to a 90; an 89.4 will be rounded to an 89). No exceptions will be made!
Questions and Complaints
If you have a question about the class material or exams, you may call and make an
appointment ahead of time. All questions about exams MUST be resolved BEFORE the
next exam. Failure to meet this deadline indicates the student’s agreement with the
grade received. No questions about exams will be answered until 24 hours after the
return of the exam. I will let you know in class of any changes in my office hours.
Expectations
You will be expected to attend class regularly, participate in class discussions, and
prepare for class ahead of time. Since there is a lot of material to cover, much of the
responsibility for learning rests with the student. This course is designed to be
demanding, stimulating, and hopefully fun.
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