Television Criticism and Analysis

This class will involve a close examination of important television shows and genres, as well as an in-depth investigation of the significant scholarly literature on the medium. Television will be studied through the lens of those classical and contemporary paradigms that have illuminated other art forms: realism, formalism, structuralism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, deconstructionism, postmodernism, cultural studies, cognitive science, and phenomenology. Emphasis will be on selected televisual “texts” (shows) that represent various theoretical approaches to television as an art form, entertainment vehicle, information platform, cultural force, and industry. Relevant network and cable TV shows and episodes will be screened, analyzed, and critiqued in the context of their theoretical implications.