Instructor: Professor George Bagley
Office: Comm 256
E-mail: george.bagley @ucf.edu
Office Hours: M-TH: 10:00-12:00pm
Class Hours: M/W: 4:30-5:45 p.m.
Class Location: CB1 104
Course Credits: 3 hrs.
MY PHILOSOPHY ON UNIVERSITY LEARNING
You find yourselves immersed in a four-year, liberal arts university environment. A small minority of this country's adults possess a bachelor's degree. Put these things together, and you begin to get a picture that this whole college thing isn't really very easy. That's the way it should be. If something is of value, you most often will have to work hard to obtain it. So it is with knowledge. This course will tax you intellectually. There's a lot of stuff covered here, and you'll have to dedicate yourself if you wish to achieve a "good" grade. This isn't just an accident; I intend it to be challenging. I design my classes to be difficult but fair. To that end, I stand prepared to assist you in anyway I can to get that result you want in class, but the work must always come from you. I can guide your efforts, but the learning will be the product of your labor.
CELLPHONE POLICY
Use of cellphones during class time is prohibited. This applies to texting as well; I regard this the same as a conventional phone call. Don't use them in class; turn all sound off. I will deal with problems in this area on a case-by-case basis, but would likely include asking you to leave class.
TEXTS
- Zettl, Herbert. (2015). TELEVISION PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED MATERIALS
- Scantron sheets (These are the raspberry-colored version with the UCF logo on the front.)
- #2 lead pencil (for exams/quizzes); ink pens are not accepted by the computer for scoring
COURSE DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES
RTV 3511, Production Fundamentals and Aesthetics, is designed to offer students a working understanding of the arena of television and film production. To accomplish that aim, we will pursue production from perspectives of technology, operations and, to a certain extent, aesthetics. This will includes such things as the technological hardware used in production, the ideas of circulating within and around production (such as film vs. digital cinema, video cameras vs. D-SLR's, 3-D, vs. conventional 2-D production, etc.), production terminology, history, etc.
Pursuant to these goals, students will:
- learn the history and role of video and audio production
- understand production concepts and apply ideas and theories in the use and presentation of images and information
- learn how to critically evaluate production creations
- understand the principles and laws of freedom of speech and the press as they apply to production creations
- learn to assess production creations critically, creatively and independently
CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT
Because this course may at times encounter content that could potentially be objectionable to some individuals, I will endeavor to alert the class to such content prior to the point at which it is encountered so that alternative arrangements may be made for those who feel they would be disturbed.
GRADING
| Syllabus Quiz Regular Quizzes (5) Exams (3) TOTAL |
5 points 80 points (quiz with lowest score of five will be dropped) 300 points 385 POINTS |
Final grades will be determined according to the following strategy:
A..........346-385
B+........333-345
B..........320-332
B-.........308-319
C+........295-307
C..........282-294
C-.........270-281
D+........257-269
D..........244-256
D-.........232-243
F...............0-231
QUIZZES/EXAMS
Quiz subject matter is posted on the RTV 3511 Course Schedule. Quizzes will consist of 10 multiple choice, matching and/or true/false questions. These are closed book/notes unless otherwise instructed and will be administered within five minutes of the beginning class meeting time on the assigned day. You will have approximately 10 minutes to complete these, with the exception of the group quiz which will be allotted a longer administration time. Exams will consist of 50 matching, multiple-choice and/or true/false questions, and you will have the entire meeting time for that scheduled day to complete the exam.
NOTE ON SCANTRON SHEETS: Since this class is quite large, I can't possibly police all scantrons to ensure they're properly filled out with correct PID, test version, etc. Consequently, any scantron sheets submitted for either quizzes or exams with incorrect information, specifically PID and Test Form, will receive an automatic 10 percent deduction from the actual score received for that exam or quiz. Not knowing the required PID at the time of the exam or quiz will not excuse you from this deduction.
COURSE TESTING POLICIES
(Students are expected to inform themselves of all policies pertaining to this course and which are listed on this syllabus.)
On exam and quiz days, question sheets will be issued only until the first exam or quiz for that day has been completed and returned to me. After that, no question sheets will be administered and you’ll receive no score for that respective quiz/exam, no exceptions.
- During exams (not quizzes), students must leave the room of test administration upon completion of the test and not return during that period until all testing is concluded.
- During quizzes, talking is disallowed. If you complete the quiz early, you are not allowed to talk with others who may also have finished early. To do so is to risk losing credit for that quiz.
- During quizzes, since we will remain in class for lecture following, no electronic devices may be accessed until everyone is finished and all scantrons/question sheets have been collected.
- Only scantron sheets and pencils will be allowed at desk level during testing period, unless otherwise instructed. All other items, including backpacks or hats, must be placed under your chair, closed and not open to view.
- Wandering eyes, whether cheating or not, will result in either seating reassignment, or denial of credit for the exam or quiz.
- Cellphones, pagers or computers may not be present or powered up during exams or quizzes. Potential remedy for such problems will include surrendering your quiz/exam for a "0" score for that test.
SCREENING RULES
Since I do not take attendance, some will feel inclined to not attend the screenings we have for class (though this makes no sense to me since the screenings are carefully chosen and complement course content and student understanding). Others will stay but not devote their full attention, potentially distracting others interested in the screening content. To that end the following rules will apply to all screenings in our class:
- If you don't plan to stay for the entire screening, you must leave once the lights are dimmed. This ensures doors aren't constantly opening/closing and distracting light doesn't bleed into the classroom.
- Use of laptops, cellphones or other electronic devices during screening is prohibited.
- Any conversation must be kept to a minimum and is expected to pertain to the screening. Volume for such conversation must be kept to a whisper.
MISSED EXAMS/QUIZZES
There will be no make-up quizzes or exams, nor will I administer any quiz or exam early. In cases of a legitimate absence that prohibits your attendance (death in the family, severe and incapacitating illness, for example) you must present to me documentation of the incident/event in hard copy (not electronically) that prohibited your attendance (funeral program, airline tickets, traffic ticket, towing receipt, etc.) and a typed, brief (confined to one page), formal request containing the following:
- explanation of the incident/event
- why you think it justifies the policy outlined below (doubling credit)
- the date of both the class(es) missed and the particular quiz or exam missed
- your contact information (name, PID, knights email address)
I will not consider any request for credit that doesn't have all the required documents and documentation stipulated above, that includes the typed formal request. These documentations are subject to verification and, if found acceptable, I will double a quiz or exam score or excuse your inability to participate for that day. (Exceptions: for quiz #4 I will double the quiz #3 score; for quiz #5 I will double the quiz #4 score; for the final exam I will double the exam #2 score.) In the event these can’t be verified or are unacceptable, or if the above requirements are missing, no score will be awarded for that exam, quiz or participation.
NOTE: I will only accept such material up through the last day of classes for the term in question. After that, I won't entertain appeals for a missed exam or quiz. If you have to miss the final exam for unavoidable reasons, you must notify me within 24 hours of the administration of that final exam and submit documentation according to course policy (above) within 24 hours of that final exam in order to qualify for the missed exam exception for this course.
EXTRA CREDIT/MAKE-UP CREDIT
There is absolutely no option for extra credit in this course. There will be no make-up exams or quizzes, nor will they be administered earlier than the date posted on the schedule.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
I have a real problem with cheating. Don’t let poor study habits or anything else put you in a position where you feel the need to cheat. Be assured, I’ll prosecute instances of cheating to the fullest extent possible as defined in the UCF GOLDEN RULE, which may include expulsion from this class or from the university. Additionally, the University of Central Florida Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee of the Faculty Senate has approved the use of the Z designation policy. As a result of academic dishonesty in a course, an appropriate grade will be assigned to a student that is preceded by the letter Z.
POLICY ON RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
While I'm happy to write recommendation letters for present or former students, I also reserve the right to deny such requests. My policy on these letters is that I have to know something about you which justifies such a letter. In other words, simply because you were in my class doesn't justify a recommendation letter from me. Moreover, such a recommendation letter under these terms would be meaningless for you. Consequently, I may excuse myself from your request. Please don't take offense at this; it's just that I have simply not witnessed in a classroom or other setting enough of you to draft a meaningful recommendation letter.
RTV ListServ
RTV majors and prospective majors are encouraged to subscribe to the RTV ListServ. The listserv is the official email communication vehicle of the Radio-Television division. Announcements about class schedules, changes in classes, as well internship and job opportunities are made through “the list.” You may view the procedure for subscribing to the RTV ListServ.
CLASS EMAIL COMMUNICATION
Email communication is most often inherently more informal than a hard-copy letter, yet when you communicate via email with a professor it is nevertheless different than when you communicate with your friends or family. Improper email communication risks not being answered by me.
I require the following in all course email communication:
- proper salutation
- sign off with your name
- appropriate punctuation, capitalization, etc.
Avoid the following of errors when communicating with me via email for this course:
- common texting abbreviations
- inappropriately casual grammar such as no appropriate capitalizations at the front of sentences or in uses of the first person subjective pronoun, "I," lack of closing punctuation
- scriptural, religious, political or any kind of reference to your personal belief system that is not the subject of the email
Additionally, all UCF students must have an active Knight’s E-Mail account. I may only send university e-mail communication to Knight’s E-Mail accounts. If you have questions about an existing account, please call (407) 823-5117.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.
NOTE: This syllabus may be altered, at the instructor's discretion, during the course of the term. Students are responsible for informing themselves of changes announced in class.