COMM 418--Spring 2002
Broadcast Television History

Course Description: This course will focus on the Golden Age of television broadcasting and examine some the dominant genres of the era: the western, family comedy, quiz show, variety, situation comedy, drama, and military programs. We will discuss how societal structure, social norms, economic support, and U.S. broadcasting policy are reflected in the cultural products of television.

The course fills the College of Arts and Science second writing requirement.

Course Objectives: This course will:

• Expose students to a wide range of historic television programs.
• Help students understand the cultural and historical context surrounding television programming.
• Allow students to practice and improve their writing skills.
• Allow students to practice and improve their analytical skills.
• Increase students' comfort level in using electronic media for communicating written thoughts.
• Improve students' search and retrieval skills on the Internet.
• Improve students' critical viewing skills.
• Give students' additional practice in oral communication.

Course Resources:

Required Text: Vande Berg, L.R., Wenner, L.A., & Gronbeck, B.E.. (1998). Critical Approaches to Television, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

Required Text: MacDonald, J.F. (1994). One Nation Under Television: The Rise and Decline of Network TV. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

Readings: Required and recommended readings will be on reserve in the library.

Public Course URL: http://www.udel.edu/communication/COMM418/johnc/

WebCT URL:  http://www2.udel.edu:8900/webct/public/home.pl

Evaluation:

Weekly Essays. Students will complete 10 weekly essays (approximately 500 words in length) about the programs under discussion. Each essay is worth 10 points. Five of the essays may be revised (based on instructors' comments) and resubmitted for regrading. Revisions must be submitted within one week.

Oral Presentation. Each student will be responsible for one oral presentation that introduces the week's genre to the class. This presentation will include, but not be limited to, information about the media, cultural, and social context of the programs, information about the popularity and longevity of the programs, and interesting information about the producers, performers, and writers. These presentations will also suggest some interpretive strategies to the students. The student presenter will also lead the course discussion for the week. Most presentations will be the responsibility of a single student. For some topics, though, students will work in pairs. On the week a student has responsibility for a presentation, he or she will not write a weekly paper. You are, however, required to submit a list of references (Web and Library references) used in your presentation. Each presentation should take about 20-30 minutes and is worth 10 points.

Peer Commentary. Students will comment on another students' paper and offer insights and suggestions for improvement. The list of commentary assignments will be distributed. Each peer commentary is worth 3 points.

Class Schedule:

Class Procedures:

• We will meet as a class each Wednesday (for topic, see CLASS SCHEDULE). Because class participation is so integral to your understanding, class attendance is required. Unexcused absences will result in 3 points being deducted from your grade.
• Students will view required videotapes Wednesday–Monday by borrowing the tapes in the Communication Departmental office, Pearson 250. Normally, there will be 2 hours of material to view.
• Weekly essays must be posted to the class newsgroup by 12:00 noon each Monday. Late postings will be penalized 2 points.
• Peer commentary on the assigned essay must be posted on the class newsgroup by 2:00 Tuesday. We expect that students will revise and improve their essays based on helpful comments from their peers.
• Revised weekly essays are due in class on Wednesday.

There are a total of 127 possible points for this course. Final grades will be assigned as follows: