Instructor: Office: Office Hours: Texts: Grading: Wake Forest University Course Syllabus COM 318: Culture and the Sitcom Fall Dr. Mary M.

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1 Wake Forest University Course Syllabus COM 318: Culture and the Sitcom Fall 2012 Instructor: Office: Office Hours: Texts: Dr. Mary M. Dalton 317 Carswell Hall Tuesdays 1-2 and 3-4 p.m. and also by appointment The Sitcom Reader: America Viewed and Skewed, Dalton and Linder Nervous Laughter: Television Situation Comedy and Liberal Democratic Ideology, Hamamoto (library reserve) Honey,I m Home! Sitcoms: Selling the American Dream, Jones (library reserve) Critiquing the Sitcom: A Reader, Morreale (library reserve) Other readings also on electronic reserve (library reserve). This course counts toward the Film Studies minor and the Women s and Gender Studies minor. Grading: Your final grade will be determined by your research paper, by your participation in class discussions, the quality of your weekly essays, and a final test. Your research paper should be pages on a pre-approved topic. You will be asked to turn in your essay on designated Wednesdays listed on the syllabus. In this essay, choose a compelling reading and screening and develop a thesis that may incorporate personal observations and, if applicable, other texts (media and print). These essays will typically be about three pages. You are encouraged to watch additional episodes of shows referenced in the readings if doing so will improve your essays. Approximately 30% of your grade will be derived from the essays, 5% from class participation, 50% from the research paper (due December 7), and 15% from the final test (administered December 5). Please review your Bulletin if you have questions about the value of grades at Wake Forest. The grade of A is designated for exceptionally

2 2 high achievement. The grades of A-, B+, and B are for superior work. B-, C+, and C are grades denoting satisfactory work. C-, D+, and D are passing but unsatisfactory. An F denotes a failure to pass the class. About Dates: NOTE: Assignments are due the date they are listed unless otherwise noted. Chapters from your texts should be read before the class date they are listed. We will discuss them on the date listed. Attendance in class is expected, and adherence to the Honor Code is required. You may not turn in a paper that was originally written by you for another class and receive credit in this class. Furthermore, if you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me. This class meets M-W from 2-3:15 p.m. in Carswell 005. More than two absences from class may lower your grade for the course (that is a full week of class). If you have a disability that may require an accommodation for taking this course, please contact the Learning Assistance Center ( ) within the first two weeks of the semester. Pandemic Plan: In the event of a pandemic that would necessitate sending students home and/or the closing of Reynolda campus, students enrolled in Communication 318 Culture and the Sitcom should continue with course readings individually and write journal entries on the readings as previously assigned. If television service via cable and satellite is not disrupted, check schedules and try to watch relevant sitcoms via cable networks so that you can complete as many journals as possible on your own. When you return to campus, an accelerated program of screenings and discussions will be instituted to make up missed assignments. When journals and screenings have been completed and the final examination administered, final papers for the course will be due and a grade issued for the course. Schedule: WEEK #1 Orientation August 29 Screen: Mama Queen of the Bee 1950 Screen: The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Income Tax Man 1951

3 3 WEEK #2 Origins of the Sitcom September 3 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 1 Screen: The Honeymooners Letter to the Boss 1953 September 5 Honey, I m Home!, Introduction, Chapters 1-4 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 10 Screen: Amos N Andy The Rare Coin 1951 WEEK #3 1950s September 10 Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 5 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 7 Screen: I Love Lucy Lucy is Enceinte 1952 Screen: I Love Lucy Lucy Goes to the Hospital 1953 September 12 Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 6 Teacher TV, Chapter 2 Clips from Our Miss Brooks and Mister Peepers WEEK #4 1950s September 17 Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 7 The Sitcom Reader, Chapters 4-5 Screen: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Separate Rooms 1953 Screen: The Osbournes Bark at the Moon 2003 September 19 ESSAY ONE DUE Honey, I m Home!, Chapters 8-9 Screen: Sgt. Bilko The Investigation 1956 Screen: The Andy Griffith Show Opie the Birdman 1963 WEEK #5 1960s September guest speaker Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101: Behind the Scenes of a TV Classic Note: We will meet in Annenberg Forum for this class period only the talk will be open to the campus Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 10 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 6 Screen: The Andy Griffith Show Man in a Hurry 1963 September 26 ESSAY TWO DUE Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 11 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 18 Screen: The Dick Van Dyke Show Coast to Coast Big Mouth 1965 Screen: Julia The Eve of Adam 1969

4 4 WEEK #6 1960s October 1 Roz Tedford will visit for the first half hour of class to discuss library resources Note: Please see episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeannie on your own before this class period. Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 12 The Sitcom Reader, Chapters 3 and 12 Susan J. Douglas, Where the Girls Are, Chapter 6 Genies and Witches October 3 ESSAY THREE DUE Honey, I m Home!, Chapters 13 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 16 Screen: The Doris Day Show The Black Eye 1968 Screen: The Doris Day Show The Feminist 1970 WEEK #7 1970s October 8 Honey, I m Home!, Chapters 14, 17, and 18 Screen: The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Birds and Um Bees 1971 October 10 ESSAY FOUR DUE The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 17 Screen: The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Last Show 1977 Screen: Mash Hot Lips and Empty Arms 1973 WEEK #8 1970s October 15 Honey, I m Home!, Chapters Hammamoto, Chapter 1 Screen: All In The Family Sammy s Visit 1972 October 17 ESSAY FIVE DUE Screen: Maude Maude s Dilemma parts 1 and WEEK #9 1980s October 22 Honey, I m Home!, Chapter 19 Screen: Three s Company A Man About The House 1977 October 24 ESSAY SIX DUE The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 20 Screen: Cheers The Boys in the Bar 1983 WEEK # s October 29 Critiquing the Sitcom, Chapter 12, Structural Analysis 1: Bill Cosby and Recoding Ethnicity Screen: The Cosby Show Theo s Holiday 1986

5 5 October begin research for final paper, discuss assignment in class Critiquing the Sitcom, Chapter 13, Roseanne: Unruly Woman as Domestic Goddess Screen: Roseanne Inherit the Wind 1989 WEEK # s November 5 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 13 Screen: Ellen Puppy Episode 1997 November 7 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 14 Screen: Will & Grace Coffee and Commitment 2001 WEEK # s November 12 Screen: Seinfeld The Pilot 1993 November 14 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 19 Screen: Ally McBeal Cro-Magnon 1998 WEEK #13 November 19 Presentation of Paper Ideas WEEK #14 Animated Sitcoms November 26 The Sitcom Reader, Chapters 2 and 15 Journal of Film and Video, Beyond a Cutout World: Ethnic Humor and Discursive Integration in South Park Screen: Southpark Big Gay Al s Big Gay Boatride 1997 November 28 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 21 Journal of Film and Video, Dubbing The Simpsons: Or How Groundskeeper Willie Lost His Kilt in Sardinia Screen: The Simpsons A Streetcar Named Marge 1992 WEEK # s December 3 The Sitcom Reader, Chapter 9 Screen: Sex and the City The Baby Shower December 5 Wrap up and course evaluations. FINAL QUIZ.

6 6 FINAL PAPER DUE December 7 by 3 p.m. PAPER GUIDELINES IMPORTANT NOTE: Use the chapters in The Sitcom Reader: America Viewed and Skewed as a template for what your essays should look like. There are a range of topics and critical perspectives represented in that anthology, and you will have a lot of options for choosing a compelling area in which to work. RESEARCH The first step is for you to begin researching a general topic. Depending on your topic, you will want to begin your research by consulting severa; sources not including television episodes.. THESIS After you are satisfied that you have thoroughly researched a topic that interests you and have completed your annotated bibliography, it is time for you to develop your thesis statement. The thesis is the central argument of your paper. It s a little more than just what the paper is about, because an effective essay must argue a point that is both focused and compelling. The thesis must satisfy a basic standard that goes beyond mere observation of something and description to link what is observed to some deeper level of meaning. In other words, it s not enough to say something is (All In The Family is considered a great television series); instead you must go further to persuade your reader why something is and why it is significant (All In The Family is a great series because there are a myriad of reasons! and this is significant because so many other producers have been influenced by this series in ways that you must then demonstrate). Yes, the thesis of the paper is your opinion, but it is an opinion informed and supported by all of the research you have conducted. In the final analysis, I will be looking for a concrete thesis statement (contained early in your paper in one well-crafted sentence after you have introduced the general topic) that is original, focused, and that satisfies the questions that always pop into the heads of every professor in the Communication Department: does this thesis meet the So what? and Why should I care? standard. ORGANIZATION After you have developed a strong thesis, you will need to organize the arguments that you have selected to prove (or adequately persuade the reader of) your point. These arguments will come from other scholars or writers, from the creative use of ideas and theories you have encountered, from television texts themselves, from biographical

7 7 circumstances of members of the creative teams lives, etc. Be sure to use only relevant supporting materials and to structure your arguments into an organized system an outline is very useful in helping you think about the big picture before you begin to write. Do not forget that not only should your outline produce a logical flow of ideas and a cohesive structure for your essay, but you must use transitional devices (probably sentences and words rather than paragraphs given the length of your assignment) to make the writing easy to follow and, hopefully, elegant. STYLE Use MLA as your style guide for writing your paper. Remember that format, grammar, syntax, and spelling all count toward your final grade. Proofread your papers very carefully several times. Careless errors always detract from your grade the same as a poorly considered thesis, lack of organization, and weak conclusion. Even though you turned in an annotated bibliography previously of the sources you consulted in the course of your research, you will turn in a standard bibliography of the sources actually cited in your paper with the final draft of your paper. AVOIDING ERRORS Here are a few of my pet peeves for you to consider (and avoid) as you write: Here are a few of my pet peeves for you to consider (and avoid) as you write: 1. Underline or italicize series titles but put episode titles within quotation marks. 2. Years are not generally possessive (i.e. 1970s not 1970 s). 3. That should be used in essential clauses and a comma preceding which for non-essential clauses. (This is an error that many students make./this is a common error, which students would be well-advised to avoid.) 4. It is a weak construction to begin a sentence with however. It is, however, perfectly acceptable to embed the word. Many short sentences would work quite well with the word held to the end, however. 5. Use present tense when describing something that happens in a show. Ozzie walks out on Harriet (that would never happen!), Roseanne and Dan take a vacation without the kids, and the characters on Curb Your Enthusiasm engage in mundane, if clever and colorful, dialogue about a variety of pop culture topics. It all happens in present tense because we are watching the movies in the present regardless of when they were produced.

8 8 6. Don t assume that you know what a writer means to convey by a particular choice unless an interview or commentary track (which you have cited) states so directly. You may infer a range of ideas about meaning from a choice the director or writer or producer or star makes so long as you support your ideas with evidence from the text or other sources. 7. Use between if you are making a connection between two things, people, or ideas and use among if the connection is among several. 8. Further is to explore a subject more deeply and farther is a measure of physical distance. 9. A comma is not required before a prepositional phrase (though is should follow an introductory prepositional phrase). 10. There should not be a comma place before a dependent clause. 11. Please use a comma to separate all items in a series. If you are writing about apples, bananas, and pears, for example, use a comma after bananas. 12. Spell out numerals one to ten. 13. Make sure your pronouns and pronoun antecedents agree. For example, a viewer is singular. A viewer can maximize his or her movie experience by keeping an open mind. If you want to be gender neutral rather than inclusive, try this: Viewers can maximize their movie experience by keeping open minds.