Department of
Advertising Class
Time: M 6:00 - 8:50 p.m.
Michigan State University
Class Location: Engineering 1208
Instructor: Dr. La Ferle
Phone:
353-6378
Office:
CAS 541
email:
laferlec@msu.edu
Office
Hours: M/W 8:00-10:00
a.m. & by appointment (email or call to set up )
Required Texts:
Ekelund, R. B. and David S.
Saurman (1988), Advertising and the Market Process: A Modern Economic
View, San Francisco: The Pacific Research
Institute for Public Policy. (ES)
Fueroghne, Dean
K (2000), Law and Advertising,
Chicago: The Copy Workshop.
(F)
Course Packet:
Available at Ned’s Bookstore at 135 E. Grand River Ave. 332-4200 (CP)
Handouts (HO)
Overview:
Many of the
courses offered in advertising focus on methods for developing persuasive
communication. Effective communication often entails understanding the
psychological aspects of consumer behavior, developing creative methods for
communicating messages, placing messages in the right media, and efficiently
allocating resources. However, this course examines the role and impact of
advertising in society. In this class we will consider the economic, legal
& regulatory, ethical, and social issues that surround advertising.
Course
Objectives:
· to become aware of and understand the
conflicting arguments (economic, legal, ethical, psychological and social)
surrounding the roles and effects of advertising in society (and to do this by
moving beyond broad generalizations and unsupported assumptions that many
critics and defenders of advertising often turn to for support)
·
to view
advertising as a powerful institution in our economic system
·
to provide
an understanding of the legal and regulatory environment
·
to enhance
the sensitivity of prospective advertising practitioners to the social
influences of their work
and
develop a sense of professional ethics
This
class is operated as a seminar. As the quality of a seminar depends on the
thoughtfulness of each class member’s contribution, students are expected
to read assigned material and be active participants in class discussions.
Assignments and projects of the course have been designed to provide students
with concepts and experiences needed to meet the above-stated objectives and to
measure the amount of success toward reaching these objectives.
Grading: The
following scale will be used to determine your
final grade.
Group Project
15%
90%-100%
4.0
Research Paper 25% 85%-89% 3.5
Assignments & Class Participation 40% 75%-79% 2.5
Research
Paper
The
purpose of this paper is to let you research any issue involving the
advertising industry that has a socially, ethically, or morally questionable
impact on society. You can skim over the list of readings in the syllabus for
ideas, but the number and variety of topics is virtually unlimited. However,
you should choose a topic that allows you to make an argument, not just
a summary of the topic and its background. The paper will be graded on several
points such as: 1) uniqueness, 2) quality and depth of research, 3) analysis
and synthesis of research, 4) strength of argument/logic, 5) communication
skills, and 6) organization. A handout will be provided during the semester
with more specific guidelines and a sign-up sheet for topic selection.
Examinations
Part
of the learning process is sharing ideas and different points of view.
Therefore, you are all encouraged and expected to participate on a regular
basis. This means it is important to attend class regularly and complete the
assigned readings and/or assignments required. During the semester you will be
given several assignments to complete, either individually or in groups and
either during class time or on your own time. Assigned readings should be read
carefully and critically prior to class. As a starting point for weekly
discussions, you should think about each reading in terms of: 1) What are the
main issues raised, and 2) How do the readings contribute to our understanding
of the effects of advertising in society?
As
part of class participation, you should also be prepared to share questions and
ideas formulated to springboard discussion with fellow classmates. Toward
facilitating this goal, I would like everyone to EMAIL me by noon on
Monday of each week, one or two brief questions, comments, or ideas stemming from the assigned readings of
that week.
Grades
for participation will be based on class attendance, quality and
quantity of contributions to class discussions and activities (i.e.,
emails, in-class activities), and when required, the presentation of
material for class discussion. Quantity does not substitute for quality.
Quality of contribution is judged on three criteria: evidence of having read
and understood the major points made in assigned readings often through
recitation of the material (“This is what the authors were
saying…”); ability to integrate different concepts (“Here is
how I think this article is related to what we read/discussed last
week”); and, ability to apply the material or make it personally relevant
(“I think it might be useful to take…idea and use it to achieve…objective”).
· Written assignments are graded on organization, clarity of
issues/arguments, originality and content, as well as on grammar, spelling,
and punctuation. Please type and double space all work using a 12 point
font size with at least one inch margins. All work involving secondary sources
should also include a reference page in the Journal of Advertising format which clearly indicates where
information was obtained.
· Late work will not be accepted and will receive
the grade of ZERO
unless an unforeseen emergency arises for which valid proof of absence is
required. Please contact me by phone or email in the event of an emergency or
stop by my office as soon as possible.
· No make-up assignments will be given. The only possible
exception is a documented personal illness or injury, or a documented death in
the family. In such a case, students must contact me to make alternate
arrangements.
· Students have one week after papers and
assignments have been returned to review their work and dispute any questions regarding their
grade.
· Extra-credit opportunities may be announced in class. They may be
conducted in class, or may be scheduled for another time outside of class.
Extra-credit opportunities are subject to restrictions imposed by the
instructor and cannot be made-up.
· Students are expected to arrive in
class on time and to
stay for the entire class. Random arrivals and exits only serve to distract the
class.
· Everyone in this class has the right
to his/her own opinion
and to disagree with others in the class, but respect for the views of others
is mandatory. No one in the class should be made to feel uncomfortable about
stating his or her opinion. Only through open dialogue can we come to
understand the complex issues facing our world and grow together as people of a
diverse society.
·
Scholastic
Dishonesty: Unless
otherwise stated, all work in this course is to be completed on an individual
basis and should be the original work of the student. Students who violate University rules
on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and dismissal from the University. Since
dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the
University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.
Scholastic dishonesty includes plagiarism, which according to Webster is: “to take (ideas,
writings, etc.) from (another) and pass them off as one’s own.”
Therefore, handing in a paper written by someone else is a clear example of
plagiarism. However, even the act of writing one sentence in your paper word-for-word of what someone else has written
is also a form of plagiarism, unless you credit the author and put the
statement in quotation marks. Information taken from the Internet is no
exception to the rule.
In general, always try to paraphrase (write in your own words) the ideas
of other people and be sure to cite their names within the body of your work. Be
careful and if you are unsure of something, please come in and see me.
|
WEEK 1 M - Jan. 8 |
Introduction
to Course Student
Information Forms (HO) Perspectives
on Advertising as an Institution The Power of
Advertising (Lecture) Carey, James
W. (1989), “Advertising: An Institutional Approach,” in Advertising
in Society, Roxanne Hovland and Gary B. Wilcox,
eds., Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing Group, 11-26.
(HO) |
|
WEEK 2 M - Jan. 15 |
No Class -
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday |
|
WEEK 3 M - Jan. 22 |
The
Effects of Advertising on the Economy - Traditional Economic Critique
xv-xxx -
Forward, Preface and Introduction (ES) Chapter 1 -
“Advertising as an Economic and Social Issue,” pp. 3-15 (ES) Chapter 2 -
“The Traditional Economic Critique of Advertising,” pp. 17-33
(ES) The
Effects of Advertising on the Economy - Modern Economic Rationale
Chapter 3 -
“Entry Barriers, Information, and the Rational Consumer,”
pp.37-55 (ES) Chapter 4 -
“Information and Competitive Market Structure,” pp. 57-77 (ES) |
|
WEEK 4 M - Jan. 29 |
The
Evidence on Advertising
Chapter 5 -
“Brand Loyalty, Entry, and Scale Economies,” pp. 81-95 (ES) Chapter 6 -
“Concentration of Industry, Prices, and Quality,” pp. 97-127 (ES) Calfee, John
E. (1998), “How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit,”
Consumers’ Research, April, 13-18. (CP) Introduction
to the First Amendment and Commercial Speech
“Advertising
and Free Speech,” pp. 178-181 (ES) “Free
Speech in Liberal Democracies” (1999)1-9 (CP) |
|
WEEK 5 M - Feb. 5 |
First Amendment and Commercial Speech - Development & ControversiesTeeter Jr., Dwight L., Gary B. Wilcox,
and Roxanne Hovland (1989), “Commercial Speech and the First Amendment:
The Constitutional Stepchild,” in Advertising and Society, G. B. Wilcox and R. Hovland, eds.,
Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing Group, 202-219. (CP) Kozinski, Alex and Stuart Banner
(1990), “Who’s Afraid of Commercial Speech?” Virginia
Law Review, 76 (4),
627-653. (CP) Political,
Professional, & Media Concerns in Advertising Practices
Chapter 12 -
“Special Advertising Concerns,” pp. 523-593 (F) |
|
WEEK 6 M - Feb. 12 |
Advertising
Regulation - Self, Media & Consumers
Chapter 1 “The Development of
Control Over Advertising,” pp. 1-18 (F) Pope, Daniel (1991), “Advertising
as a Consumer Issue: An Historical View,” Journal of Social Issues, 47 (1), 41-56. (CP) Self-regulation
- NAD / NARB (lecture) Advertising
Regulation - Government
Chapter 2 “An Overview of the
Federal Trade Commission’s Role in Advertising Regulation,” pp.
20-80. (F) |
|
WEEK 7 M - Feb. 19 |
Everyday
Advertising Considerations
Chapter 3
“Specific Areas of concern Under the FTC Act,” pp. 82-166. (F) Effectiveness
of FTC Regulation
Consumer Beliefs About
Advertising,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 13 (2), 228-238. (CP) Chapter 13
“Advertising Concerns with Alcohol and Tobacco,” pp. 598-662 (F) skim |
|
WEEK 8 M - Feb. 26 |
Presentations
All Group Reports Due at 6:00 p.m. (Troy reports may also
be postmarked Feb 26, 2001) |
|
WEEK 9 M - March 5 |
No Class -
Spring Break |
|
Pollay, Richard W. (1986), “The
Distorted Mirror: Reflections on the Unintended Consequences of
Advertising,” Journal of Marketing, 50 (April), 18-36.
(CP) |
|
Ethics
and Advertising
|
|
Advertising Images and Consequences: Multiple Levels of MeaningLevitt, Theodore (1970), “The
Morality (?) of Advertising,” Harvard Business Review, July-August, 84-92. (CP) |
|
|
Children,
Gender, and Advertising Martin,
Mary C. and James W. Gentry (1997), “Stuck in the Model Trap: The
Effects of Beautiful Models in Ads on Female Pre-Adolescents and
Adolescents,” Journal of Advertising, 26 (2), 19-33. |
|
|
Bristor, Julia M., Renee Gravois Lee,
and Michelle R. Hunt (1995), “Race and Ideology: African-American
Images in Television Advertising,” Journal of Public Policy and
Marketing, 14 (1),
48-59. (CP) Taylor, Charles R. and Barbara B. Stern
(1997), “Asian-Americans: Television Advertising and the ‘Model
Minority’ Stereotype,” Journal of Advertising, 26 (2), 47-61. |
|
|
Saffer, Henry (1996), “Studying
The Effects of Alcohol Advertising on Consumption,” Alcohol Health
and Research World,
20, (4), 266-272. (CP) Hacker, George A. (1998), “Liquor
Advertisements on Television: Just Say No,” Journal of Public Policy
and Marketing, vol. 17
(1), 139-142. (CP) Stearns James M. and Shaheen Borna
(1995), “The Ethics of Lottery Advertising: Issues and Evidence,”
Journal of Business Ethics,
14, 43-51. (CP) Voorhees, et. als. (1997),
“Cigarette Sales to African-American and White Minors in Low-Income
Areas of Baltimore,” American Journal of Public Health, 87(4), 652-654) |
|
*The schedule indicates approximate dates when selected topics will be discussed. Students are responsible for schedule changes announced in class and/or extra readings that may be assigned.