COMM 115 - Television & American Culture

Number of Credits: 3
Television and American Culture provides students with the opportunity to explore American culture through the mirror of television and learn about the industry that produces television shows for American consumption. Students will learn about different television genres, narrative structures, and styles. Additionally, students will critically view (or read) a variety of television shows to explore America’s competing and changing value systems, including but not limited to discussions, of television’s social impact, its influence on identity formation, and the role of television in everyday life. Students will also discuss and practice how to read television programs by viewing a representative sample of different television genres. This course will help students interpret television texts and evelop an appreciation of television as more than entertainment. (Spring Term Only) Three hours lecture each week. Three Credits. Three billable hours.

Pre-requisite(s): eligibility for ENGL 101.
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Gain an understanding of how television both shapes and is shaped by American culture and society by analyzing multiple genres of television.
Develop basic vocabulary and skills to analyze television’s industrial, formal, and technological facets.
Expand his /her horizons to better understand and appreciate a wide range of television programs by reading across a variety of historical contexts.
Utilize various disciplines and methodologies to understand television as a multifaceted phenomenon.
Identify current cultural phenomena that drive television viewing tastes.