Television Studies: Key Debates

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• selected television shows and the critical, cultural and institutional contexts.
• the key debates in television studies
• the central critical terms and concepts used in the scholarly study of television

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• apply and critique a range of television theories, terms and concepts in order to perform your own analysis of the medium
• engage critically with a range of themes of and critical approaches to television studies
• participate in and contribute to theoretical debates within television studies

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• conduct critical analysis
• organise time effectively
• select, organise and deploy ideas and information in order to formulate cogent arguments and express them effectively

This module widens the scope of the Film Studies programme by focusing on television: a major audio-visual medium that is intimately interlinked with cinema in terms of its histories, forms and industries, while simultaneously being distinctly unique. The module functions as an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of television studies and asks you to think about the specificity of the television medium and how we approach the study of it. A significant part of the module is focused on theories of television as a medium, typically asking you to engage with concepts such as television flow, liveness, intimacy, and address. Another prominent element is the specific audio-visual forms of the television medium, which typically encompasses aspects of ‘televisual aesthetics’, television sound, serial narration and television genres and formats. In addition, the module will also touch upon questions of ideology (representation and politics), circulation (national and global distribution and transmedia texts) and reception (television audiences and viewing practices), albeit more briefly. The module is focused on contemporary British and US television programming, but within these parameters we will discuss a range of programmes from both fictional and factual formats and genres (which could typically include drama series, sitcoms, soap operas, reality shows, documentary programmes, live television events, news programming, sports broadcasts, and adverts).

The teaching methods of this module include

• Lectures
• Screenings
• Seminars
• Tutorials

The lectures will introduce key themes, debates and concepts, and link these to the specific programmes shown during the screenings. The screenings will always include episodes of at least two different programmes, in order to better capture the multiplicity of the medium and allow for comparison. In turn, the seminars will examine the readings and screenings in greater detail, which will offer you the opportunity to develop your critical understanding of the issues and debates, as well as your skills in critical analysis of television. Finally, a tutorial will be offered to provide feedback after the first assignment and support you in the process of writing the second assignment.

Learning activities include:

• Independent study, research and viewing
• Critical thinking, reading and writing
• Engagement in seminar discussions as both speaker and listener
• Preparation of written assignments.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.