Communication Studies 423: The Television Age examines the familiar medium of television as a technology, an industry, an educator, a medium for propaganda, and an art form. Students will study the major trends in television broadcasting and performance as well as major trends in critical responses to television. Assignments, readings, commentaries, and television viewing, will be used to help students examine and analyze the impact and implications of television in the past, present, and future.
Outline
Unit 1: The History of Television and the Nature of the Medium
Unit 2: The State of the Art and the Industry
Unit 3: Sponsorship and Art
Unit 4: Genres and Formats I
Unit 5: Genres and Formats II
Unit 6: News, Tabloid, Reality TV, and the Creation of Community
Unit 7: The Power to Educate and Inform
Unit 8: Stereotypes and Role Models
Unit 9: The Offensive Side of Television
Unit 10: Global Television
Evaluation
To receive credit for CMNS 423, complete all of the assignments, achieve a mark of at least 50 percent on Assignment 4, and obtain a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of the composite mark is as follows:
Activity
Weight
Assignment 1: Short Essay
25%
Assignment 2: Short Analysis Essay
20%
Assignment 3: Short Analysis Essay
20%
Assignment 4: Research Essay
35%
Total
100%
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Mirrlees, T., & Kispal-Kovacs, J. (Eds.). (2013). The television reader: Critical perspectives in Canadian and US television studies. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. (Print)
Other Resources
All other materials required for this course can be accessed online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the CMNS 423 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.