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COM 340: Television Criticism |
Syllabus
Dr. Janet McMullen
4 credit hours
UPDATED: 01/26/2004
Required Texts:
Recommended books...
These are titles which have been used as texts in the past and from which some of my notes are taken. If you can find them, they'd be helpful to you and valuable investment to your personal library. They are NOT required.
Optional Reading: "the A list" The titles in BOLD are new to the list this year.
These "A-List" books are all key sources for my lecture notes. Ideally, you can read them, get credit for a book report AND improve your understanding of classroom discussion. Of additional benefit are the following two:
Optional Reading "B list"
Titles may be selected from the library or other sources, however, all "B list" titles must be approved by the instructor for book reports. A good place to begin looking is to check my web site at http://fly.hiwaay.net~jmcmulle.index.html./ . Click on the link to Dr. Mc's Reading List.
Students should have access to a television, cable or satellite service, and a programmable VCR. At various times during the course, students will be expected to watch programs which air during the semester.
TOPICS TO BE COVERED:
Specific topics will include basic program structures, formats, genres, elements of drama, elements of the business and the medium which make television unique. The role of the critic and television programming on the culture will also be discussed. Students must have regular access to a television because home viewing will be an integral part of class assignments. Access to a VCR is strongly encouraged.
EVALUATION:
Book Reviews:
During this course, students will be expected to read at least two of the books on the optional reading lists. One may be from group B, which includes those which may be considered "popular" in nature. At least one must come from group A which are more specifically tailored to class discussion. Each book report is valued at a maxim 50 points. Both reports may come from the "A list." Book reports should be a thoughtful critical analysis, applying the ideas of the book to class discussion in some way.
Each report must be a minimum of three to five type-written pages. Reports should focus on how the reader reacted to the book, its value to the reader and its significance to the class.
Papers:
Each student will be required to write two critical papers during the semester. Papers will be either an in-depth analysis of a specific series or a critical comparison of two series which are related in some way. Each paper must be typed, properly spelled, punctuated, documented and no less than 15 pages.
Tutorials:
The instructor reserves the right to assign up to two tutorials during the semester. These will be assigned as the instructor deems necessary to determine the level of understanding in the class. A tutorial in this class is a 2 page essay summarizing some point of discussion or understanding. When the instructor evaluates the paper, a numerical grade representing one half the total points possible is assessed. At that time the student may rewrite the paper and turn it in during the next class period at which point the paper will be re-evaluated and a numerical grade of 1 to 50 pts assigned. The combination of first-draft and rewrite points constitute the tutorial grade. Students making 40 pts or more on the first draft have the option NOT to rewrite, but rather double the initial point value. Tutorials allow students to determine how well they understand key concepts prior to exams and allow the instructor to evaluate teaching effectiveness on those concepts.
Short Assignments:
At various times during the course, the instructor will assign brief assignments connected to specific class room discussion. Such assignments may involve watching a program and filling out an evaluation sheet or writing a one or two page discussion in which you apply concepts discussed in class to a particular program or character. These assignments are valued at 10 to 20 points and do not require a great deal of time.
Quizzes:
Quizzes will be frequent and unannounced. Quizzes cannot be made up. Expect quizzes to be given promptly at the beginning of the class period. (Hint:: be on time!)
Extra Credit:
Extra Credit points may be earned by reading extra books (if the titles are approved by the instructor), and extra-credit book reports are valued at 25 points.
A mini-paper may also be written to earn 25 points, but topic and format must be approved by the instructor. In some cases, projects may also be considered.
In some cases, extra credit may be earned for watching classic or outstanding programs beyond the scope of this course. Example: Students may view and provide a minimum five-page written evaluation of the mini-series ROOTS (provided they have not already viewed it for Television Appreciation) and earn 25 extra credit points. Such projects should be negotiated with the professor.
Maximum extra credit points in papers/reviews: 50.
Exams:
Up to three exams will be given. The last may or may not be offered during the final exam period. They will consist of a combination of objective items including multiple choice, identify, fill-in and short answer. However, due to the nature of the class, at least half of the exam will be essay in nature.
SUMMARY:
Total: = 900 to 1000 points approximately
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is expected in conjunction with university policy. You will be unable to pass quizzes and exams without attending class and taking careful notes. In addition, specific programs will be viewed in the class/lab period and those cannot be rescheduled for students not present at the screening. Our two hours of lab time will be used for viewing of specific television content and discussion of that viewing experience.
Home Viewing:
Students must have access to a television and VCR access is recommended. You will be asked to watch specific programs at home on a regular basis. When these programs may coincide with work or a night class, an effort should be made by the student to make arrangements to record the program. If serious problems exist concerning these requirements, see the instructor.
Additional notes:
While this class is a four-hour course, the additional time is needed for viewing the television programs we critique, not necessarily for four hours of lecture per week. You will find projects are not more extensive than regular 3 hour courses, but since you will need to spend significant amounts of time watching television, the extra hour of credit has justification from both the instructor's and the student's point of view.
Since students in this class are upperclassmen, a strong emphasis will be made on writing and professionalism. This means students should be prompt, complete work on time, communicate clearly, use the language properly and present work in a neat, professional manner. All work will by typed or it will not be read.
While this class does take some thought and a certain amount of time, at NO time will I assign "busy work." If I have given an assignment, it's because I have a concern that students are not grasping key concepts which must be understood before we can go on.
The bottom line is this: if you all work hard, think in class, participate in class and write well on short assignments and tutorials, we will all probably have fewer short assignments and tutorials to do! What I do not want to happen is for you to get to the final paper, valued at 300 points, and not understand the concepts you need to discuss in the paper. The purpose of short assignments is to make sure you are ready to do well on exams and papers.
Let's get ready for an exciting semester!
P.S.: Begin thinking right now about which television SERIES you want to use for your final paper and BEGIN TAPING IT THIS WEEK!
Any links to lecture notes or other materials of interest will be placed HERE on the web site:
LECTURE NOTES AND WEB LINKS
340 Calendar 2004 The 2004 calendar is not yet posted, but will be asap. I left the 2003 calendar up just so you would have an idea of what our schedule would look like.
What is criticism and role of the critic? (not online)
Intro to Formal Criticism (not online)
Upload Instructions for Turnitin.com
Don't forget to complete all of the reading in your Butler text for the final exam. Pay particular attention to the chapter on commercials, animation, and music television.
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Copyright, 2004, Janet McMullen
Email Dr. Mc: jlmcmullen@una.edu
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