FT2TCC-Television and Contemporary Culture

Module Provider: Film, Theatre and TV
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites: FT1ATT Approaches to Television
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr Faye Woods
Email: f.woods@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module deepens your understanding of television form, industry and the complexity of the medium and its programming. It provides the tools to critically engage with issues of representation and identity, explores industrial concerns (who has the power to make television and how does that impact how and what stories are told) as well as global production and trade of television. It considers different approaches to television storytelling and representations of the world around us through a selection of television genres and forms, which may include reality tv, documentary, period drama and sitcom. 

Aims:

The module builds upon the analytical frameworks developed in Part 1, expanding the engagement with issues of genre, globalisation, industry and representation. It has a central aim of interrogating the construction of critical and contextual frameworks that underpin television studies. Students will explore television’s international flows, build a picture of national industrial practices, and analyse digital media practices and platforms. Students will be expected to develop a critical understanding of conventions and histories of selected genres and explore the often-invisible impact of ideologies of representation.  

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module it is expected that students will be able to:  

• demonstrate an informed critical understanding of genre, format, and representation as analytical approaches to television as a form 


• explore different global industrial contexts of television and digital media, including a strong understanding of the UK context  


• give evidence of a detailed sense of the historical placement of selected genres or format as they have developed, and understand differing genre conventions 


• consider television’s relationship to wider social/cultural/political contexts; 


• demonstrate through detailed textual analysis of specific aesthetic and narrative modes; 

Additional outcomes:

The module plays a significant role in the continuing development of other skills and competencies which are central to the course. It is expected that the level of skills and competencies achieved in the following will be appropriate to the level of study: oral communication and argument in group situations; deployment of research using printed and electronic resources; critical analysis and coherent argument; undertaking self-directed, independent work; presentation of written work using IT; identifying and addressing problems in the analysis of television.

Outline content:

This module will explore central industrial concerns, including independent production, new media platforms and global circulation of television, including practices of format sales. It will engage with a range of television genres, which may include, sitcom, reality tv, lifestyle and factual entertainment, police drama, medical drama, animation and period drama. It will delve into television’s engagement with concerns of representation, with particular focus on race and class.  

Global context:

The module focuses mainly on genres within the context of Anglophone (especially US and UK) production, and within this frame pays further attention to the global broadcasting landscape. Programming from non-Anglophone contexts may be brought in as points for comparison where relevant. 

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The normal teaching pattern will be one lecture and one seminar per week, plus screenings, but may also include some longer interactive sessions. Lectures will be used to establish contexts and to introduce issues for discussion and debate. Seminars will concentrate mainly on the close analysis of extracts from television texts and the weekly reading. 

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	9
Seminars	13.5
Tutorials	1.5
Supervised time in studio/workshop	18
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)	20
Wider reading (directed)	30
Advance preparation for classes	30
Preparation for seminars	20
Completion of formative assessment tasks	5
Essay preparation	48
Reflection	5
Total hours by term	200	0	0
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	60
Project output other than dissertation	40

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Weekly learning journal at 40% 

Essay at 60%  

Formative assessment methods:

There will be oral feedback throughout the module. Formative feedback on learning journal 

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

40% overall

Reassessment arrangements:

Submission of additional coursework.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1. Required text books: None


2. Specialist equipment or materials: None


3. Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: None


4. Printing and binding: None


5. Computers and devices with a particular specification: None


6. Travel, accommodation and subsistence: None

Last updated: 22 September 2022