index.html.

The Page for this class: http://faculty.shc.edu/tloehr/WebPages/CMM325CurrentNotices.html. This page will be updated regularly and you are expected to check it regularly for: assignments, readings, links, due dates for papers, quizzes, tests, etc. Eres will not be used in this course, BUT THE WEBSITE IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS COURSE!!!

Course Description and Goals:

The primary goal of this course is to develop an acutely critical eye and ear for analyzing the aesthetics of and the multitude of meanings behind the medium that pervades our lives and our culture – television.

Like any medium of communication, television can be capable of reaching great heights of expression as well as falling to great depths of banality and mediocrity. But its influence on culture throughout that spectrum is undeniably significant. It was true in its ‘classic’ period in the 1950’s and is even more so today, with the proliferation of channels, numbering in the hundreds or more in many cases, with the arrival of digital video recorders, DVD releases, I-Pods and other similar devices for downloading programs. This course looks closely at this medium, its origins and history, its modes of expression and specific genres - especially as they have changed over time - and attempts to gain a greater understanding of how this medium influences us, as individuals and as a society within our particular culture.

Texts: The main text and secondary texts for this course are new: Jason Mittell’s Television And American Culture. (It will be listed below in the weekly schedule under Readings as: TAC)

The secondary text is a compilation of terminology associated with television study: Television Studies – The Key Concepts by Casey, Calvert, French and Lewis. (It will be listed below in the weekly schedule under Readings as: KC.)

General Progression of Course:

First: We will first examine the history of this medium through its predecessors of radio and film, placing more emphasis on the history of motion pictures. As we proceed through that history we will learn to recognize, identify and describe the distinctive elements that make up the visual and aural ‘tools’ of this medium – especially as it is a child of the medium of film.

Second: We will learn several critical approaches that will allow for detailed analysis and critique of the meaning arising from various television texts. Among those approaches are: semiotics, cultural studies, Marxist analysis, gender studies, psychoanalytic criticism, the auteur theory and sociological criticism. Articles, either on the web or copied and distributed, or on reserve in the library and in-class Power Point presentations will provide background for and explanation of these theories and critical approaches. Much of the written work you will do will involve the utilization of these critical perspectives on current and past film and television texts.

Third: Early on in the semester you will identify and begin working on the final research paper of 12 – 15 pages. The last few weeks of the semester will contain specific preliminary deadlines designed to help insure the appropriate depth and writing skills for this major assignment.

Outcomes: At the end of this course students will have a solid understanding of the visual and aural elements that make up the “televisual language”, particularly as they have developed within a historical context. They will also have developed a grasp of the various theories and critical approaches that provide a basis for analysis of television and film texts and be able to apply them in written and oral formats, including a research paper. They will also have a basic grasp of the technological elements behind television, especially within a historical progression of the medium. All of those outcomes together should make students more critically aware of the role of television in today’s culture and how powerful a medium it can be in shaping that culture.

The ‘W’ Designation: This is a ‘W’ course and as such a great deal of writing will be expected. Three to four essays, each 2 – 4 pages will be required, as will a final paper of 12 -15 pages. Research will be a part of some of the essays and will be a significant part of the final paper. Errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and general usage will lower the grade for a given assignment by a full letter grade or more – down to a failing grade for excessive errors. We will follow APA style guidelines. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and could result in expulsion from the class and the college.

Quizzes and tests will be given – 2 quizzes and a midterm and 2 quizzes and a written final in the second half of the semester. There will also be at least one oral report, probably in conjunction with one or more other students. Altogether, the papers, quizzes, tests and reports will provide opportunities for the student to reveal their understanding of the language of television and the multitude of meanings derived from the understanding of the critical approaches to TV analysis and the depth of their own analysis of this important mode of mass communication and artistic expression.

Weekly Schedule:

1^st Week, Aug. 24, 26 & 28:

1. Introduction to course, goals, objectives, guidelines, grading, attendance policy, etc. Television predecessors: Radio and Film – brief history of their beginnings.

2. Continued history of motion pictures; narrative and non narrative structures as they developed in both radio and film – examples.

3. The silent era in film around the world; film examples.

READING: Intro – Chapter 1 in TAC: pgs. 1 - 53.

Pgs 9 – 19, Agenda Setting & Americanization in KC.

2^nd Week, August 31, Sept. 2 & 4:

1. Discussion of above readings in TAC & KC; film history, cont’d: 1930s – 1970s. Narrative Conventions after advent of sound.

2. Intro to first theoretical approach: Semiotics – history; key terms; relevance for Film/TV Studies; handouts and library & Web references.

ASSIGNMENT: A two – three page paper on the narrative form of a film, TBA, you will watch in class, Sept. 4.
DUE: Wednesday, Sept. 9.

3. In-Class viewing of a film or TV program for the first writing assignment.

READING: In TAC– Chapter 2, pgs 54 – 98 on TV Advertising. Pgs 6- 8 & 247 – 252 & 97 - 101 in KC.

3^rd Week, (No class on Monday, Labor Day, Sept. 7), Sept. 9 & 11:

1. Chapter 2 in TAC; understanding of the elements of the mise en scene. Short Papers DUE.

2. Short Quiz; film examples from classic sound films. Semiotic Applications in Narrative structure and in mise en scene.

READING: TAC – Chapter 3, pgs 99 - 125; KC – pgs. 33 – 38, 162 – 166 & 205 – 208.

ASSIGNMENT: Write a two page essay on a character on television; more details, TBA. DUE: Wed., Sept. 16.

4^th Week: Sept. 14, 16 & 18:

1. Discussion of Chapter 3, TAC; figure expression & Movement from the mise en scene – acting styles.

2. Papers due; discussion of Marxist analysis and the readings in KC.

3. Film and television examples for the use of Marxist analysis.

READING: Chapter 4, TAC, pgs 126 - 158

ASSIGNMENT: Group assignments for oral reports using elements of the mise en scene in conjunction with Marxist Critique.
DUE: Wed., Sept. 24.

5^th Week: Sept. 21, 23 & 25:

1. Viewing and analysis of classic TV text using Marxist approach. Lighting as a part of the mise en scene.

2. Group/Individual Oral Reports Given.

3. Chapter 4 in TAC; television examples of classic and contemporary news presentations.

READING: Chapter 5 in TAC, pgs 161 - 212 on “Making Meaning”; the camera – video and film – and its properties.

Article on Psychoanalytic Analysis and Critique, TBA

6^th Week: Sept. 28, 30 & Oct. 2:

1. Discussion of Chapter 5, TAC; different styles and different camera and production techniques. Examples from TV and Motion Pictures.

2. Short Quiz; Psychoanalytic Analysis and Critique – readings, TBA.

3. Television text examples appropriate for psychoanalytic analysis; discussion.

READING: Chapter 6 in TAC on Narrative Structure in television, pgs 213 – 268; in KC, topics: genre, melodrama, narrative.

ASSIGNMENT: Turn in Ideas for Final Paper; more directions given in class; due: Monday, Oct. 5.

7^th Week: Oct. 5, 7 & 9:

1. More on camera and visual elements distinctive to the medium – lighting and sound.

2. Chapter 6 in TAC on narrative structures.

3. Examples of Lighting variations and use of audio techniques from film and television.

READING: Chapter 7 in TAC, pgs 269 – 304; in KC, topics: Culture &cultural studies, ideology, hegemony.

ASSIGNMENT: Prepare work on final paper by choosing a genre first, then a specific program or programs (for comparison/contrast) and do a brief review of the literature on that topic. (More Details, TBA.) DUE: Monday, Oct. 19.

8^th Week: FALL BREAK: MON & TUES. Oct. 14 & 16:

1. Discussion of Chapters 7, America Represented; Review for Midterm Exam; research for final paper; lit review guides.

2. Midterm Exam.

READING: Remember to review past readings in both texts for the midterm exam; for next week – article on Editing, TBA.

9^th Week: Oct. 19, 21 & 23:

1. Review of Midterm exam; Editing in television & Film: history and theory; Lit Review DUE.

2. Discussion of Chapter 7 in TAC; more on editing

3. Editing examples; discussion of final paper and the requirements in the various stages.

READINGS: Chapter 8 in TAC – sociological critique; in KC, topics: feminism, gender, stereotypes, pluralism.

ASSIGNMENT: Short paper Analyzing - from at least 2 of the critical perspectives covered so far - a Sitcom or Reality Series; DUE: Monday, Nov. 2.

10^th Week: Oct. 26, 28 & 30:

1. Discussion of Chapter 8, TAC, on various representations in TV texts; sociological critique.

2. The Auteur Theory – the difference between Film & TV; an overview/summary of aesthetic elements and theoretical/critical procedures; putting them together in preparation for the final paper.

3. Examples of television auteur products.

READINGS: From TAC: Chapter 9 on Viewing Television; in KC, topics: audiences, celebrity, effects, fans and more.

11^th Week: Nov. 2, 4 & 8:

1. Looking at Genres: The Sitcom: history, variations, popularity, and its future. Paper on Sitcoms/Reality Shows DUE. Assignment on brief oral reports for Friday’s class.

2. Looking at Genres: Quiz/Game Shows, including some types of reality programming.

3. Oral Reports on Quiz or Game Shows; more details, TBA.

Theoretical applications: Semiotics, Marxist, Gender & Psychological.

READING: Chapter 10 in TAC on Children and Television; in KC, topics: Children and Television, Power, game shows, reality television, youth television and more.
ASSIGNMENT: Abstract/Outline for your final paper will be DUE: Friday, Nov. 13.

12^th Week, Nov. 9, 11 & 13:

1. Looking at Genres: Cartoons – history and trends; also, a look at reality/quiz show genres; discussion of Chapter 10 in TAC.

2. Genres: Advertising, the glue that holds American television together.

3. Cartoon and Advertising Examples from classic American television. Abstract/outline of final paper DUE today.

READING: Chapter 11 in TAC on television and current technology; in KC, topics: convergence, synergy, globalization, more.

ASSIGNMENTS: Work on Final Paper and prepare Oral Reports – instructions, TBA.

13^th Week, Nov. 16, 18 & 20:

1. Discussion of the progress on the final paper based on the outline/abstract.

2. Chapter 11 in TAC on television technology and change: convergence; HDTV; the future.

3. HBO and other premium channel programming: documentaries and dramatic series.

ASSIGNMENT: Prepare a brief summary/outline of your final paper
READING: Article on The Sopranos, TBA

14^th Week, MON., Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Week):

1. Premium channel – HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc. – programming cont’d, examples from various shows & different channels: bending and stretching the ‘rules’ for what is ethically acceptable.

READINGS: Article in TV/TV, pgs. 418 – 445.
ASSIGNMENT: Continue work on final paper.

15^th Week (Final), Nov. 30, Dec. 2 & 4 (Final Class Day):

1. Other television systems around the world – comparison with U.S. structure.

2. The future of television: continued convergence. Discussion of article in TV/TV. Discussion of progress on the final paper; APA style concerns and procedures.

3. Course wrap up and Review for Final. Final Paper DUE.

FINAL EXAM DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 8^th at 3:00 p.m.

Summary of Assignments and tests:

4 Essays of approximately 2 – 4 pages each; two will contain research.

1 12 – 15 page research paper, DUE: Final Day of Class – Friday, Dec. 4^th.

2 Oral presentations – with the second being more important

2 – 3 Quizzes

2 Tests – midterm and final

Timely submission of Written Work: All assignments will have specific DUE DATES - at the beginning of a particular class. If turned in later than that date & time, a one-letter deduction will be subtracted from the grade. If excessively late – over one week – a two-letter deduction will take place.

Attendance Policy: After three (3) unexcused absences a warning will be sent. With a fourth absence and the written warning, a student will be withdrawn from the class, unless extraordinary circumstances apply. It is important to come to class, join in on the discussions of the readings and the many required television & film viewings within the class period. Attendance and participation are factored into the grade (see below) and will form a significant function in achieving the stated goals for the course.

Grading: For the MidtermGrade:

1 – 2 quizzes; 2 Essays & 1 Oral Pres. 60 %

Attendance & participation 15% Midterm Grade

Midterm Exam 25%

Midterm Grade: 25 %

1 Quiz; 2 Essays & 1 Oral Pres: 25 %

Final Paper: 25 % FINAL GRADE

Final Exam: 15 %

Class Attendance & Participation 10%

Students with Disabilities: Students who want to receive disabilities accommodations should contact Mrs. Dunklin, Coordinator for Student Support Services at 380-3470 as soon as possible so that warranted accommodations can be arranged. Her office is located in Student Academic Services, 1st floor, Administration Building.

My Website: http://faculty.shc.edu/tloehr/index.html.

Course Description and Goals:

Weekly Schedule:

FINAL EXAM DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 8th at 3:00 p.m.

FINAL EXAM DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 8^th at 3:00 p.m.