ComS 169--Television Criticism
Prof.
Nick Burnett
Office: 5006 Mendocino Hall
Office Phone: 278-6508
Email: nburnett@csus.edu
Web page: www.csus.edu/indiv/b/burnettn
Office Hours: T/TH 7:30-8:30 am, T 11:45-12:30 pm
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to critical methods appropriate to the interpretation and evaluation of televised materials. Specifically, students will investigate textual analysis, gender and ideological approaches, institutional criticism, auteur criticism, and cultural criticism.
Required
Reading: Arthur Asa Berger, Media Analysis Techniques, 2nd edition,
Sage Publications, 1998
Gail Dines and Jean Humez, Gender, Race and Class in Media, 2nd edition,
Sage Publications, 2003
| Note: Both of these books are available at the CSUS bookstore, and also at various internet sites. Please be sure that you get the 2nd editions! These books are substantially different from their first editions. |
Assignments
and Grading: Students will complete two short web-based essays, one longer
critical essays (with a required round of revisions) using a method and
text of their choosing. Finally, they will be paired for a final project
in which students work cooperatively on a particular media text but ultimately
produce independent critical essays. There will be a brief in-class presentation
of these final projects. Oh yeah, there's a midterm too! Assignment weighting
is as follows:
| Web Assignment #1 |
10%
|
| Web Assignment #2 |
10%
|
| Class Presentation |
10%
|
| Critical Essay #1 |
30%
|
| Final Project (Written and Oral) |
30%
|
| Participation |
10%
|
Attendance and Participation: Why should I even have to mention this? Come to class and learn; stay away and continue to think that "I Want to Marry a Millionaire" is the apotheosis of American culture! Much of what is learned in this class will happen as a result of discussions and examples developed in class. Finally, let's be honest. I have not made the readings in this class onerous, therefore, I expect readings for that day will be completed prior to coming to class. The burden for discussion falls on both of us (you the students, and me, the instructor). Don't blow it!
Tentative Class Schedule
| Date | Topic | Readings (from D+ H, unless noted) | Assignment |
| Jan 28 | Introduction to class, syllabus review | None | |
| Jan 30 | Understanding criticism | 1, Berger--5, 6 | |
| Feb 4 | Guest lecture: TV and genres | ||
| Feb 6 | Understanding television criticism | 34 | |
| Feb 11 | Ideological analysis | 5, 8, Berger 2 | |
| Feb 13 | Gender criticism | 34, 44 | Web assignment #1 |
| Feb 18 | Textual analysis | 10, Berger 1 | |
| Feb 20 | Independent work on Web #2 | ||
| Feb 25 | Cultural criticism | 3, 31 | |
| Feb 27 | Auteur and audience-centered criticism | 6, 7, 60 | |
| Mar 4 | Institutional criticism | 2, 16 | |
| Mar 6 | Methods Review | Berger 4 | |
| Mar 11 | Methods Exercise | ||
| Mar 13 | Advertisements | 22, 23 | Web assignment #2 |
| Mar 18 | Advertisements | 25, 30 | |
| Mar 20 | Advertisements | ||
| Mar 25 | Soap operas | 45, 46 | |
| Mar 27 | Soap operas | 48, 49 | |
| Apr 1 | Sitcoms | 13, 54 | Critical Essay, rd.1 |
| Apr 3 | Sitcoms | 55, 56 | |
| Apr 8 | Talk shows | 50, 51 | |
| Apr 10 | Talk shows | 52, 53 | |
| Apr 15-17 | Spring Break | No tans allowed! | |
| Apr 22 | Reality programming | 61 | Crit Essay, rd. 2 |
| Apr 24 | Game/Quiz shows | ||
| Apr 29 | Music Videos | 14, 38 | |
| May 1 | Music Videos | ||
| May 6 | Team presentations | ||
| May 8 | Team presentations | ||
| May 13 | Team presentations | ||
| May 15 | Team presentations |