Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2022 - CMNS 387 D100

Special Topics in Communication (4)

Black TV Studies

Class Number: 1508

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Depends on topic, published before enrollment.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Intensive analysis of a particular topic in the general area of communication. This course can be repeated for credit up to a maximum of three times, if topic studied is different.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is designed as an upper-level undergraduate course in television and social theory. This course presents a more focused theoretical analysis of a specific area of television studies, in this case, Black identities. Together through television watching and interactive discussion, we will explore the complex dialogue between Black televisional representations and the lived cultural, social, and historical experiences of people of the African diaspora.

In addition to examining television by and/or about Black people in the early 21st and late 20th centuries, students will, also, study the history of cultural representations of Black people from throughout the 20th and late 19th centuries, investigate the role of imperialism and colonialism in the development and distribution of those representations, and analyze how those historical representations have informed contemporary media discourses about Black identities, cultures & communities. This is a distinctly interdisciplinary class, in which students are encouraged to reflect on the content and process of TV as a socially engaged practice. This course will emphasize the interdependent roles of Black individuals, groups, and communities as cultural producers, consumers, and subjects of media representations and discourses.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Students will demonstrate the ability to research, think, read, write, research, and speak critically about the concepts of media, culture, politics, and representation AND about the concepts of race and ethnicity and to explore how these concepts relate to other social categories such as gender, class, nation, etc.
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to develop key themes, questions, and ideas related to the history, aesthetics, culture, and politics of “Black television” by examining television from the perspectives of production, consumption, marketing, and interpretive strategies.
  • Students will perform complex media analyses of Black television representations, productions, performances, and discourses.

Grading

  • Lecture Attendance & Participation 10%
  • Tutorial Attendance & Participation 15%
  • Twitter Viewing Assignment 20%
  • Take-Home Midterm 25%
  • Final Paper 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Course readings will be made available online via Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/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