Television: Times, Trends and Technologies
| Module title | Television: Times, Trends and Technologies |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAF2511 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Benedict Morrison (Convenor) Dr Debra Ramsay (Lecturer) Dr Ranita Chatterjee (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 60 |
|---|
Module description
Mass entertainment, public service broadcasting, state apparatus, domestic screen medium, digital platform: this module examines the changing nature of global television by investigating its different histories, modes and technologies. By reflecting and informing daily life, television plays a significant role in shaping how individuals, families and communities consume sound and images.You will consider television’s role from a number of perspectives drawn from a range of disciplines – visual culture, history, sociology, politics, and psychology, to name a few.As an introduction to television studies, this module is suitable for all students regardless of previous experience.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to offer a rich insight into the development of television on a global scale, considering its historical and geographical evolution, various forms and trends, and its changing technologies.The module examines the origins of television across the world, enabling an understanding of different national industries in America, Europe, Africa and Asia.You will interrogate television as a socio-cultural phenomenon, evaluating some of the most influential programming trends and ground-breaking texts, and how they have engaged societies.We will locate these discussions within specific broadcasting policies and broader institutional and political contexts.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a critical appreciation of some of the key debates shaping our understanding of television as a distinct medium
- 2. Apply a range of inter-disciplinary approaches and methods drawn from media studies, history and the social sciences to the study of television and its audiences
- 3. Articulate an historically-based, critical understanding of the impact of changing technologies from the early broadcast era to the digital age
- 4. Develop critical and analytical skills specific to the study of televisual texts
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Develop skills in the close formal, thematic, generic analysis of different kinds of visual media
- 6. Demonstrate skills in the research and evaluation of relevant critical and historical materials for the study of television and related visual media
- 7. Understand and interrogate relevant theoretical ideas, and apply these ideas in the analysis of a range of industries and texts
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Demonstrate through group work communication skills, and an ability to work in groups
- 9. Develop technological proficiency by producing and submitting blogs and/or video essays
- 10. Demonstrate in written work appropriate research and bibliographic skills, a capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
- 11. Navigate and effectively synthesise a range of primary and secondary research materials academic sources, press articles, ephemera in order to inform debate and analysis in written and oral work
- 12. Through research, group discussion, and written work, question assumptions, distinguish between fact and opinion, and critically reflect on your own learning process
Syllabus plan
This module begins by introducing youto television studies and to key moments in the medium’s early history.We consider television as an historical and critical object of study from its inception to its reimagining in the contemporary digital context.Along the way the module interrogates the geopolitical significance of a range of fictional, factual and experimental programming.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 104 | 196 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 16.5 | Lectures (1x1.5 hrs for 11 weeks) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 66 | Screenings (2x3 hrs for 11 weeks) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Seminars (1x2 hrs for 11 weeks) |
| Guided Independent Study | 33 | Study group preparation and meetings (1x3hrs for 11 weeks) |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Seminar preparation (individual) |
| Guided Independent Study | 93 | Reading, research and essay preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group video essay | 6 minutes | 1-2, 4, 6-9, 11-12 | Oral feedback from co-convenors |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | 0 | 10 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blog or viewing diary | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-7, 9-12 | Written |
| Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-7, 10-12 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blog or viewing diary | Essay 2,000 words | 1-7,9-12 | Referral/deferral period |
| Essay | Essay 2,000 words | 1-7,10-12 | Referral/deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Allen, Robert C. and Annette Hill (Eds). The Television Studies Reader. London: Routledge, 2004.
- AngIen, Gay Hawkins and Lamia Dabboussy. The SBS story: the challenge of cultural diversity. Sydney: UNSW Press, 2008.
- Caldwell, John Thornton. Televisuality: Style, Crisis, and Authority in American Television. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers, 1995.
- Corner, John. Critical Ideas in Television Studies. Oxford: OUP, 1999.
- Creeber, Glen. Small Screen Aesthetics: From TV to the Internet. London: Palgrave, 2013.
- Davis, Glyn and Gary Needham (Eds). Queer TV: Theories, Histories, Politics. London: Routledge, 2009.
- Fickers, Andreas and Catherine Johnson (Eds). Transnational Television History: A Comparative Approach. London: Routledge, 2012.
- Fiske, John and John Hartley. Reading Television. London: Routledge, 1978/2003.
- Hammond, Michael and Lucy Mazdon (Eds). The Contemporary Television Series. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2005.
- Jancovich, Mark and James Lyons (Eds). Quality Popular Television. London: BFI, 2003.
- Kompare, Derek. Rerun Nation: How Repeats Invented American Television. New York: Routledge, 2005.
- Mankekar, Purnima. Screening Culture, Viewing Politics: An Ethnography of Television, Womanhood, and Nation in Postcolonial India. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1999.
- Metcalf, Greg. The DVD Novel: How the Way We Watch Television Changed the Television We Watch. Santa Barbara: Praeger. 2012.
- Mittell, Jason. Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. New York, New York UP, 2015.
- Mittell, Jason and Ethan Thompson (Eds). How to Watch Television. New York, New York UP, 2013.
- Mulvey, Laura and Jamie Sexton (Eds). Experimental British Television. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007.
- Newcomb, Horace. Television: The Critical View. 6th Edition. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000.
- Rajagopal, Arvind. Politics After Television: Hindu Nationalism and the Reshaping of the Public in India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
- Rodrigues, Usha M. and Maya Ranganathan. Indian News Media: From Observer to Participant. New Delhi: Sage, 2014.
- Sen, Biswarup and Abhijit Roy (Eds).Channeling Cultures: Television Studies from India. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2014.
- Smith, Anthony. Television: An International History. New York: Oxford UP, 1995.
Indicative viewing:
- Culloden (BBC, 1964)
- Downton Abbey (ITV, 2010-2015)
- Dr Who (BBC, 1963-1989, 1996, 2005-)
- Fresh off the Boat (ABC, 2015-)
- The Fosters (ITV, 1976-77)
- Egoli(M-Net 1992-2010)
- Game of Thrones (HBO,2011-2019)
- Goodness Gracious Me (BBC 2, 1998-2001)
- The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu, 2017-)
- Killing Eve (BBC America, 2018)
- M*A*S*H (20th Century Fox, 1972-1983)
- Magnifica 70 (HBO Brasil, 2015)
- Queer as Folk (Channel 4, 1999-2000)
- Roots (ABC, 1997)
- Tamas (Doordarshan, 1988)
- The Singing Detective (BBC1, 1986)
- Stranger Things (Netflix, 2016-)
- The War Game (BBC, 1965)
- The Wire (HBO, 2002-2008)
- Coverage of events such as – The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953); The Apollo Moon Landing (1969); The Space Shuttle Disaster (1986); Attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon (2001) Attack on Taj Palace Hotel (2008)
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11572
- Critical Studies in Television Online: https://cstonline.tv/
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 12/01/2019 |
| Last revision date | 04/08/2020 |
