Media Literacy Syllabus for 2026-2027
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Amarillo College prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, under Title IX and Texas Education Code §51.253–255. Faculty and staff are mandatory reporters and must share any related concerns with the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@actx.edu. Reports and additional information are available at https://www.actx.edu/hr/title-ixtitle-ix. Confidential counseling and advocacy services are available through the Counseling Center and Advocacy & Resource Center.

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Statement on State-Authorized Courses at Amarillo College

For-credit academic and workforce education courses offered at Amarillo College are limited to the course options available in the statewide inventory for two-year public institutions. Courses in the state-authorized lower-division Academic Course Guide Manual and Workforce Education Course Manual have specific descriptions that prescribe course content and may include specific student learning outcomes. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) maintains and regularly updates these manuals. Amarillo College faculty and leaders ensure that these courses are aligned with THECB guidelines and evaluated based on student performance outcomes. Students enrolled in these courses are expected to engage with and learn course content. According to the AC Board of Regents Policy Manual, "faculty members are entitled to academic freedom in the conduct of research and teaching and are tasked with the associated responsibilities" (DGC). Students are entitled to academic freedom in the classroom, as well, and faculty "must not attempt to force on students a personal viewpoint and must at all times allow diversity of opinion" (Amarillo College Academic Affairs Manual).

Course

COMM-2300-001 Media Literacy

Prerequisites

Course Description

Criticism and analysis of the function, role, and responsibility of the mass media in modern society from the consumer perspective. Includes the ethical problems and issues facing each media format, with the effect of political, economic, and cultural factors on the operation of the media.  

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

Hours

(3 3 0)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

No textbook, but required weekly readings and viewings of content.

Supplies

Reliable internet access and note taking materials.

Student Performance

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Understand the goals and methods of various media industries

• Identify and understand the effects media has on an audience

• Understand benefits and potential negative effects of media content

• Identify techniques to become more media literate as individuals and a society

Upon completion of this course, students will have a better understanding of the various media that are active in the communications industry, with emphasis on the following: how they make their money, how they are structured, how they operate and their potential for impacting society and individual members of it. The goal of this class to encourage students to become active participants in their role as consumers of media and, therefore, become better informed in regard to choosing content and sharing it.

Additionally, the activities you engage in during this course will give you the opportunity to practice two or more of the following core competencies:

• Critical Thinking Skills: to include creative thinking,innovation,inquiry,and analysis,evaluation and synthesis of information;
• Communication Skills: to include effective development,interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication;
• Empirical and Quantitative Skills: to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions;
• Teamwork: to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal;
• Personal Responsibility: to include the ability to connect choices,actions and consequences to ethical decision-making;
• Social Responsibility: to include intercultural competence,knowledge of civic responsibility,and the ability to engage effectively in regional,national,and global communities.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

· No substance or equipment in violation of the AC Student Code of Life will be permitted in communications courses.

· Plagiarism is considered serious academic misconduct.  All written assignments presented in this class must be original work by the student.  Any student caught plagiarizing or cheating will receive a failing grade.  No form of scholastic dishonesty will be tolerated.  Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion.

“Cheating on a test” shall include:

* Copying from another student’s test paper.

* Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test. -------Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator.

* Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of an un-administered test.

* The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the un-administered test.

* Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one’s self, to take a test.

* Bribing another person to obtain an un-administered test or information about an un-administered test.

“Plagiarism” shall be defined as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another’s work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one’s own written work. The use of Artificial Intelligence-generated knowledge is permissible as long as the AI source is cited along with any other sources used by the student in an assignment.

"Collusion" is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. 

Additional Information

A complete statement regarding scholastic dishonesty can be found in the Student Code of Conduct in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

·  Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (SSC 119, 371-5436) as soon as possible.

·  No administrative withdrawals will be initiated by the instructor.  It is each student’s responsibility to drop a class or withdraw from school in the event he/she decides to quit attending class.

· Every student is required to comply with the policies published in the “Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.”

Grading Criteria

Assignments will consist of:

4 Writing Assignments - 40% total (10% each)

Media Diary - 5%

Online Discussions - 20%

Media Presentation - 15%

Final Exam - 20%

Grading Scale:

A = 90 - 100

B = 80 - 89

C = 70 - 79

D = 60 - 69

F = 59 and below

Make-up Policy for Exams and Assignments

No student will be allowed to make up any tests or assignments without prior permission from the instructor. Make-ups will only be allowed if a student has a valid and compelling reason to have missed the scheduled test or assignment.

Attendance

While this is an online course, it is fast-paced and requires multiple logins per week. At least 3 to 5 logins each week are recommended.

Calendar

Additional Information

About Blackboard and AC Connect

Blackboard is the online course delivery system that you will use to turn in all written work, to participate in weekly discussion forums, to take exams and to monitor your grades.  You may access Blackboard from any computer with an internet connection.

To access Blackboard, you must log into AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu/students/Pages/default.aspx.  You can also access AC Connect by clicking on the AC Connect link on the AC Website home page: www.actx.edu.  If this is the first time you have used AC Connect, click on the “First Time Users” link at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions to activate your electronic accounts.

You should get into the habit of logging into AC Connect every day to check email and
announcements.  The college and your individual instructors will use AC Connect to send important messages.  Once you log into AC Connect, you will see your Blackboard classes listed in the center of the page.

Strategies for Success

Stay on top of due dates and turn in all your assignments on time.

If you don’t fully understand an assignment or topic, ask your instructor.

Check out the online materials available through Blackboard for lecture notes and tips on how to complete your assignments.

If you have questions regarding assignments or due dates, do not hesitate to ask in person or email me immediately.

All assignments will be turned in via Connect or Blackboard.  Plan accordingly to avoid technology problems that might cause you to miss a deadline. No late work will be accepted.

All Online Discussion Assignments are due on Sundays by 11:59 p.m. except for Week One and Week Eight. To receive full credit for each discussion, you must post a comment and then reply to at least two of your classmates’ comments. Posting earlier in the week will generate more robust discussions and make it easier for you to reply to your classmates. No points will be awarded for a reply of “I agree”, no matter how eloquently worded – tell us why!

For assistance using AC Connect and Blackboard, visit AC Connect Student Resources at http://www.actx.edu/ctl/index.php?module=article&id=222.  If you have further questions, you can contact  the Center for Teaching and Learning Student Help Center.  The purpose of the Student Help Center is to introduce and/or instruct students in the proper procedures to interact confidently with Blackboard and AC Connect components or other software required for course assignments.  The services below are available to students who are currently enrolled in academic or continuing education courses on a walk-in/appointment basis or by phone:

· Logging-in to AC Connect, WebAdvisor (self-service), myACcount and Google Apps

· Password resets

· How to use AC Connect and Blackboard

· Microsoft Office

· General computer/software questions

AC offers many opportunities to explore the world of mass media.  Ask your instructor how you can become a D.J. on FM-90, can write for the College newspaper and can join the crew shooting live football video this fall.  Don’t miss your chance to take photos for the College magazine or work as a videographer, graphic artist or web designer for the College’s news website. In addition, AC mass media faculty can help you find paid positions in the local media industry.  Don’t just sit there—get involved!