Week 1 8/27: Courses and course introductions Media texts and images MEDIA CRITICISM Course Description and Objectives In this course, we will explore a variety of approaches to media criticism, including textual, institutional/industrial and audience-oriented approaches. First, we view media as a primarily textual phenomenon and focus on how to interpret popular media images. Second, we will examine how popular media images are produced and disseminated by media institutions, paying particular attention to the logics and industrial conditions that circumscribe media production. Finally, we approach the media from the perspective of the public; We will reflect on what the public does with the media and how the media intersects with everyday life. Week 1111/1-11/5: Media Production Cultures I Justin Wyatt, “A Critical Re-definition: The Concept of High Concept” and Henry Jenkins, “Searching for the Origami Unicorn” Week 12 11/8-11/12: Media Production Cultures II Laura Grindstaff, “Trash, Class, and Cultural Hierarchy” John Caldwell, “Convergence Television” Often in the form of a visual essay, media criticism requires research, the editing and translation of written and visual sources into a coherent, understandable whole. This video is incredibly well crafted, citing multiple sources, incorporating text and graphics, and showcasing so many of David Lynch`s different works and media. The author is very articulate, intelligent and creative. Throughout the semester, we maintain a broad and multidimensional critical perspective on popular media. Together we are developing a critical media toolkit in which we struggle with key media science terms and reflect on the social and political consequences of media texts and institutions. This critical perspective forces us to question many of the assumptions we have about the media, its place in society, and our own engagement with it. Your goal this semester is to become a critical media specialist.

Students put into practice the critical perspective we have developed by producing their own critique of the media. Success in this course This course will be fun and challenging at the same time. On the one hand, much of our work this semester will be enjoyable. We will learn more about popular media and develop tools to understand the images we encounter in our daily lives. We will watch many clips and draw inspiration from our own experience with popular media. On the other hand, this course will challenge students to think about media in new ways, grasp and apply difficult concepts, make connections between readings, and articulate their own critical arguments and conclusions about popular media. Reading will be difficult. The tasks will be demanding and my expectations will be high. Here are some tips on how to do well in this course: Are you a student who has been assigned to a media critic and need extra help? Contact us on our hotline or make an appointment with a consultant (University Park only). Fortunately, reviews and comments fall under fair dealing protection, so your biggest challenge is overcoming the many hurdles that content owners put in place to protect themselves from downloading/copying digital works. Come to class every day with readings in hand, completed and carefully thought out. Ask.

If you think them, chances are others are too. Choose a research topic at the beginning of the semester and visit me often as you develop your research plan and critical arguments. Keep a reading log. Write down important concepts, ideas, and passages that you find helpful and insightful. Take advantage of our days of writing workshops. We will devote sufficient teaching time to writing student papers. Prepare yourself with your ideas and read your journal. Use your new knowledge in your daily life. Develop your critical perspective by applying our readings while watching media.

Bring your observations and ideas into the classroom to share. Hi Olive! I must say; You`ve accomplished a lot with just a short clip in less than a minute. I loved Proud Family as a kid and haven`t seen any clips or scenes in years. I have to say that it really showed how hidden the messages are even in the children`s programs that accompany us in our adult lives. I never thought that their clothes and skin color, which are radically different, are a symbol of “darker = bad”. All other children have fairly fair skin and are therefore shown wearing brighter clothes, while the little sisters wear the same dull clothes unlike other children. As a child watching this, I can see a girl how those who wear clothes like the Gross Sisters can feel, because they have to wear bright colors for them to appear as the innocent girls on the show and not as the Gross Sisters. In this short clip of the rough sisters (www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYNxhizQiek), we see how greedy they are and think only of themselves. The message continues that those who dress this way and have darker skin are considered greedy and mean. What I personally learned from those who speak Spanish is that they only saw it as a way to steal money instead of communicating with people who spoke Spanish. Obviously, they knew that none of the students, with the exception of LaCienega, spoke Spanish and they used it as a way to intimidate taking their money.