Television: Text and Context — Assignments & Grading — Fall 2014

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• Attendance in class and for in-class screenings.
• Preparation for class, in addition to the quantity and quality of your contribution to class discussions.
• Any in-class assignments are included within this grade.

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• The purpose of this assignment is to help you build the skill set of thinking critically about television and television viewership through various analytical lenses. Over the course of the semester you are expected to view an episode from ten different television series. You may view network or cable programs. You may choose to watch programs when they air during regularly scheduled programming, on DVR, on a compilation DVD, or from a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or TV Network websites.
• Each journal is comprised of 5 entries (worth 20pts. each) and each entry requires:
  • A synopsis of information about the episode you viewed, including information about the series title, episode name/number, and method of access/viewing. This information is detailed in the TV Journal format handout here: PDF or DOC
  • 250-400 words of critical analysis about the episode you viewed. This analysis should draw from the readings to interrogate issues like (but not limited to) narrative structure, aesthetic style, genre, advertising, and/or representations of identity categories.

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• You will be in groups of 3-4 students.
• Each group will give three 10-15 minute presentations during the semester. Each group member is expected to speak during the presentation. Groups should plan and rehearse their presentations before they are delivered in class.
• Each group will choose a television network/channel to analyze for the duration of the semester. Each presentation will require the group to examine specific features of the network. The group will be asked to summarize how their network operates by comparing personal engagements with contemporary journalistic sources (such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Salon, The New York Times, etc.) and other online media industry publications (including online TV studies journals like FlowTV or Antenna, blogs like The Futon Critic, or social media like Twitter).
• Groups are encouraged to include audio/visual materials (e.g. clips, images) to illustrate main points. NOTE: Audio/visual materials should never comprise the majority of the presentation but should be used as support for information in your presentation (e.g. 1-minute of time in a video-clip deserves at least 3-4 minutes of analysis/explanation and, thus, a 3-minute clip would be the maximum you should include in a 15-minute presentation).
• Each group will also be required to submit a 300 to 400-word research summary on Blackboard. While these summaries should briefly address the topics you addressed in your presentation, their main purpose is to summarize where you located the information presented in class. [In Presentation #1, for example, you would include a statement about strategies for program lineups and another statement about network marketing strategies. Each of these statements should be connected with various citations based upon the websites or journalistic resources used to acquire the information.]

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• An essay format in-class exam on definitions/descriptions of concepts.
• 10 concepts will be provided in advance; 5 will be selected to appear on the exam.
• You need to answer all 5 questions by 1) defining the concept based on course readings and lectures, and 2) explaining how the concept operates by making reference to a specific screening or clip seen in class.
• No make-up exams are allowed without pre-approval.

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• Note: You must meet with me during office hours before November 7th to receive approval for your paper topic. I will help you focus your interests during this meeting but will not write a research question for you. This assignment constitutes a first review/draft on your topic. Make it as strong as you can, so that I can provide adequate feedback for you to incorporate in your final paper. I will not read paper proposals that have not been previously approved by me and, thus, results in less feedback to incorporate in your final paper.
• For your proposal:
  • You will identify a research question to ask based on a topic of your choosing (1-2 sentences).
  • You will summarize your approach to answer this question, indicating the subject matter or course concepts/topics you will address in your paper. (2-3 paragraphs)
  • You will then provide critical analyses to illustrate either 1) what prompted your research question, or 2) how you will begin to answer your research question. (at least 800-1000 words).

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• A 5-7 page research paper expanding upon your final paper proposal.
• Submission/format instructions:
  • Length: 1300-2100 words (excluding words in your bibliography).
  • File Format: PDF
  • PDF File Name: “Last Name First Name – Assignment Name” (e.g. “Cannon Kris – Final Paper”)
  • Cover Page, including pertinent details.
• Your paper should do the following:
  • Construct an argument based on the research question(s) you addressed in your proposal.
  • Support your argument with textual/critical analysis.
  • Incorporate a minimum of 5 SCHOLARLY sources. At least one source should be located outside of course readings. You can find additional academic/scholarly at the NEU library and by using their website to search for journal articles in databases like Academic Search Premier or JSTOR.
  • Provide proper citations based upon one uniform style (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). Any academic citation style should include:
    • In-text citations (name/page or footnotes) to designate where to locate each source you quote or paraphrase.
    • A bibliography, listing all sources used in your paper.

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