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Syllabus
Part 1:Course
Overview Syllabus Part 2:Schedule
and Readings Schedule and
ReadingsJanuary 18 Orientation to the weekly seminars,
readings, commentaries and final essay
For Week 2, read the
articles below and bring a two-page essay
to class using the guidelines indicated
below under "Do."
January 25 Locating and Finding Ourselves on a
Challenging Planet
Required Readings
William M. Sullivan,
"Education as care of the self: Identity
and meaning in the global era," The
Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics
and American Institutions, Bloomington,
IN: Indiana University Foundation, July
1994, pp. 1-26.
Richard Brookhiser,
"Why virtue is in short supply: Stephen
Carter sets out to define integrity,
both personal and political," New
York Times Book Review, March 3,
1996, p. 12.
Robert Coles, "The
disparity between intellect and character,"
Chronicle of Higher Education,
September 22, 1995, p. A-68.
Mark Hertsgaard, "Oprah
buffa, we're becoming a talk show nation,
and one journalist [Howard Kurtz] is
not amused," New York Times Book
Review, March 3, 1996, p. 24.
Karen J. Winkler,
"Sharp increase reported in courses
on ethics," Chronicle of Higher Education,
September 4, 1979, p. 15.
Other Readings
Judith Buddenbaum,
Chapter 3, "The varieties of American
religions," pp. 37-57; and Chapter 4,
"Beliefs and behaviors," pp. 59-72,
in Reporting News about Religion
(Ames: Iowa State University Press,
1998).
Do: Write
a two-page essay in which you relate
your own educational experience in
college and university life to the
issues addressed by Sullivan and by
one or more of the four authors of
the one-page articles listed for this
week. Purpose: To evaluate the relevance
of the readings to your own prospective
choice of a vocation and to the values
related to that choice in what Sullivan
calls the "global era."
February
1 Journalism, Religion and the "Stewardship
of Free Expression"
Required Readings
Gal Beckerman, "Across
the great divide, Faith: Why don't journalists
get religion? A tenuous bridge to believers,"
Columbia Journalism Review, May/June
2004, pp. 26-30.
Brent Cunningham,
"Across the great divide, Class: Today's
journalists are more isolated than ever
from the lives of poor and working-class
Americans. So what?" Columbia Journalism
Review, May/June 2004, pp. 31-38.
Bill Kovach and Tom
Rosenstiel, Chapter 1, "What is journalism
for?" in The Elements of Journalism
(New York: Crown Publishers: 2001),
pp. 15-33.
Other Readings
Edmund B. Lambeth,
Chapter 3, "Toward an eclectic system
of journalism ethics," Committed
journalism: An ethic for the profession,
2nd ed., (Bloomington: Indiana University
Press, 1992).
Julia Lieblich, former
reporter, Associated Press and Chicago
Tribune; James Carroll, Boston
Globe; and Chris Hedges, New
York Times correspondent, "Beyond
the headlines: Reporting about religion,"
Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Fall/Winter
2003, pp. 21-23.
"U. S. funds Evangelical-Muslim
project," Christian Century,
Dec. 27, 2003, p. 11.
Do: Write
an essay in which you relate the ideas
in Kovach and Rosenstiel's opening
chapter to one or more of the ideas
in the other required readings. Purpose: Engage your own thinking
about the goals of journalism as they
relate to coverage of religion or
values-related issues such as those
Beckerman and Cunningham address above. Note: Individual Conversations
with EBL (appointment times will be
set during the above session of the
class). Be sure you place in EBL's
box by this Friday a one-page memo
identifying one or more topics from
which you may want to choose to address
in your research paper. This will
be an exploratory session. We'll also
discuss how to write a paper proposal,
which will be due in class on March
15.
February
8 Journalistic and Religious Values:
Compatible or Competing … or Both?
Required Readings
Bill Kovach, Chapter
4, "Journalism of verification," Elements
of Journalism, pp. 70-93.
Doug Underwood, "Secularists
or modern day prophets? Journalists'
ethics and the Judeo-Christian tradition,"
Journal of Mass Media Ethics,
Vol. 16, No. 1, 2001, pp. 33-47.
Ken Waters, "Competing
moral visions: Ethics and the stealth
bible," Journal of Mass Media Ethics,
Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 48-61.
Note:
No essay is due this week, but
please read the articles above as
preparation for classroom discussions.
Other related examples can be seen
in Beckerman and Cunningham in Week
3, above. Collectively, our discussion
will focus not only on content, but
also on possible methods or approaches
to use in your paper.
February
15 Religion in the Public Square
Required Readings
Evan Cornog, "Let's
Blame the Readers: Is it possible to
do great journalism if the public does
not care?" Columbia Journalism Revew,
January/February 2005, pp. 43-49.
Martin Marty and others,
"Religion and public discourse: Principles
for religious participants," Park Ridge
Center for the Study of Health, Faith,
and Ethics, Chicago, IL, 1998.
Kovach and Rosenstiel,
"Journalism as a public forum," The
Elements of Journalism pp. 131-145.
Other Readings
Douglas A. Sweeney,
"Skating on thin ice: The precarious
life and hard times of religion in the
university," a review of D. G. Hart,
The university gets religion
(Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999)
and Jon H. Roberts and James Turner,
The sacred and the secular university
(Princeton University Press, 2000),
pp. 34-35.
Stuart Smith, "Religiously
ignorant journalists," Books & Culture,
January/February 2004, pp. 6-7, and
replies by Kelly Hughes, President of
DeChant-Hughes & Associates and Debra
Mason, Executive Director of Religion
Newswriters Association, Books &
Culture, March/April 2004, pp. 5-6.
Do: For
your essay topic, pick a religious
or values-related topic that you know
and care about and that is currently
being debated publicly. Consider what
the debate might look like if it were
guided by the approach recommended
in the Marty reading. In your essay,
evaluate whether the Marty recommendations
are compatible with the perspectives
of the Kovach and Rosenstiel chapter. Purpose: To begin asking ourselves
how to identify the criteria and rationale
for building a robust public dialogue
on issues that include religion or
religion-related public values.
February
22 Religion in the Workplace
Required Readings
Douglas A. Hicks,
Chapter 2, "The corporate interest in
spirituality," and Chapter 3, "Which
spirituality in the workplace?" in Religion
and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality,
Leadership (New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2003), pp. 27-62.
Do: Come
prepared to discuss this week's readings.
Use an Internet search to find an
example linked to the readings which,
when discussed in class, can help
us assess the pros and cons of this
important issue. Consider whether
and, if so, how religious expressions
can be practiced in the workplace
in ways that are consistent with the
First Amendment's protection concerning
"an establishment of religion" and
the "free exercise" of religion. Hand
in the article and relevant comments
or questions on an accompanying sheet
of paper.
March 1 On Holding Professions Accountable:
Whither Society's Ombuds?
Required Readings
E. J. Dionne, "Public
issues and public engagement: The roots
of modern journalism," The Philip M.
Foisie Memorial Lecture, Organization
of News Ombudsmen, May 11, 1999. (21
small pages.)
Review Kovach & Rosenstiel,
Chapter 4, "Journalism of verification,"
The Elements of Journalism, pp.
70-92.
William F. May, "Anarchy
at home and abroad, crumbling pillars,
instead of sustaining order elites have
been withdrawing from society and scoffing
at government," Christian Century,
July 12, 2003, pp. 28-30.
Optional Readings
Michael Lewis, "The
irresponsible investor, corporate fraud?
Sweatshop abuse, no charitable giving?
Blame the shareholder?" New York
Times Magazine, June 6, 2004, pp.
68-71.
Herbert J. Gans, "Journalism,
journalism education and democracy,"
Journalism and Mass Communication
Educator, Spring 2004, 59/1, pp.10-16.
Sherron Watkins, "Life
after whistle-blowing: The former Enron
vice president talks about the bosses
she exposed, capping C.E.O. salaries
and her difficulties finding a new job,"
New York Times, June 6, 2004,
p. 25.
Do: Identify
a specific newspaper or magazine article
or radio or TV documentary on religion
or values-related public issue that
you believe deserves to be problematic
and for which journalists need to
be held accountable. Then, using the
standards articulated in this week's
required readings, write an essay
explaining why the article of your
choice should be critiqued —
either in the particular medium itself
or in a journalism review. Purpose: To encourage our ability
to identify religion and values-related
public issues the coverage of which
needs to be improved.
March 8 The Challenges of Growing Religious
Diversity
Required Readings
Thomas C. Berg, "A
life with others," a review of Thomas
B. Hutchison, Religious Pluralism
in America (Yale University Press,
2003), in Christian Century,
Sept. 11-24, 2002, pp. 34-38.
Clifford Orwin, "The
unraveling of Christianity in America,"
The Public Interest, Number 155,
Spring, 2004, pp. 20-36.
Kovach and Rosenstiel,
"Independence from faction," The
Elements of Journalism, pp. 94-110.
Other Readings
Diana L. Eck, Chapter
1, "Introduction to a New America,"
in A New Religious America, How a
'Christian Country' Has Become the World's
Most Religiously Diverse Nation,
(HarperSan Francisco, 2001), pp. 1-25.
John Kelsay, "Muslims
and militants — three views, speaking
of Islam," a review of Bernard Lewis,
What Went Wrong? Western Impact and
Middle Eastern Response (Oxford
University Press, 2002); John Esposito,
Unholy War: Terror in the Name of
Islam (Oxford University Press,
2002) and Giles Kepel, (Harvard University
Press, Jihad: The Trail of Political
Islam 2002), all in one review in
Christian Century, September
11-24, 2002, pp. 34-38.
"Trends in Immigration
and the Foreign-Born Population," Profile
of the Foreign-Born Population in the
United States, U. S. Bureau of the Census,
2000.
Do: Write
an essay that draws upon readings
to date as well as your own relevant
background knowledge. Evaluate Orwin's
contribution to The Public Interest,
Number 155. That is, what points does
he try to make? How well does he make
his argument, i.e. what are its strengths
and weaknesses? What new knowledge
or perspectives does he impart? What
information or background is missing? Purpose: Practice the kind
of interpretive and persuasive writing
that would prompt others to consider
your views a worthy contribution to
civil discourse on religion.
March 15 Conflict & Dispute Resolution: What
Role for Religion & the News Media?
Required Readings
American Bar Association,
Dispute Resolution Magazine,
Spring 2004, see Richard Chernick, "Acclaim
and Blame," p. 2; R. Seth Shippee, "Peacemaking,
Applying faith to dispute resolution,"
pp. 3-6; Tom Porter, "Circles of Conversations,
One trial lawyer's journey into sacred
space," pp. 7-8; Arnold M. Zack, "Hindu
DR, Developing a global program for
Hare Krishnas," pp. 9-12; Hedi M. Tauscher,
"Embracing Religion, Spiritual tools
to help meet meditation challenges,"
pp. 13-16; Erica Ariel Fox and Marc
Gafni, "Negotiating Wisely, Third eye
of decision making, pp. 18-21.
Kovach and Rosenstiel,
Chapter 5, "Independence from Faction,"
The Elements of Journalism, pp.
94-109.
Miscellaneous authors,
"Journalism and Conflict Resolution,"
Conflict Resolution Notes, Vol.
12, No. 2, September 1995, pp. 11-23.
Do: Earlier
in the seminar (after our initial
orientation to the course) we were
focused on coverage of religion or
public issues that involve values
in which some religions — and
citizens — perceive they have
a stake. Not all issues in our society,
obviously, end in court disputes or
are resolved by state or national
legislatures. An increasing number
are the subject of negotiations handled
by a growing cadre of practitioners
of dispute resolution. The readings
this week focus on such work and its
implications for journalism. Come
prepared to discuss this trend and
its implications for coverage of public
issues that have generated competing
religious perspectives. Do so by bringing
to class a thoughtful article that
relates to conflict resolution in
public or private life that can be
added to the bibliography reflected
in this syllabus. Purpose: Build our ability
to add significantly to the content
of the dialogue in the seminar.
March 20-27 Spring BreakMarch 29 The First Amendment: Vital Protection,
Ideal, Ideology, Religion or All Four?
Required Readings
Judy Buddenbaum, Chapter
2, "The Role of the First Amendment,"
in Reporting News About Religion,
pp. 19-36.
Kovach and Rosenstiel,
Chapter 2, "Truth: The First and Most
Confusing Principle," The Elements
of Journalism, pp. 36-48
James K. A. Smith,
"Schools of Thought," Reflections on
the 2004 U. S. Supreme Court Decision
on Locke vs. Davey at Sightings, website
from the Martin Marty Center at the
University of Chicago, June 17, 2004,
http://marty-center.uchicago.edu/sightings/archive_2004/0617.shtml
Do: Write
an essay in which you link the major
points of at least two of the above
readings to the seminar sessions of
March 8 and 15.
April 5 Journalism, Religion and Health: Understanding
Their Important Relationships
Claudia Kalb, "God
& health: Is religion good medicine?
Why science Is starting to believe,"
Newsweek, Nov. 10, 2003, pp.
44-56.
Jonathan Shaw, "Stem-cell
research: When medicine meets moral
philosophy," Harvard Magazine,
Vol. 106, No. 6, July-August 2004, pp.
36-45.
Michael Sokolove,
"The lab animal: elite athletes always
have and always will pursue every competitive
advantage — health and law be damned.
Is generic manipulation next?" New
York Times Magazine, January 18,
2004, pp. 28-33, 48, 54, 58.
Other Readings
Harold Coward, "Hindu
Bioethics," a review of S. Cromwell
Crawford's Hindu Bioethics for the
21st Century (SUNY Series in Religious
Studies, Albany: State University Press,
2003), pp. 2759-2760. (2 pages)
Harold G. Koenig,
"Science, Religion and Health," in The
Healing Power of Faith: Science Explores
Medicine's Last Great Frontier,
pp. 11-27.
Lynne F. Landsberg,
"The Healing Power of Religious Community,"
Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Fall-Winter,
2003, pp. 34-35.
"Is Faith a Tool for
Medicine? Theologians Challenge Concept,"
in Vital Theology, Vol. 1, Issue
1, pp. 1-7. (7 pages)
Do: Critically
evaluate the performance of Harvard
Magazine, Newsweek or the
New York Times in one of the
articles above. How well does "your
article" answer the Who, What, Where,
When, How, Why and So What questions
that you had in mind as you read it? Purpose: Experience the work
of a media critic and/or appreciator.
What talents and sensibilities does
a good health and medical journalist
require in tackling the interface
of bio-medicine and religion?
April 12 Social Work and Education
Jody Heymann, "Families
on the edge: Overcoming untenable choices
on work, health childcare and education,"
Harvard Magazine, July-August,
2003, pp. 50-53.
Kovach and Rosenstiel,
Chapter 10, "Journalists Have a Responsibility
to Conscience," The Elements of Journalism,
pp. 179-196.
Dale Maharidge, "Close
Enough to Hurt: On Let Us Now Praise
Famous Men, by James Agee; and the
Importance of 'Living' Journalism,"
Columbia Journalism Review January/February
2005, pp. 54-57.
Andres Tapia, "The
Myth of Racial Progress," Christianity
Today, Oct. 4, 1993, pp. 16-27.
Do: Assume
you are a reporter for the Columbia
Missourian or the Columbia
Daily Tribune. Then, write a story
idea memo to your city editor that
speaks to the underlying moral and/or
civic issues raised in one or more
of the above articles? Purpose: Experience a major
means by which journalists can exercise
their First Amendment responsibilities:
the origination of story ideas with
the public interest in mind.
April 19 Land of Technology and Religion: Where
the Ghost of Jacque Ellul Still Lives?
Required Readings
Stewart M. Hoover,
Lynn S. Clark and Lee Rainie, "Faith
online," from Pew Internet & American
Life Project, April 7, 2004.
Brent Staples, "What
adolescents miss when we let them grow
up in cyberspace," New York Times,
May 29, 2004, from the Editorial Observer
column.
Jon Gertner, "Proceed
with caution: That's what Bill Joy,
Silicon Valley legend, says that markets
need to do," New York Times Magazine,
June 6, 2004, pp. 32, 34, 36.
Heather Wax and Gerald
Shaw, "Master of His Universe," Science
& Spirit, January/February 2005,
pp. 28-36. (Plus: "And the Winner Is…,"
p. 37).
Do: Bring
to class a typed list of questions
you would ask each of the authors
of these articles if they were visitors
to our seminar. Purpose: Exercise your critical
thinking skills.
April 26
Reports and Discussion of Research Papers
by Seminar Participants May 2
Reports and Discussion of Research Papers
by Seminar Participants May 9
Reports and Discussion of Research Papers
by Seminar Participants For more
information about the course, contact
Professor Emeritus Ed Lambeth at (573)
882-6295 or lambethe@missouri.edu.
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