2017-2018 Term 1 Tuesdays 2:30pm-5:15pm Location: SC L2 CURE3006 Special Topics in Cultural Studies Television Studies Instructor: Prof. TAN Jia 譚佳 Office: Room 305, Leung Kau Kui Building Email: jiatan@cuhk.edu.hk Course Description This course aims to introduce the major studies of television understood as a set of institutions, technologies and texts shaped by historical, cultural, political and economic forces. This course examines television s historical evolution; its relationship to other media; its preferred genres; its models of televisual spectatorship and consumption; its politics of representation in regard to class, race, gender, and sexuality; and its economic modes of operation. Upon completion of this subject, students are expected to understand the content and form of television as well as its industrial, social, cultural, and technological ramifications. Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) CILO CILO 1 CILO 2 CILO 3 CILO 4 By the end of the course, students should be able to: Identify and analyze important concepts in television studies Analyze and interpret television as a form of creative expression with regard to its multiple genres, means of delivery, and formal methods Evaluate relevant aspects of television that not only reflect on society but also shape values and meanings Articulate their understanding of television as a complex medium with industrial, social, cultural, and technological ramifications. Teaching & Learning Activities (TLAs) CILO No. CILO 1-4 CILO 1-4 CILO 1, 4 TLAs Reading assignments: this will provide students with information and concepts in television studies. Lectures and discussion: lectures will be given to bring up important issues and concepts for discussion and further studies. Class presentation: Each student will choose or be assigned a topic from the syllabus to engage class readings with TV programs selected by the student. This will enable the student to conduct in-depth exploration on a particular subject. Page 1 of 6
CILO 1-4 TV screenings and discussion: this will expose students to various aspects of television. Assessment Methods (AMs) Type of Assessment Participation and Presentation Reading response Final Term Project CILOs Weighting to be Description of Assessment Tasks address ed 20% 1, 4 Based on the students attendance, participation in class discussions, and the performance in the presentation. Student presentation is graded in relation to its relevance to weekly reading and class content, critical analysis skills, and presentation skills. 20% 1-4 The student is required to respond to two readings from course material. The response should not only summarize the key points but also speak to contemporary relevance of the piece. 10% (proposal) +50% 1-4 The final project is designed to apply key concepts learned throughout the semester to a particular topic on television. Assessment 1. Participation, and Presentation 20% Participation includes class discussion and a presentation combines key terms in weekly readings with specific TV examples. Students will also present the proposal for their final projects. 2. Reading response 20% The student is required to respond to two readings from course material. The response should not only summarize the key points but also speak to contemporary relevance of the piece. (English: less than 4 pages, Chinese: less than 2000 words). 3. Take Home Final Term Project 10%(proposal) +50% At the end of the course, you will complete a take home final project. It can be an academic paper (English: double-spaced, 7 10 pages, Chinese: 3,500 6,000 words) or a creative project. Please note that late submissions will be graded one grade down every 3 days. More specific instructions will be distributed later. FINAL PROJECT IS DUE ON 12 December. Page 2 of 6
Required Readings All readings will either be distributed as class handout or they will be available online in pdf format. Most volumes are also available in the University Library. Please finish weekly readings before coming to class. Weekly Schedule Week 1 5 September 2017 Introduction: What is Television (Studies)? reading: Henry Jenkins (2004). The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 7(1), 33 43. screening: Black Mirror Week 2 12 September 2017 Television as Industry: Advertising reading: 1. Raymond Williams, Advertisings: the Magic System 2. Cynthia Meyers (2009), From Sponsorship to Spots: Advertising and the Development of Electronic Media in Holt and Perren, Media Industries: 69-80. 3. 新婦女協進會傳媒與婦女關注小組, 電視廣告中的性別意識調查報告 (1994) screening: The Persuaders (Frontline, 2004, 90 mins); Killing us softly 4: advertising's image of women (Media Education Foundation production) Week 3 19 September 2017 Television as Industry: Korean Wave and East Asian Pop Culture reading: 1. selections in East Asian Pop Culture: Analysing the Korean Wave; 2. Michael Curtin, (2009) Thinking Globally: From Media Imperialism to Media Capital in Jennifer Holt and Alisa Perren, eds, Media Industries: History, Theory and Method. Blackwell: 108-119; screening: Ugly Betty, Boys over Flowers ( 花樣男子 ),Meteor Garden( 流星花園 ) Week 4 26 September 2017 Television as Industry: Program Format and Globalization reading: 1. Television formats in the world/the world of television formats and Copying, cloning and copying: Hong Kong in the global television format business in Albert Moran and 2. Michael Keane. 2004. Television across Asia: Television Industries, Programme Formats and Globalization: 1-8, 74-87 screening: the Idol series, Who wants to be a Millionaire?, Where are we going, dad? ( 爸爸去哪兒 ) Week 5 3 October 2017 Television as Text: Medium Specificity and TV Flow reading: 1. Jeremy Butler, An Introduction to Television Structures and Systems: Ebb and Flow in the Post network Era 2. Mimi White, Flows and Other Encounters with Television in Planet TV, 94-110. screening: News programs, Mad Man, 冬季戀歌 Week 6 10 October 2017 Television as Text: Television Elements and Genre Page 3 of 6
readings: 1. Jane Feuer, Genre Study and Television in Channels of Discourse, Reassembled; 2. Jason Mittell (2001), A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory, Cinema Journal, 40:3 p3-24. 3. Druick, Zoe. 2009. Dialogic Absurdity: TV News Parody as a Critique of Genre. Television and New Media 10 (3): 294 308. screening: Michael Jackson Music Videos, Friends, the Simpsons Week 7 17 October 2017 Television as Representation: Race and Class readings: 1. Stuart Hall, The Work of Representation 2. Erni & Leung, South Asian Minorities and Mainstream Media in Understanding South Asian Minorities in Hong Kong. 3. Herman Grey (1995), The Politics of Representation in Network Television in Watching Race: Television and the Struggle for Blackness :70-92; 4. 潘毅, 許怡, 壟斷資本與中國工人 : 以富士康工廠體制為例, 邊城對話 screening: The Cosby Show, Gossip Girl Week 8 24 October 2017 Television as Representation: Gender readings: 1. Robert Allen, Making sense of soaps in The Television Studies Reader: 242-257. 2. Tan, Jia. 2015. Neoliberalized Romantic Encounter: If You Are the One and the Gender Politics of Chinese Reality TV. Router: A Journal of Cultural Studies 20 (Spring): 79 102. (in Chinese) screening: 盛女愛作戰,My 盛 Lady, 非誠勿擾 Week 9 31 October 2017 Television as Representation: Sexuality and otherness readings: 1. Sender, K. (2007). Dualcasting: Bravo's gay programming and the quest for women audiences. In C. Chris & A. Freitas (Eds.), Cable visions: Television beyond broadcasting (pp. 302-318). New York, NY: New York University Press. 2. Eric Kit-wai Ma (1999), Outsiders on television in Culture, Politics, and Television in Hong Kong: 62-96. screening: Sex and the City, The L word, 網中人 (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, TVB, 1979); 大时代 Week 10 7 November 2017 Television as Representation: Media Rituals reading: Lv, X. (2009). Ritual, Television, and State Ideology: Rereading CCTV s 2006 Spring Festival Gala. In Y. Zhu & C. Berry (Eds.), TV China (pp. 111 28). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. screening: Spring Festival Gala ( 春節聯歡晚會 ) Week 11 14 November 2017 Television Audience: Programming and Measurement readings: 1. Perebinossoff, P., Gross, B., & Gross, L. S., Scheduling Strategies for Television ; 2. Mark Andrejevic (2008), Watching Television Without Pity: The Productivity of Online Fans, Television and New Media 9.1:24-46. screening: The Voice ( 中國好聲音 ) Page 4 of 6
Week 12 21 November 2017 Television Audience: Ethnographic Research, Participation and Fan Studies reading: 1. Hall, S. (1980) "Encoding/decoding" in Culture, Media, Language, London: Hutchinson, 1980, 128-138. 2. selections in Feng, J. (2013). Romancing the internet: producing and consuming Chinese web romance. Leiden: Brill. screening: case studies of cosplay and other fan activities Week 13 28 November 2017 Student presentations Reference: Bielby, D. D., & Harrington, C. L. (2008). Global TV: Exporting television and culture in the world market. New York: New York University Press. Casey, B. (2008). Television studies: The key concepts. London; New York: Routledge. Chua, B. H. (2008). East Asian pop culture: Analysing the Korean wave. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Curtain, M. (2007). Playing to the world s biggest audience: The globalization of Chinese film and TV. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. Erni, John N. and Leung, Lisa (forthcoming spring 2014). Understanding South Asian Minorities in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Gray, J. (2008). Television entertainment. New York: Routledge. Kackman, M., Binfield, M., Payne, M. T., Perlman, A., & Sebok, B. (Eds.). (2011). Flow TV: Television in the age of media convergence. New York: Routledge. Moran, A., & Keane, M. (2004). Television across Asia: Television industries, programme formats and globalization. London; New York: RoutledgeCurzon. Vande Berg, L. R., Wenner, L. A., & Gronbeck, B. E. (2004). Critical approaches to television (2 nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Zhu, Y., Keane, M., & Bai, R. (2008). TV drama in China. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Page 5 of 6
Honesty in Academic Work: A Guide to Students The Chinese University of Hong Kong places very high importance on honesty in academic work submitted by students, and adopts a policy of zero tolerance on cheating and plagiarism. Any related offence will lead to disciplinary action including termination of studies at the University. All student assignments in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes should be submitted via VeriGuide with effect from September 2008:https://academic.veriguide.org/academic/login_CUSCS.jspx Although cases of cheating or plagiarism are rare at the University, everyone should make himself/herself familiar with the content of this website and thereby help avoid any practice that would not be acceptable. Section 1 What is plagiarism https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p01.htm Section 2 Proper use of source material https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p02.htm Section 3 Citation styles https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p03.htm Section 4 Plagiarism and copyright violation https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p04.htm Section 5 CUHK regulations on honesty in academic work https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p05.htm Section 6 CUHK disciplinary guidelines and procedures https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p06.htm Section 7 Guide for teachers and departments https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p07.htm Section 8 Recommended material to be included in course outlines https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p08.htm Section 9 Electronic submission of assignments via VeriGuide https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p09.htm Section 10 Declaration to be included in assignments https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p10.htm Page 6 of 6