TV News 9.29.16

• First 2016 presidential debate smashes viewership records (CNN)
• Is Trump's presidential run really about launching Trump TV? ( Huffington Post)
• The cast of Will & Grace reunite after ten years for a pro-Hillary clip (Mediaite)
• Lady Gaga to headline 2017 Super Bowl halftime show (TV Guide)
• Tyler Hoechlin's Superman debuts in Supergirl's season two trailer (Blastr)
• NBC pulls the plug on a planned Brangelina breakup special (PageSix)

Week 6: Star Trek

Week 6: Star Trek 

Fr 9.30 

Read: eR—“The 100 Best Infographics” (Creative Bloq), “10 Tips for Designing Better Infographics” (DotDash), “12 Warning Signs that Your Infographic Sucks” (Visme) Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Writer’s workshop 

Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Draft 1; Bring 2 copies or have in electronic form); REFLECTION 3 

Upcoming:

Week 7: The Simpsons

Fr 10.7

Read: STREET—Ch. 1-8; eR—“There Goes the Neighborhood: The Story Behind the New Sesame Street and its Journey to HBO” (ThinkProgress), “Sesame Street Debuts New Look in Move to HBO” (Christian Science Monitor), “Opinion: New Money Has Ruined Sesame Street” (Guardian), “Sesame Street Goes to HBO, Raising Question of Moral Obligation in Business” (Forbes)

Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; “Lecture—“Sesame Street’s Greatest Hits”

Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Final draft; Email by 2 PM)

 

Reflection 3: As Seen on TV—Product Placement on Television

You may not realize it, but that episode of Modern Family or Big Bang Theory or The Vampire Diaries you just watched may have contained subtly embedded ads for a variety of products. The practice is called "product placement," the intentionally seamless integration of commercial products into the narrative of a film or television program. Carrie Bradshaw's Jimmy Choo shoes, Dr. House's Macbook Pro, and Sue Sylvester's Adidas track suits are all examples of the subtle (or not so subtle) placements we've seen in recent years. In fact, the practice dates back to the beginning of television, when programs were openly sponsored by major companies (e.g. Texaco Star Theater, The Goodyeat Television Playhouse). Today, the practice is more covert, with many shows aiming to integrate products as organically as possible. As a result, you may not even be aware of the presence of these products. How do you feel about this? Should programmers be mandated to inform viewers of product placements or should a viewer be savvy enough to identify those instances on his or her own? Finally, are you more bothered by the most blatant or the most subtle of product placements?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Here Are Some Of TV's Most Successful Product Placements" (Business Insider)
• "How Advertisers Burrowed Their Way Into Netflix" (Variety)
• "Ten Incredibly Shameless Product Placements in Well-Loved TV Shows" (WhatCulture)
• "The Modern Family Families Ride the Corporate Synergy Express Straight to Disneyland" (AV Club)
• "Product Placement Lessons from The Walking Dead" (Marketplace)
• "As TV Cuts Commercials, Product Placement is Worming its Way into Your Shows" (DigitalTrends)

Required:

• MLA Style
• 1.5 pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Fr 9.30

Research Paper: Faith (and Faithlessness) in Contemporary Television

Often, much of what we know about a faith comes via the media. In fact, it is often a television series that gives us our first glimpse into a particular belief system. Those representations might vary from accurate and objective to stereotypical and biased, even offensive. Still, these depictions often help establish defining characteristics of a belief system. For your research paper, you will examine the representation of faith (or lack of faith) in an American television series from the last 25 years. The goals are to illustrate the ways in which a specific belief system is portrayed and to analyze that portrayal's impact on the general perception of those beliefs.

Requirements:

• Minimum 2,500 words (approximately 10 pages in length); include a word count at end
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• Minimum of 6 outside sources—at least 3 from peer-reviewed academic texts—listed in a separate works cited page
• Illustrations are allowed, though they should be captioned
• Examine at least 4 relevant episodes of a major American television series (see list below), as well as 2 of a secondary series

Include in your research paper:

• A clear thesis, arguing how this particular faith (or lack of faith) is portrayed in a specific television program
• An analysis of:

• The program's representation of one belief system—via specific characters, plot lines, themes, etc. 
• The media's historical representation of this particular belief system
• A contrasting view of this belief system via a secondary source

• At least one secondary television program (no more than two episodes) to compare and contrasted with your primary source
• A conclusion that illustrates an understanding of this intersection of faith and media

The primary focus of your paper should be on one of the following television shows; your secondary source may also come from this list:

1. 30 Rock (NBC)
2. American Horror Story (FX)
3. The Americans (FX)
   
4. Battlestar Galactica (2004 remake; Syfy)
5. The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
6. Big Love (HBO)
7. Blue Bloods (CBS)
8. Bones (FOX) 
9. The Borgias (Showtime) 
10. Broad City (Comedy Central)
11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB/UPN)
12. Caprica (Syfy)
    
13. Carnivale (HBO)
14. Charmed (The WB) 
15. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
16. Dexter (Showtime)
17. Family Guy (FOX)
18. Game of Thrones (HBO)
19. Gilmore Girls (The WB)
20. Glee (FOX)
21. The Good Wife (CBS)
22. Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
23. House (FOX)
24. House of Cards (Netflix)
25. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) 
26. Jane the Virgin (The CW)
27. Joan of Arcadia (CBS)
    
28. Justified (FX)
29. King of the Hill (FOX)
    
30. Lost (ABC)
31. Lucifer (FOX)
32. New Girl (FOX)
33. The O.C. (Fox) 
34. Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
35. Oz (HBO)
36. The Office (NBC)
37. The Path (Amazon)
38. Rome (HBO)
39. Seinfeld (NBC)
    
40. Seventh Heaven (The WB)
41. The Simpsons (FOX)
42. Seinfeld (NBC)
43. Sex and the City (HBO)
    
44. Six Feet Under (HBO)
45. The Sopranos (HBO)
46. South Park (Comedy Central)
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndicated) 
48. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network)
49. Supernatural (The CW)
50. Touched By an Angel (CBS)
    
51. True Blood (HBO) 
52. True Detective (HBO)
53. The Tudors (Showtime)
54. The Walking Dead (AMC)
55. The X-Files (FOX)

Schedule:

Week 11: Fr 11.4 - RESEARCH PAPER THESIS AND OUTLINE (BRING 2 COPIES)

Week 13: Fr 11.18 - RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PG. 3; BRING 2 COPIES)

Week 15: Fr 12.2 - REFLECTION 8; RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PG. 6; BRING 1 COPY)

Week 16: Fr 12.9 - RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PG. 9; BRING 1 COPY)

Week 18: Mo 12.19 – RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)

TV News 9.21.16

• The best and worst of the 2016 Emmys (New York Times)
• The National Italian American Foundation takes offense to Master of None's Alan Yang's impassioned speech about Asian representation (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Review: Luke Cage is another winner for Netflix and Marvel (Forbes)
• Daily Show's Trevor Noah to host the MTV Africa Music Awards (Billboard)
• ABC's Speechless does a rare thing: put a character with a disabilities at the center of a comedy (Atlantic)
• AT&T's Direct TV Now to challenge Netflix and HBO (PCMag)

 

Infographic: The Evolution of Gayness on TV

Though gay characters on TV are commonplace today, it has taken over 40 years reach this point. In fact, for decades gayness was invisible on television. But, over time, as American attitudes evolved, television's landscapes eventually became friendlier to homosexuals. Homosexuals on TV have developed from broadly-drawn caricatures to fully-realized three-dimensional characters. For this assignment, you will create an infographic highlighting the evolution of LGBT characters on TV. Additionally, in order to provide historical context for these characters, your timeline should be punctuated with real-life events in the gay rights movement (e.g. the Stonewall riots, the assassination of Harvey Milk, Prop 8).

Infographics are most easily utilized in PowerPoint (or a comparable program). Additionally, if you are experienced in it, you may also utilize Photoshop or Illustrator. This assignment must be delivered electronically.

Requirements:

• Six sources minimum
• The infographic's subheading must articulate your thesis
• Include a works cited page

A well-executed infographic will:

• Have a title that articulates the purpose of the assignment
• Contain a concise thesis as the subheading—important
• Highlight only those characters that best illustrate TV's evolving view of of gays
• Be designed in a way that enhances the subject matter
• Visually translate historical events and milestones in a clear and enlightening manner

Due:
Th 9.30 (Draft 1; Bring 2 copies)
Th 10.7 (Draft 2: Email by 5 PM)

Week 5: The Office

Week 5: The Office 

Fr 9.23 

Read: MTV—“21. A Whopping, Steaming Turd”- “53. You Have No Idea How I Miss It”

Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Infographics 101” and “A Brief History of Gayness on Television”

Due: EXPOSITORY ESSAY

Upcoming:

Week 6: Star Trek

Fr 9.30

Read: eR—“The 100 Best Infographics” (Creative Bloq), “10 Tips for Designing Better Infographics” (DotDash), “12 Warning Signs that Your Infographic Sucks” (Visme)

Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Writer’s workshop

Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Draft 1; Bring 2 copies or have in electronic form); REFLECTION 3