COMM 3800 - Television in the Digital Age

(CA-AG, HA-AG)

Fall, Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

Prerequisite: COMM 2200.

K. Sender.

What is television? Drawing on key concepts in the field of television studies, this class will critically appraise the medium of television in our contemporary digital context. We will look at transformations in television production, genres, and audiences in response to new technologies and economies. By the end of the class we will decide whether “television” is still a meaningful term and, if so, how its meanings must expand to account for our changing televisual practices. By the end of the course you will have deepened your understanding of television and its relation to contemporary culture as well as developed a scholarly understanding of some key ideas that have structured television studies since its emergence as a field of study in the mid-1970s.

Outcome 1: Recognize the role of digital technologies in changing television environments.

Outcome 2: Evaluate the impacts of technological, economic, industrial, and cultural transformations in television on programming content.

Outcome 3: Apply contemporary critiques of television industries to ongoing transformations in the production and reception of programming.

Outcome 4: Consider the meaning of “television” in a multiple-platform distribution model.

Outcome 5: Create a television show pitch and pilot script that demonstrate an understanding of contemporary television production, distribution, financing, genre, and audience.