Catalog

Understanding Television

Literature MIT CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 6 lectures

The subtitle of this course for the spring 2003 term is "American Television: A Cultural History." The class takes a cultural approach to television's evolution as a technology and system of representation, considering television as a system of storytelling and myth-making, and as a cultural practice, studied from anthropological, literary, and cinematic perspectives. The course focuses on prime-time commercial broadcasting, the medium's technological and economic history, and theoretical perspectives. There is much required viewing as well as readings in media theory and cultural interpretation.

Syllabus

  1. 1 Class 1: Introduction: Television and Cultural Study
  2. 2 Class 3: Television As A Cultural Form
  3. 3 Class 5: The Broadcast Era
  4. 4 Class 10: TV Genres
  5. 5 Class 16: TV Genres
  6. 6 Class 18: TV Genres

Course materials