Television Genres
Spring 2001, Professor Mittell
FILM 4280 – Tues/Thurs 4:00 – 5:15, 309 Classroom South
Dr. Jason Mittell jmittell@gsu.edu
740 One Park Place Office Hours: T/Th 1:30-3:30 & by appointment
(404) 463-9524 Communication Department: (404) 651-3200
It is hard to think of an aspect of television today in which genre doesn’t play a vital role – genre categories are central components in program creation, scheduling strategies, audience viewing habits, and public controversies. We all use genres to choose among and distinguish between the range of television viewing options currently available, organizing our trips to the video store and naming the channels we may regularly watch, from Comedy Central to CNN (Cable News Network), Sci-Fi Channel to the Game Show Network. We hear about scandals involving genres, whether they are historical (the quiz show scandals) or contemporary (the rise of "trash TV" like tabloid talk shows). Even the resources we use to decide what to watch, like TV Guide, use genres to make sense of our viewing choices.
Despite the importance of genre in television production and consumption, scholars who examine the issue of genre don’t share one commonly held idea of how television genres work and what they mean; instead there are a wide range of different approaches and theories to guide media genre analysis. This course will explore this terrain, exploring media studies using the special topic of television genre. We will spend the first 1/3 of the course reading a number of theoretical approaches to genre, readings that come from literary and film studies as well as television-specific essays. Using this theoretical landscape as common ground, we will look closely at a number of case studies of specific television genres. The first case study will use the book-length genre study, Robert Allen’s Speaking of Soap Operas, to focus our attention on one of the most important (and overlooked) television genres. We will then turn our focus to the history, analysis, and cultural politics of three other specific television genres, which will be determined by the class as a whole.
As an advanced level course, we will have a significant amount of reading—much of it quite complex—throughout the semester. The course also has a strong writing component, with frequent reading reaction papers, a midterm essay, and a lengthy original research project, focusing on a genre and set of specific issues of your choosing. A final essay exam will synthesize the readings throughout the semester. Students are also expected to be active participants in the course.
Prerequisites: FILM 1010 and FILM 2700
This syllabus is the general plan for this course – deviations may be necessary as the semester progresses. There will be an addendum to this syllabus to list readings for the second half of the semester.
Required Texts & Readings:
Books available at GSU Bookstore:
Rick Altman, Film/Genre. London: BFI Publishing, 1999.
Robert Allen. Speaking of Soap Operas. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985.
Reading Pack (labeled RP on your schedule) available at The Printshop, 6
Decatur Street
A second reading packet will be made available toward the end of February
for the readings to be determined following Spring Break.
All readings are required for this course – you must have your own copy of the readings to keep up with the course. Numerous books will be on reserve at Pullen Library to assist you with your own research projects. The WebCT page for this page will contain important information throughout the semester, as well as providing a place for student discussion and sharing information.
The WebCT page for this class will contain important information throughout the semester, as well as providing a place for student discussion and sharing information. It is an important facet of the course, and thus is not optional. Throughout the semester, all students are required to check WebCT for information and updates, as well as reading and contributing to online discussions. It is expected that each student will post at least two responses to readings on WebCT discussion boards and at least two reactions to other student comments as well. Students who do not participate in WebCT discussions to this level will be penalized in their participation grades.
Course Requirements:
All of the following requirements must be completed in order to pass this course. If you do not complete the written paper assignments and final exam, you will automatically fail this course:
| 10 Reading Response Papers | 20% |
| Textual Analysis Essay | 15% |
| Response to Speaking of Soap Operas | 5% |
| Research Paper Proposal | 5% |
| Research Paper | 25% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Class Participation/Attendance | 10% |
Reading Response Papers:
All students are required to complete 10 Reading Response papers throughout the semester. They may be on any assigned articles throughout the semester, but they must be handed in on or before the day that article is scheduled to be read. You will not receive credit for handing in reading response papers after day on which the article was assigned. You may choose which days and articles you will write about. Responses to Allen’s Speaking of Soap Operas do not count toward this assignment, as it is included in another assignment. All 10 responses together comprise 20% of your final grade; students who hand in less than 7 response papers throughout the semester will automatically receive a failing grade for the reading response assignment (20% of your final grade). Please pace these responses throughout the semester and discuss the situation with the instructor if you should fall behind.
Reading response papers should accomplish two basic goals: they should briefly summarize the argument(s) of the chosen article and give you a chance to respond intellectually to this argument. Papers that simply summarize an article without any of the writers own thoughts will be graded down. Papers that discuss interesting issues that emerge from the reading are encouraged, but you must tie these thoughts to the articles and your summary of the argument. Relating given articles to topics raised in previous readings and class discussions is particularly encouraged. These papers are not "thought journals" but they should provide you an opportunity to present your own interpretation of these issues in written form. Writing style and form is important, so be sure to take time to edit and proofread any responses before handing them in. Reading responses must be at least one full typed page, single spaced.
Allen Response Paper and Textual Analysis
Assignment:
These two assignments will be detailed more later in the semester,
but here is a brief overview. On February 22nd, you will turn in a
2-page reaction paper to Allen’s book, Speaking of Soap Operas – it is
worth 5% of your final grade and does not count toward your reading response
requirement. On March 1st, you will hand in a textual analysis essay.
You will watch one of a selected list of screenings and write a 5-6 page essay
describing and analyzing the genre of the selected screening as discussed in
class, drawing upon the theoretical ideas developed by class readings and
discussions. It is worth 15% of your final grade.
Research Paper and Paper Proposal:
This will be the most challenging (and hopefully interesting)
assignment during this class. A more detailed description of this assignment
will be presented in class later in the semester, but this is a brief overview.
The paper will be an 8-page research paper dealing with a television genre of
your choice, investigating a question or problem that you find interesting and
making a clear argument to be supported by your own research. The specific topic
is up to each student (subject to professorial approval).
This research paper will consist of a number of steps to be detailed further in-class. An ungraded paper topic list will be due February 8th. An in-depth paper proposal will be due March 15th, which will be graded and count as 5% of your final grade. An optional first draft of your research paper can be turned in anytime up to April 10th—these drafts will not be graded, but the professor will provide detailed feedback and meet with students to discuss ways to improve the final draft. A rough draft may be turned in after April 10th, but there are no guarantees that they will be returned in time for you to make significant revisions for your final paper. The final draft of your research papers will be due during the last meeting of class, April 26th. All assignments must be typed and double-spaced. The research paper assignment is worth 25% of your final grade.
LATE POLICY: Late papers are highly discouraged, as they throw off schedules for both student and professor. If you know that you will need to hand in any assignment later than the deadline, please contact the professor in advance as soon as the situation becomes apparent – together arrangements can be made, often without penalties. If a paper is not turned in on time without making arrangements with the professor prior to the due date, the paper will be penalized by .5 grade points (e.g. and A- becomes a B+) for each day of lateness. If papers are not handed directly to the professor, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure the professor receives the paper. If a paper is left at the Communication departmental office or sent via email or fax, do not assume that it has been received – Professor Mittell will notify you via email when a paper has been received. Unless you have received such a notification, you should phone him to ensure that the paper was in fact received. Please do NOT slip papers under the door to Professor Mittell’s office – deliver them to the Communication Office (1040 One Park Place). As stated above, late reading response papers will never be accepted.
Final Exam:
There will be one lengthy in-class examinations, which will test the
readings and in-class materials. It will be primarily short answer and essay
exams, testing your ability to understand and synthesize course material, not
your ability to memorize facts. Students who do the readings, attend class
meetings, and think about the material should do well on this exam. The final
exam will be on Thursday, May 3rd, from 2:45 – 4:45 p.m. The final
will be worth 20% of your grade. Make-up exams will only be offered in the most
extenuating circumstances – students who need to make alternative testing
arrangements must arrange this with the professor as early in the semester as
possible.
Class Participation & Attendance:
You are expected to attend all class meetings on time, having done the
readings, thought about the material, and prepared the necessary written
assignments. Attendance will not be regularly taken in this course – it is the
individual student’s responsibility to attend class in order to gain the most
from their education. This component of your grade (10%) will be reserved to
reward students who do actively participate in class, meet with the professor
during office hours, participate in online discussions on the WebCT site, and
otherwise demonstrate their engagement with the material. Likewise, this grade
will be used to downgrade students who are clearly disengaged with the class or
fail to uphold their end of the course policies. Students who are repeatedly
tardy or disruptive in class may be asked to leave.
Grades:
You will be graded based on the following scale, using a 4.0 scale on all assignments:
Grades of Incomplete will only be given under the circumstances detailed in the Undergraduate Catalog. The last day to withdraw from this course to receive a W is March 2nd. If you are contemplating withdrawing, contact the professor immediately.
General Course Policies:
This course operates under the assumption that all participants are
adults who are responsible for their own choices and priorities. If you find any
of these course policies or expectations unclear, it is up to you to discuss
these matters with the instructor. It is also up to you to clearly review this
syllabus and all assignments as early in the semester as possible, so you can
understand what the course’s expectations are up front.
The basic expectations for taking this course are:
If you are having any difficulties with this or any other class, important GSU resources include Disability Services (3-9044), Counseling Center (1-2211), Student Support Services (1-3357), and the Writing Center (1-2906). Any student with a disability or who otherwise needs accommodation or other assistance should make arrangements with the professor as soon as possible.
Hopefully all students will be able to accomplish the goals and requirements of the course with no major problems. Should a situation arise where you find yourself behind in the course’s workload or having problems meeting expectations, please contact Professor Mittell as soon as possible. Any problem can be resolved satisfactorily with enough advanced warning. Please try to anticipate problems so that we may nip them in the bud – trying to resolve problems that have been allowed to linger too long becomes much more difficult. While the course requirements are quite strict and challenging, Professor Mittell will be flexible with students particular needs and situations, but can only respond to issues that are made known openly. Please do not hesitate to make contact throughout the semester, if only just to check in.
Each student is encouraged to meet with the professor during his office hours or by appointment, to communicate with him via email, and to actively pursue any questions, comments, or concerns you might have about this course. Professor Mittell generally checks email daily, from Monday through Friday – if you email him asking for a response and do not receive one within one working day, assume that your email may not have been received. If you attempt to email an attached document, please use either MS Word or RTF file formats.
Weekly Schedule
Week of January 8 – Introduction to TV Genres
READ (1/11): RP – Feuer, "Genre Study and Television."
Week of January 15 – Aesthetic Approach to Genres
READ (1/16): RP – Carroll, "The Nature of Horror."
READ (1/18): Altman – Chapters 1 & 2 (pages 1-29).
RP – Tudor, "Genre."
Week of January 22 – Structuralist Approach to Genres
READ (1/23): RP – Wright, "Sixguns and Society."
READ (1/25): Altman – "Semantic/Syntactic Approach" (pages 216-226).
Week of January 29 – Historical Approach to Genres
READ (1/30): Altman – Chapters 3-6 (pages 30-99).
READ (2/1): RP – Neale, "Questions of Genre."
Week of February 5 – Cultural Approach to Genres
READ (2/6): Altman – Chapters 7-9 & 11 (pages 100-165, 179-194).
READ (2/8): RP – Mittell, "Cultural Approach to Television Genres."
ASSIGNMENT: Turn in Research Paper Topic Sheet, February 8th.
Week of February 12 – Case Study #1 – Soap Operas
READ (2/13): Allen – Chapters Intro – 3 (pages 3-60).
READ (2/15): Allen – Chapter 4 (pages 61-95).
Week of February 19 – Soap Operas Continued
READ (2/20): Allen – Chapter 5 (pages 96-129).
SPECIAL MEETING (2/20): Library Instruction, Pullen North 2nd floor seminar room
READ (2/22): Allen – Chapter 6 & Afterword (pages 130-185).
ASSIGNMENT: Turn in two-page response to Allen’s book, February 22th.
Week of February 26 – Other Approaches to Soap Operas
READ (2/27): RP – Gledhill, "Genre and Gender."
ASSIGNMENT: Turn in Textual Analysis Assignment, March 1st.
Week of March 5 – SPRING BREAK!
READINGS TO BE DETERMINED AND ADDED
Week of March 12 – Case Study #2
ASSIGNMENT: Turn in Research Paper Proposal, March 15th.
Week of March 19 – Case Study #2 continued
Week of March 26 – Case Study #3
Week of April 2 – Case Study #3 continued
Week of April 9 – Case Study #4
ASSIGNMENT: Deadline to turn in optional research paper draft, April 10th.
Week of April 16 – Case Study #4 continued
Week of April 23 – Implications of Television Genres
Review for Final Exam
ASSIGNMENT: Final draft of research paper due, April 26th.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Thursday, May 3rd, 2:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Readings for Film 4280, Mittell, Spring 2001
BOOKS:
Rick Altman, Film/Genre. London: BFI Publishing, 1999.
Robert Allen. Speaking of Soap Operas. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985.
READING PACKET #1:
Jane Feuer. "Genre Study and Television." In Channels of Discourse, Reassembled, edited by Robert C. Allen, 138-160. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1992.
Noël Carroll. "The Nature of Horror." Chapter from The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes of the Heart, 12-58. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Andrew Tudor. "Genre." In Film Genre Reader II, edited by Barry Keith Grant, 3-10. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.
Will Wright, Excerpts from Sixguns & Society. In Cultural Theory & Popular Culture: A Reader, 2nd edition, edited by John Storey. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998.
Steve Neale. "Questions of Genre." In Film Genre Reader II, edited by Barry Keith Grant, 159-183. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.
Jason Mittell. "A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory." Cinema Journal 40:3, Spring 2001, forthcoming.
Christine Gledhill. "Genre and Gender: The Case of Soap Opera." In Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, edited by Stuart Hall. London: Sage Publications, 1997, pages 337-386.