Well another semester is coming to a close and with it comes my final Comm class of my college career. I think it is very fitting that it was this one because it encapsulated a lot of the theories that are paramount to the Umass Comm curriculum. I really did enjoy the subject matter but I have a few points I would like to address.
First I would like to say that i enjoyed the online discussions for what they were. I prefer in class discussions far more but given the circumstance I feel that the online medium was a good middle ground.
Next I would like to say that as much as I liked the class, the structure of open discussion, and the subject matter I felt that it became a bit repetitive and this is a topic that we could spend half a semester on.
Third as I said in my midterm review, the blog is not my favorite medium. I often felt as if some of my posts were forced but at the same time when I was particularly intrigued by a film the blog provided an interesting outlet. It has grown on me to some extent but I still feel put off by it.
Finally i would like to say that i enjoyed the text, although it seemed one sided at times and I don't think it analyzed the actual fear that the media induced in the public but rather how the media portrayed certain topics. In other words I didn't see public reaction, which comes down to the idea of Halls reflective theory of representation versus his constructivist approach. Meaning in every instance has the public really been measurably affected or is that the idea that we are to assume that what is portrayed in the media is what the public is thinking.
At the end of it all I think this was an enjoyable class that I looked forward to attending each week and would like to say that I truly appreciate the level of discussions we had week in and week out.
