The Media School will be offering the following honors classes to fulfill honors elective requirements in the Ernie Pyle Scholars program and Media Scholars program. (Please see your program’s specific course requirements at the links provided above.) The honors program also includes a mandatory capstone class or thesis project second semester senior year, which is not listed on this schedule but can be found in the course listings each spring. Any honors student who will be off campus during the spring semester of their senior year should contact the honors director and arrange for an independent study during their fall semester of senior year.
All the courses listed below are open to all Ernie Pyle/Media Scholars. MSCH-H 310 special topics courses are also open to Hutton Honors students on a space-available basis.
* This schedule is current as of February 2022, but is subject to future revisions. Students should check back for updates or changes on a regular basis. Questions about the honors courses or other honors requirements can be directed to Media School Honors Director Dave Groobert (groobert@indiana.edu) or to a Media School academic advisor.
Fall 2022
MSCH-H 300 - Communications Law
History and philosophy of laws pertaining to free press and free speech. Censorship, libel, contempt, obscenity, right of privacy, copyright, government regulations, and business law affecting media operations. Stresses responsibilities and freedoms in a democratic communications system.
Spring 2023
MSCH-H 310 - Television Sitcoms and Social Change
This class uses television sitcoms from the 1950s onward to explore depictions of social and cultural life in America. Issues examined include representations of family life, work life, gender roles, racial relations, and selected specific issues such as abortion and drug use.Theories and research that examine media both as reflection and as cause of social change are presented in the class.
Fall 2023
MSCH-H 310 - Power, Inclusion, and Organizational Communication
Examines organizational communication as a dialogic vehicle for forging decentralized, pluralistic, and inclusive organizational culture by examining intra, interpersonal, organizational, and societal factors.
MSCH-H 410 - Media as Social Institutions
Examine functions and impact of the mass media in society with primary focus on the United States. Discuss values of media organizations and professional and ethical values of journalists. Critical analysis of the relationship of media and society and the effect of political, economic, and cultural factors on media operation.
Spring 2024
MSCH-H 310 - Misinformation and Media
This course addresses the contemporary concept that has come to be known as “misinformation.” We explore the recent emergence of the idea, along with historical antecedents such as “propaganda,” “conspiracy theory,” and “disinformation.” We consider philosophies that bear on misinformation. We look at recent developments in social media, hoping to answer questions about whether new media structures promote misinformation. We consider and assess empirical work, to determine whether there are social media effects in misinformation.
Summer 2024
MSCH-H 420 - Foreign Study for Honors Students
Three-credit summer course that is a required component of the honors Summer in London program and counts as one of the two required honors electives for Media School honors students. Summer in London is open to rising juniors in the Ernie Pyle Scholars and Media Scholars programs and is explained in detail at a call-out meeting during fall semester of student's sophomore year, with a registration deadline immediately after Thanksgiving holiday break.
Fall 2024
MSCH-H 300 - Communications Law
History and philosophy of laws pertaining to free press and free speech. Censorship, libel, contempt, obscenity, right of privacy, copyright, government regulations, and business law affecting media operations. Stresses responsibilities and freedoms in a democratic communications system.
MSCH-H 310 - History of Journalism
This course explores the relationship between the news media and American society from the colonial period through the twentieth century. In addition to reading the work of professional historians, students will create their own original historical works – in the form of traditional research papers, online exhibits, or podcasts – drawing from the broad array of media-related archival collections available on IU’s campus.
Spring 2025
Television Sitcoms and Social Change
This class uses television sitcoms from the 1950s onward to explore depictions of social and cultural life in America. Issues examined include representations of family life, work life, gender roles, racial relations, and selected specific issues such as abortion and drug use. Theories and research that examine media both as reflection and as cause of social change are presented in the class.
Summer 2025
MSCH-H 420 - Foreign Study for Honors Students
Three-credit summer course that is a required component of the honors Summer in London program and counts as one of the two required honors electives for Media School honors students. Summer in London is open to rising juniors in the Ernie Pyle Scholars and Media Scholars programs and is explained in detail at a call-out meeting during fall semester of student's sophomore year, with a registration deadline immediately after Thanksgiving holiday break.
Fall 2025
MSCH-H 410 - Media as Social Institutions
Examine functions and impact of the mass media in society with primary focus on the United States. Discuss values of media organizations and professional and ethical values of journalists. Critical analysis of the relationship of media and society and the effect of political, economic, and cultural factors on media operation.
Spring 2026
Misinformation
This seminar addresses the contemporary concept that has come to be known as “misinformation.” We explore the recent emergence of the idea, along with historical antecedents such as “propaganda,” “conspiracy theory,” and “disinformation.” We consider philosophies that bear on misinformation. We look at recent developments in social media, hoping to answer questions about whether new media structures promote misinformation. We consider and assess empirical work, to determine whether there are social media effects in the area of misinformation.
Summer 2026
MSCH-H 420 - Foreign Study for Honors Students
Three-credit summer course that is a required component of the honors Summer in London program and counts as one of the two required honors electives for Media School honors students. Summer in London is open to rising juniors in the Ernie Pyle Scholars and Media Scholars programs and is explained in detail at a call-out meeting during fall semester of student's sophomore year, with a registration deadline immediately after Thanksgiving holiday break.
Fall 2026
Children and the Media
This course focuses on the psychological and social scientific research on the effects of the media on children. This course centers on media effects literature and controversies relevant to child and adolescent viewers. Topics include young people’s perceptions of the media, effects of certain types of media such as violence and news, specific manifestations of effects such as behavior, emotion, and learning, and possible interventions to limit negative effects.
Spring 2027
Television Sitcoms and Social Change
This class uses television sitcoms from the 1950s onward to explore depictions of social and cultural life in America. Issues examined include representations of family life, work life, gender roles, racial relations, and selected specific issues such as abortion and drug use. Theories and research that examine media both as reflection and as cause of social change are presented in the class.