M AR 370
U. S. MEDIA NOW
Fall 2005
http://www.arts.arizona.edu/mar370/
Dr. Kevin S. Sandler
Marshall 243
626-6855
ksandler@u.arizona.edu
Office hours: Monday 1:45 to 3:45
Ashley Caskey
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Marshall 247
Office hours: Thursday 3-4
621-8972
acaskey@u.arizona.edu
Course Description
This class explores contemporary American media. When we say “contemporary,” we do not mean last year, last month, or yesterday. Contemporary means the here and now, what is currently happening and what will be happening. The title of this class, “U. S. Media Now,” doesn't lie.
The key assumption underlying this course is that the mainstream American media, first and foremost, exist as consumable goods in a capitalist economy. For the most part, the media are controlled by an organized collection of corporations and companies seeking profits through the production, distribution, and exhibition of programming and services to audiences and advertisers. A nexus of economic, cultural, and political forces determine the conditions in which the media is made, shown and experienced. This class will examine these relationships between networks, artists, advertisers, production companies, regulators, and reformers and how these relationships manifest themselves in an array of texts from the film, television, web, and video game industries.
While we will address ideological concerns, media effects, and the social uses of media, this class will focus on how the organization and control of the media industries set the constraints by which aesthetics, meaning, and reception operate. For example, how does a PG-13 rating delimit or expand the boundaries of violent representation in a film like The Island ? Or how does Comedy Central's brand image predetermine the shape of new series like Weekends at the DL ?
Class sessions will be devoted to answering these and other questions by examining a spectrum of various media forms, topics, and literature. Relating issues of narrative, form and ideology to industrial concerns like corporatization, news coverage, censorship, merchandising and licensing, branding, distribution, exhibition, award shows, globalization, stardom, genre, and authorship will occupy many of our discussions.
The goals of this course are as follows: 1) To achieve a deeper understanding of how the economics of the contemporary mass media shape content and reception in news and entertainment forms; 2) To acquire the professional and critical terminology presently used by the media industries; 3) To cultivate and expand critical and creative thinking and writing skills for describing, interpreting, and evaluating the contemporary media industries; and 4) To empower students to be engaged citizens in today's media-saturated marketplace by promoting self-conscious viewing practices and behaviors.
Caveat
Please be aware that this class requires a major commitment and great flexibility on your part. Unlike other classes, subject matter in MAR 370 is not predetermined and may not be announced until that very week. (Sometimes) you may have only a few days to do a reading or see a TV show. Other times you will be expected to attend a film in a local movie theater, either on your own or as part of the class (ticket cost is often supported by a grant from the Dean of Students Office.
In Fall 2004, some of the topics we discussed were A Dirty Shame and the NC-17 rating; Joey and NBC's programming strategies after Friends; The Incredibles , Pixar, and the future of Disney animation; Team America , indecency, and the culture wars; Undertow and movie reviewing; and spin, media coverage of Iraq, and FOX News. The semester prior, some of the topics we discussed were: remakes and Dawn of the Dead ; buzz and The Passion of the Christ , violence and Kill Bill Vol. 2 , film criticism and Hellboy , and other topics. For this class I have many topics in mind that I want to cover; however, their order and even their inclusion is dependent on release dates, successes and failures, and unforeseen events. Film topics may include: violence and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, stardom, Keira Knightly, and Domino , the commercialization of network news and CNN; the rise of mainstream religious films and Mobsters and Mormons ; cult movies, Office Space , and Mike Judge's Idiocracy ; blockbusters and Legend of Zorro . Television topics may include: authorship, Joss Wheedon, and Serenity ; live television and Will & Grace ; reality television and Reunion ; political dialogue and The Daily Show , greater permissiveness on basic cable with FX's Starved and Over There , branding and MTV 2. New media topics may include: film adaptation of video games and Doom ; censorship and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ; videoblogs and grassroots filmmaking; broadband platforms and TurboNick and VH1's VSpot; fake commercial spots on the Internet; podcasting and iPods; and TiVo, video-on-demand and the future of media.
Required Texts
Dade Hayes and Jonathan Bing, Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became a National Obsession ( New York : Miramax, 2004)
Joseph Jaffe, Life after the 30-Second Spot: Energize Your Brand with a Bold Mix of Alternatives to Traditional Advertising ( Hoboken , NJ : John Wiley and Sons, 2005)
Kalle Lasn, Culture Jam: How to Reverse America 's Suicidal Consumer Binge—and Why We Must (New York: HarperCollins, 1999)
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Movie Wars : How Hollywood and the Media Conspire to Limit What Films We Can See ( Chicago : Chicago Review Press, 2000)
One other book may be requested during the semester.
Other readings will be available on the class website and at EES Copy Center in Harvill
Class Structure and Screening Times
All screenings will take place outside of class time: in movie theaters, on television, in Harvill and Marshall rooms, on computers, or in homes. These screenings are mandatory and you must arrange access to a car, to broadcast and cable television, and to the web. Grades are based on written responses, discussion, projects, and essays drawn from these screenings, so missing even one weekly engagement will affect your final grade.
Class will usually be divided into two sections:
Wednesday: A study of an industrial topic that will inform that week's screening(s).
Monday: Discussion of the previous week's screening(s) or presentation of student assignments. Always bring the readings with you and be prepared to share your thoughts with your colleagues.
Learner-Centered Teaching
This is a class that operates on many learner-centered principles. First, you are treated as learners and co-creators in the learning process. For the class to be successful, both the professor and student must be prepared each day to critically discuss the readings and films. Second, you will be continually challenged and asked to support your opinions through the reading and examples from films. Third, you are given a degree of choice and control over the subject of your assignment. You will be asked to apply class knowledge to interesting and relevant new contexts. Lastly, you are given an upfront explanation in this syllabus of what is expected from you in this class.
Assignments
NBC Project (Semester Long): As a group, you will examine NBC's programming strategies and practices for one of its shows during the Fall 2005 season. In this paper, you will demonstrate how NBC successfully (or unsuccessfully) positioned the program and negotiated its content amidst an increasingly fragmented, cluttered, and consolidated media environment. Simply, why and how does NBC air this particular show, how is the show's content shaped by business decisions, and why (or why not) did the show attract a large enough audience? A 3000-word paper accompanied by video clips is expected. A monthly meetings with the professor accompanied by evidence of ongoing research is mandatory.
Culture Jamming (Early November): You will create one culture jam, an action that resists or complicates existing social, cultural, and economic structures. Your jam will involve one advertising campaign. First, you will select one advertisement and determine its intended meaning, target audience, and emotional effect. Second, you will “jam” the advertisements by changing its text and imagery (either in print or web form), critiquing its politics of consumption and identity. Accompanying each jam is a 600-word explanation as to what you intend the jam to say to your audience. A short presentation of your jam to the class is also part of the grade.
Brand Marketing (Late September): You will analyze an existing television show dependent upon traditional advertising and design a new integrated brand marketing strategy for it based on the futurist approaches outlined in Joseph Jaffe's Life after the 30-Second Spot . Your re-imagination of the show will include: a multiplatform advertising strategy; brand partnerships with other companies; and “organic” product placement and integration methods. This 1800-word paper must be accompanied by proper citation and bibliography. The best concepts will be presented in class.
Short Papers (Semester Long): A major portion of your final grade will be derived from reports drawn from the course discussions, readings and screenings. These essays should critically engage with these materials, demonstrating an understanding of the main issues and connecting them to the media texts and your personal experience. Approximately every other week (but back-to-back weeks could occur), a 750-word (approx. two-and-a-half pages) response will be due to the professor (ksandler@u.arizona.edu) and teaching assistant by Sunday at 6pm . The question and readings to answer it will be available o the course web site. Students are responsible for four (4) out of five (5) assigned essays, which means that you can skip one (1) essay to write. The reports must use a minimum of three sources with proper bibliography (not included in word count). Expert opinions, statistics and uncommonly known facts are valid pieces of evidence. IMDB (Internet Movie Database), quotes from the media text under investigation, or Grandpa Louie are unacceptable. No late papers will be accepted. If your paper does arrive after 6pm on Sunday, one letter grade will be docked each subsequent twenty-four hours.
Participation
Attendance is not taken in this class. However, your participation grade is based on the quantity and quality of your participation, and you can not participate without being in the class. Therefore, attendance is an important factor in the determination of your final grade in this class.
Late Papers
One letter grade will be docked every twenty-four hours a paper is late. Papers are due at the beginning of class. Papers handed in during or after class will be docked one letter grade.
Student Code of Conduct
The aim of education is the intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development of the individual. The educational process is ideally conducted in an environment that encourages reasoned discourse, intellectual honesty, openness to constructive change, and respect for the rights of the individual. Self-discipline and a respect for the rights of others in the university community are necessary for the fulfillment of such goals.
Code of Academic Integrity
Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. This principle is furthered by the Student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures established by ABOR Policies 5-308/5-403, all provisions of which apply to University of Arizona students. Both the Code of Conduct and the Code of Academic Integrity can be found at: http://www.arizona.edu.~dos/SPC/policies.htm
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to participate fully in course activities or to meet course requirements must register with the Disability Resource Center . Any student qualifying for services through the Disability Resource Center for learning assistance should provide the instructor, by the end of the first week of class, with a Letter of Identification specifying the accommodations needed .
Absence Policies
Since participation plays a large part in your final grade, attendance is strongly encouraged. Excused absences which do not count against your participation grade include: All holidays or special events observed by organized religions for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion; and absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee).
Grading
Participation 10%
Short Papers 20%
Brand Marketing 20%
Culture Jamming 20%
NBC Project 30%
100% total
Grade Breakdown
A (90-100) = Excellent: all course work is performed at a clearly outstanding level.
B (80-89) = Good: all course requirements are met at a level measurably above the average.
C (70-79) = Average: all course work is completed at an adequate level.
D (60-69) = Poor: all course work is completed at a level measurably below average or not completing many assignments.
E (59 or below) = Failure: not completing much of the course work, completing assignments inadequately, or both.
I = Incomplete. The grade of “I” will be awarded only when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incomplete grade before the end of the semester.
Schedule
Subject to (really) change
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