This survey course on the history of American journalism and the mass media tracks and discusses the milestones in that history and analyzes the evolution of media and journalistic concepts from the days of Colonial America to the 21st Century. Students explore key concepts such as freedom of the press and the people’s right to know and discuss why these traditions exerted either functional or dysfunctional influences on the American press. The course follows a lecture/discussion model and the students work in small teams to prepare classroom presentations on specific examples of pertinent concepts.