CTCS 191: Introduction to Television and Video
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Monday 10-12:50 Norris Theater
Mandatory Discussion Sections
Spring 2020
Course Overview:
Will streaming replace cable TV? How is social media promoting and profiting from television
publicity? Why do popular network situation comedies make so much money for their
participants? Has the quality of premium cable outpaced feature films? Has reality TV run out of
steam? Are women auteurs in television the next big thing? What kinds of TV shows do well
internationally? How will Disney Plus affect the TV market? To discuss these questions, this
course introduces students to the study of television as unique dramatic form with a history of
business and creative practices that both overlap and diverge from that of feature film.
Screenings include: Friends, Russian Doll, Killing Eve, Chernobyl, The Good Life, Saturday
Night Live. And many others.
Instructor: Professor Ellen Seiter, Nenno Chair in Television Studies
Office Hours: Wednesdays 12:00–2:00; and by appointment, SCA 403
Email:
[email protected]Lead TA: Russell McDermott
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00-3:00; and by appointment, SCA 219
Email:
[email protected]*Appointments with Dr. Seiter during her office hours can be reserved in advance through the
Cinema & Media Studies Office, Suite 320 of the SCA Building, or by calling (213) 740-3334.
Drop-ins welcome, too.
To add the course or change sections grab an open discussion section space when enrolled
students drop or switch section.
Section Time TA
18062 T 12-1250 Lee Irwin
18063 T 11-1150 Russell McDermott
18064 Th 11-1150 Ryan Banfi
18065 M 5-550 Ray Kyooyung Ra
18066 W 5-550 Jade Miller
18067 T 12-1250 Ryan Swen
18068 W 5-550 Ryan Banfi
Teaching Assistant Office Hour Information:
Final Exam Due : Monday, May 11: 10 AM
Two Required Paperback Texts; other weekly assignments available on Blackboard as
PDFS:
Kirkpatrick, Scott. Introduction to Media Distribution. New York: Routledge,
2018. ISBN 1138297356note: Available as paperback, Kindle, ebook, or ebook
rental.
Nochlinson, Martha. Television Rewired: The Rise of the Auteur Series
Austin: University of Texas Press, 2019. ISBN 147731895X
Additional required readings will be posted as PDFs on Blackboard (Bb).
Recommended reading:
www.tvweek.com (register for edaily)
www.hollywoodreporter.com (register for daily news and Hollywood Reporter)
www.cynopsis.com (register for Cynopsis)
Assignments:
First midterm exam 20%
7-10 page research paper 30%
Take home final exam (due May 11; 10AM) 20%
Pop quizzes based on readings and screenings 30%
Take home finals may be submitted electronically May 1- May 11 10AM to Turnitin.
Course Expectations:
All assignments must be handed in on time; exceptions will be made only with official
documentation. Attendance is required at lecture and discussion. Except for pop quizzes all
assignments for the course must be submitted to receive a passing grade in the course.
The midterms must be taken on the scheduled day and time. The midterm will consist of a
selection of essay questions, definitions of TV industry terms and short identifications. Missed
midterms can only be made up by writing an 8-10 page paper on ownership in the cable
television industry (a separate prompt will be provided). The take home final will ask you to
write a comparison of two series screened in class. The take home final will be 5 pages and a
prompt will be provided at the last lecture. Early finals are accepted but all finals must be handed
in by 10AM on May. 11.
Regarding Medical Emergencies during the midterm and final exam, please note that the USC
Student Health Center no longer offers appropriate documentation to students who visit their
premises for treatment, as their services were apparently widely misused. We remain
sympathetic to students who are unable to take their final exams due to genuine medical
emergencies and suggest one of two courses. Under both circumstances, you will need a formal
letter from a doctor on official letterhead to document your illness. There will be no exceptions
to this requirement. You may request an “Incomplete” on your course, provide your
TA/Professor with appropriate documentation prior to the end of term, and make arrangements to
complete the final assignment by a date set by your TA and Professor. Alternatively, you may
fax a copy of your doctor’s letter to the Division of Cinema & Media Studies at (213) 740-9471
after informing your TA and Professor, and sit for a make-up exam (if offered) on the date set by
your TA and Professor.
Student Conduct:
Turn off your cell phones during lecture, screenings and discussion section.
Use laptops for note-taking only. Close laptops during screenings. Do not exit through the side
doors in Norris Theater. Only bottled water is allowed inside the auditorium.
Plagiarism in any form will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct, can result in the failure of
the course, and may lead to dismissal from the University. Please consult your SCAMPUS for an
outline of the rules and regulations regarding academic integrity. Assignments will be submitted
using Turnitin.
Students With Disabilities:
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register
with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for
approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure that the letter is delivered
to the Professor as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30
am-5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
COURSE SCHEDULE
*Note: Screenings are subject to change WITHOUT notice. It is your responsibility to
know the series titles and episode names for your exams and quizzes.
(1/13): Introduction to the Course: The Pilot Episode
Screening: Friends pilot; season two episodes
Read: Introduction: “An Owner’s Manual for Television” from How to Watch Television. (Bb)
Nochlinson, Introduction 1-30
(1/27):
Screening: Russian Doll; Killing Eve.
Read: Kirkpatrick, Chs. 1 and 2
“Rethinking Television A Critical Symposium” on (Bb)
(2/3): Sketch comedy and stand up.
Screening: Saturday Night Live Season 44
Good Neighbor Channel YouTube
Julio Torres HBO Special “My Favorite Shapes”
Read: Kirkpatrick, “Windowing Rights” Ch 5
(2/10): The 1950s
Screening: I Love Lucy; The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Read: Lynn Spigel, “Television in the Family Circle” from Make Room for TV (Bb)
Miranda Banks, “I Love Lucy: The Writer-Producer” (Bb)
(2/24) How The Sopranos Changed Everything
Screening: The Sopranos: “College Trip”; Series Finale.
Read: Sean O’Sullivan, “The Sopranos: Episodic Storytelling” (Bb)
Nochlinson, 62-90
Midterm Study Guide Handed Out in Class
(3/2): TV and History
First Midterm Exam, 11:30-12:45
Screening: Chernobyl
(3/9) David Lynch: Twin Peaks
Read: Nochlinson, 31-61; 211-270
(3/23) Women and Comedy
Screening: Fleabag; Girls
Read: Nochlinson, 182-211
“The Future is Phoebe” Hollywood Reporter 14 August 2019 pp 63-64 (Bb)
Research Paper Topics Due in Section
(3/30) Exporting TV
Screening: The Office: US and UK
Read: Brett Mills, “Comedy Verite: Contemporary Sitcom Form”
Screen, Volume 45, Issue 1, Spring 2004, Pages 63–78 (Bb)
4/6): Teens, Music and TV
Read: “Storytelling in Song: Television Music, Narrative and Allusion in The O.C.” in J. Jacobs
& S.Peacock (eds) Television Aesthetics and Style, Bloomsbury Academic, 199-208 (Bb)
Seiter, “Teen Melodrama and Teen Pregnancy from Peyton Place to East Los High” (Bb)
(4/13) Dystopia: Year after Year
No readings
Research papers due in section
(4/20): The Tragedy of Wrongful Conviction
Screening: When They See Us (Duvernay 2019)
Read: Mangan and Laughland from The Guardian on When They See Us (Bb)
(4/27) The Twilight Zone: Social Critic Rod Serling
Read: Derek Kompare, “The Twilight Zone. Landmark Television” 299-307 (Bb)
Take home finals due at TA Offices on MONDAY, May 11, 10:00AM
