Fall 2017 - CMNS 220 D100
Understanding Television (3)
Class Number: 3513
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 5 – Dec 4, 2017: Mon, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Dec 14, 2017
Thu, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Anis Rahman
abur@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
CMNS 110 and 130.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
This course examines television, both as a medium of communication and an element of culture.
COURSE DETAILS:
Overview:
Considered by many to be one of the defining social, political and cultural features of post-war mass consumer culture, television today is undergoing a radical transformation. No less central to cultural life, it is fragmenting and morphing into something more expansive and diverse than ever before. In this course, we will focus on developing critical, analytic tools with which to approach TV today as a complex set of political, social, technological, and cultural practices.
In the first half of the semester, we will explore the rise of television as a powerful story telling system; its characteristic modes, genres and technologies; and various theoretical and analytical frameworks to study TV. In the second half of the semester, we delve deeper with several cases of studying TV texts, which include issues of representation of class, gender, race, ethnicity, and celebrity culture in mainstream TV, as well as alternative currents of local and global TV programming. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the basic debates and critical frameworks that shape television studies, and should be able to apply those concepts to their assigned work.
Lectures, tutorials, and readings are complementary aspects of the course. Students are expected to do the readings each week, in advance; and come to classes prepared to participate.
Weekly lecture topicswill include:
I. Frameworks and Methodologies:
· Introduction: TV in Everyday Life.
· TV as a Story Teller: Realism and Genre.
· Ideology and Representation in Television.
· Methodologies and Approaches of Television.
· Changing Technologies and Audience of TV.
II. Selected Case Studies:
· TV and Class and Gender.
· TV and Race and Ethnicity.
· Trash TV? Reality TV and Celebrity Culture.
· Subversive TV? News Parodies and Animations.
· Globalization of TV.
Grading
- Tutorial Attendance and Participation 10%
- Mid-Term Exam (Oct. 23, in class) 25%
- Term Paper Proposal (Due Oct. 17) 10%
- Term Paper (Due Nov. 28) 25%
- Final Exam (During the exam period) 30%
NOTES:
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 S10.01 with respect to Academic Integrity, and Policies S10.02, S10.03 and S10.04 as regards Student Discipline. [Note: as of May 1, 2009, the previous T10 series of policies covering Intellectual Honesty (T10.02), and Academic Discipline (T10.03) have been replaced with the new S10 series of policies.]
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Readings will be available on Canvas.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS