SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

CMNS 220-3

UNDERSTANDING TELEVISION

Prerequisite:

CMNS 110 or 130

Course Description:

The phenomenon of television is considered by many to be one of the defining social, political and cultural features of the 20th century. Television has had a profound effect on domestic and public spheres as well as on our personal and collective senses of time; it has contributed in fundamental ways to experiences of our selves and our society. Many consider television to be the ultimate machine of post-war mass consumer culture. In this course, we will explore the origins and development of television as a mass medium; the variety of critical responses it has generated; and the use viewers have made of it. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the basic debates and critical frameworks that structure television studies.

Lectures, readings and tutorials are complementary aspects of the course. Students are expected to do the readings each week in advance of the class and come to tutorial prepared to participate. There will be four in-class pop quizzes over the semester that will test familiarity with readings.

Required Readings:

John Corner, Critical Ideas in Television Studies. Oxford: OUP, 1999.
Course package available at the bookstore.

Required Videos:

all videos shown in class are available for viewing at the Learning and Instructional Development Centre, 7152 Education Building.

Evaluation:

Short paper (due February 5) 20%
Quizzes (4) 10%
Essay (due March 19) 30%
Final Exam (during exam period) 30%
Tutorial participation 10%

The school expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will follow Policy T10.02 with respect to “Intellectual Honesty” and “Academic Discipline” (see the current Calendar, General Regulations section).