Course Syllabus
Glued to the Screen: TV Shows, Norms, and Culture
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2024 – DIS Stockholm |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course – 3 Credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Communication, Film Studies, Media Studies |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Faculty Members: |
Clara Auclair (current students please use the Canvas Inbox) |
| Time & Place: |
Mondays & Thursdays, 13:15-14:35 Room: D508 |
Course Description
From broadcast syndication to Netflix binge watching, our experience with television is dynamic and evolving. Yet, what persists is its power to shape our societies’ gender roles, race relations, class divisions, sexual norms, and values. This course introduces the notion of TV as a cultural forum, a social regulator, and a social critique. Using examples from American, Scandinavian, and also British television, we will analyze how TV operates by working through social issues, and how TV shows mirror societal concerns and assumptions.
Gender roles, race relations, class divisions, sexual norms, and other values in our societies are both reflected in and shaped by TV series and shows like I Love Lucy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or Parks and Recreation. This course critically views the history of, and reflects on the social importance of, TV fiction. The optics of the course are global as well as a national and transnational.
The course offers an introduction to television history in the USA and Europe/Scandinavia, on the one hand presenting the rise of television in its various organizational forms (e.g. BBC in 1936 and NBC in 1939), and on the other, looking at specific television genres and programs in the social contexts from the time in which they were made. Each class will concentrate on one period, theme or aspect of television history and/or analysis and will usually include some viewing material. The approach will be analytical, esthetical, and historical.
Some of the key words investigated are TV and domesticity, intimacy, flow, convergence and quality. We explore ways of pondering the relationship between representations on a screen and real-life society. The shows we study deal with social questions such as crime and guilt, sexuality and reproduction, the nuclear family, matrimony and divorce. Part of the material is Swedish and will partly be used as optics for discussing Sweden.
Tying in with the TV-historical side of the course, in the latter part of the course we will take a detailed look at the revolution in moving images which started with time-shifting devices such as VCR, larger selections of cable channels, and the remote control, and which is now present in streaming services, youtube videos and a convergence between TV and film material. How does television ”after” television maintain its social significance also when watched individually on personal screens?
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, each student will have gained:
- A sound knowledge of the history of television (mainly TV fiction) in the Western hemisphere and its relation to cultural and social conditions.
- An understanding of basic procedures of media analysis.
- The ability to produce an academic research paper demonstrating critical media literacy and the ability to interpret and discuss the history of TV and particularly fiction, in the U.S. and partly in Europe/Scandinavia.
Faculty
Clara Auclair
Clara holds a PhD in Visual and Cultural Studies (Art and Art History Department, University of Rochester, USA and Langues, Littérature et Image, Université Paris Cité, France, 2023) and a Certificate in Film Preservation (L. Jeffrey Selznick School for Film Preservation, George Eastman Museum, Rochester (NY), USA, 2014). After almost 10 years in the US, Clara moved to Stockholm in January 2022. Clara has been teaching at University of Rochester and guest lectured in Swedish universities. She also works as a research consultant for film archives and museums since 2022. Fields of interest includes: early film studies, media studies, visual and cultural studies, gender studies and labor studies. With DIS since 2023.
Readings
All shorter readings are to be found on Canvas. Some key texts:
Anderson, Christopher. “HBO: Producing an Aristocracy of Culture in American Television,” in The Essential HBO Reader, eds., Gary R. Edgerton and Jeffrey P.Jones (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2009), 23–38 plus notes.
Hendershot, Heather. “Parks and Recreation: The Cultural Forum” in How to watch television, eds. Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell. (New York, NYU Press, 2013). 204–212.
Modleski, Tania. “The Rhythm of Reception: Daytime Television and Woman’s Work,” in E. A. Kaplan, Regarding Television (Los Angeles: AFI, 1983), 67–75.
Spigel, Lynn. “Television in the Family Circle”, excerpt from Make Room for TV (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992), 36–50.
For reference (use as needed): Jonathan Gray & Amanda D. Lotz, Television studies, Second edition, Polity, Cambridge, UK, 2019
Field Studies
September 5 (9am - 12.30pm): Visit of the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska Museet)
October 30 (1pm - 5pm): Visit of the Swedish Film Institute Media Archive.
Guest Lecturers
Doron Galili, Senior Lecturer, Film Studies, University of Gothenburg and Stockholm University.
Approach to Teaching
Teacher's comment: I hold that learning happens not only when attaching new concepts and facts to your individual pre-existing experiences, but also when being challenged by something initially foreign and mystifying, which may force you to re-think what you already knew. So, in class I will on the one side try to make sense of things together with students, and on the other side be ready to supply what I believe to be the missing pieces to that puzzle. Not least, the chance to be challenged in my own knowledge structures and opinions is a great fringe benefit for myself.
Expectations of the Students
Teacher's comment: My basic assumption about students is that you are present because you are interested in the subject on offer. For this reason, I expect that you will wish to prepare in advance, contribute to the learning situation with informed reflections and questions, and try to find out more about anything you realize you do not yet grasp or simply want to follow up on.
Use of AI tools: As you are well aware, AI technologies are developing rapidly and chat GPT seems to have the answers to everything. But I don't believe it should be used to write answers to essay questions. The goal of this class is for you to further develop your analytical skills and think critically about the images you consume: you will do well in this class if you genuinely engage with materials and questions, and bring your curiosity along. No need for Chat GPT or other text generating software.
This classroom respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds and abilities, and I encourage you to talk with me about any concern or situation that affects your ability to complete your academic work successfully.
Evaluation and grading
Grading breakdown
| Assignment |
Percent |
|
Bi-weekly posts in preparation of midterm |
15 % |
|
Midterm |
30 % |
|
Final assignment |
40 % |
|
Engaged and informed participation in class and group presentations |
15 % |
Midterm
The midterm test is an at-home test. It consists of essay questions asking you to put shows, questions and concepts seen in class in perspective with class readings. Two weeks ahead of the midterm I will submit essay questions in advance, and you will be asked to draft introductions and short answers (bullet points) to prepare for the midterm. More details will be given in class.
Final
The final assignment will be a video essay analyzing a short clip using one of the concepts studied in class. You will be paired-up for this assignment. You will also be required to give a short in class presentation during the last week of class. Detailed instructions will be posted on Canvas.
Participation grade
Participation in class requires being prepared to discuss the readings and to reflect on them in class. Any attempt at making a point that is relevant in relation to readings and audiovisual material will be welcomed and noted. The effort you put into your group presentations also count towards your participation grade. In addition, I will regularly post discussion prompts on the Canvas discussion board for you to engage with before class time. You will be asked to either answer the prompt directly, or continue / comment on one of your peers answers. We will collectively review discussion points at the beginning of class.
Areas for assessment
- Handling of course material
- Scholarly argumentation and analytical abilities
- Command of relevant terminology
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|