Office:                           10 Scott Hall                                                          Writing Lab: 330 Lind Hall

Office Hours:                 T Th11:15-12:15 & by appointment               Office Phone: 626-9247

E-mail addresses:             drown001@maroon.tc.umn.edu             American Studies Office: 104 Scott Hall

                                    bass0061@maroon.tc.umn.edu
                                   

 

Introduction

At Home in TV-land: Television & Everyday Life explores questions of domesticity and television.  What happens when a mass-medium enters the home for the first-time? When did TV first become a domestic appliance? How did it change the way men, women, children, and families lived? How has home-life been represented on television? How has television become an important element in the struggle for American democracy? We'll be exploring these critical questions aesthetically, historically, and economically. Course texts include Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore, The Medium is the Massage, Henry Jenkins, Textual Poachers: Television and Fan Culture; Lynn Spigel & Denise Mann, eds., Private Screenings: TV and the Female Consumer; Lynn Spigel, Make Room for TV; and Douglas Kellner, Television and the Crisis of Democracy. The course will include lecture, large- and small-group discussion, with highly interactive class sessions being the rule rather than the exceptions. Students should expect to keep a television-viewing notebook. No previous study of television is assumed. 

This course will use lecture and large and small-group discussion formats, with highly-interactive class sessions being the rule rather than the exception.  Throughout the class, students will be asked to make interpretive claims about the texts they read and the world they (and their parents and grandparents) have lived in.  Since I believe that writing is thinking, students can expect to write formally and informally, both inside and outside of class. 

There will be three short assignments (2-3 pages) and a cumulative medium-length final paper (about 7 pages).

Please see the section titled Grading for more complete information.

 

A Word on Office Hours and/or E-mail

In a class of 80, it is impossible for me to give close attention to each student regularly.  My office hours are intended to be opportunities for students to come for one-on-one discussions about anything: from writing and research problems to problems with class dynamics.  You just want to talk about ideas or something inter­esting you’ve read?  Come on in.  I like talking with students.  I’ll do my best to make you feel comfortable.  Please, please, please take advantage of this time. 

Sometimes students are intimidated by one-on-one talks with instructors.  If you’re one of these students, use e-mail to write me a memo.  It may take a day or two or three for me to get back to you, but I will.  If you don’t know about e-mail, call Sheppard Labs or stop into any of the computer labs on campus to initiate your account.  If enough students use E-mail, I can send class announcements and assignments electronically.

 

Policy for Human Dignity

All members of the class will be treated with respect.  I do not believe that honest differences in passion, point of view, and politics must be erased to facilitate harmony. But throughout this class, thoughtful dialogue will replace violent confrontation and demeaning behavior whenever disagreements arise.

Writing

You should make a backup disk or photocopy of all your work.  Error or breakdown—your, mine, or the machine's—can happen.  I will hold you responsible to have copies of your work. 

In order to be accepted, all work must be: word processed in a reasonable font with 1 inch margins, double-spaced, stapled (not paper clipped or dog-eared), and accompanied by notes and bibliography that conform to MLA or APA standards.  You are responsible for correct grammar, spelling, and typography.  Pages must be numbered, and your name must appear on each page.  I must receive all papers by the meeting time of the date due.   

 

All writing will be judged according to how well it meets these criteria:

1) content:  How well have you considered/discussed the task at hand, the meaning of what you have read, thought, seen, or said? How well have you mustered pertinent information and evidence in support of mean­ingful claims?  Have you handled facts accurately?

2) clarity:  How well have you expressed your ideas, arguments, or interpretations?  Is your prose clean and clear, intelligible and jargon-free?  How persuasive are your arguments and interpretations.

3) insight:  How complete is your paper—have you considered potential objections to your argument or in­terpretation? Have you thought through the social, political, or logical implications of your argument?  Have you gone beyond the conventional wisdom to consider alternative explanations or interpretations of your data?  Does your paper pass the “So What?” test?

In order to earn an A for a paper, your writing must excel in all three categories.

Grading

My grading policy conforms to CLA guidelines.  Be advised that CLA considers a C to be equivalent to basic fulfillment of the course requirements.  In order to get anything higher than a C, you will have to perform beyond the basic course requirements.  If your are concerned about your grade, please consult with me early and often.  A's and B's are honors grades.  Please read the following grading scale carefully.

 

 

 

Course-Grade Breakdown

 

 

Course-Grade Calculation

 

All grades in this course will be given in letter form.  The following grades are available:

 

 

In order to facilitate calculation, letter grades correspond to numbers; thus,

 

 

The formula I use to calculate your grade is:

 

            (G₁ x .20) + (G₂ x .20) + (G₃ x .20) + (G₄ x .40) = Final Grade

 

where G_1-3 = the short essays,  and G₄ = the final paper.

 

Your final letter grade is assigned based on the result of one of these calculations.  Since + and - grades cannot be reported to CLA, the range for each final letter grade is as follows (figures are rounded to one decimal place):

 

Incompletes

Incompletes will not be given.  If you do not complete an assignment you will receive no credit for that assignment and your course grade will reflect this.  If there are specific attenuating circumstances, please contact me immediately.

Readings/Books

These required books are available at the U of MN bookstore in Williamson Hall:

•       Henry Jenkins.  Textual Poachers: Television Fans & Participatory Culture.  New York: Routledge, 1992.

•       Douglas Kellner, Television and the Crisis of Democracy.  Boulder, CO: Westview P, 1990.

•       Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore.  The Medium is the Massage. [originally published 1967]

•       Lynn Spigel.  Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America.  Chicago: U Chicago P, 1992.

•       Lynn Spigel and Denise Mann, eds.  Private Screenings: Television and the Female Consumer.  Minneapolis: U Minnesota P, 1992.

 

 

Other required readings will be on 2-hour reserve at Walter Library.

Tentative Reading Schedule