INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA STUDIES
1. COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the field of Media Studies. It is intended
for any student who wishes to learn more about the role of media in today’s society. Each
week, we explore different aspects of contemporary mediascape by diving into different
subject areas including the history, production, industry, representation, audience, contents,
effects, and social change. Within these broad subject areas, weekly lectures will cover a
range of theories, methods, and case studies to discuss various ways to approach and
analyze media and demonstrate that there are much more complex power relations
surrounding media than we often take for granted. Combining multiple perspectives is
necessary to better understand the parameters of social changes rapidly occurring in the
present, which in turn, will shape our knowledge about the potential future. Therefore,
ideally, you will recognize the linkages among weekly topics and be able to step back and
ask broader questions about the relationship between media, society, and yourself.
By the end of the term, you should be able to:
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recognize the basic issues and questions in Media Studies;
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demonstrate a familiarity with the terms and concepts used in Media Studies;
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in essence, understand the relevance of Media Studies in your everyday life.
2. REQUIREMENTS
Your job is to think analytically and critically about your experiences with media. Also, this is a writing-intensive course that fulfills the requirement for Advanced Composition. Because of that, the writing in this course:
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demands analysis and synthesis of the subject matter presented in the course.
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requires original composition (totaling 15 to 20 pages over the course of the semester), and
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involves multiple drafts throughout the course of the semester.
3. WEEKLY TOPICS
Week 1. INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA STUDIES
Week 2. HISTORY, REMEDIATION, RETRO MEDIA
Gitelman, L. (2006). Always Already New.
Week 3. MEDIA PRODUCTION
Media production and industries, organizational analysis of media
Havens, T. & Lotz, A. (2011). Understanding Media Industries.
WEEK 4. POLITICAL ECONOMY
Media ownership and labor, institutional analysis of media
Mayer, V. (2011). Below the Line.
WEEK 5. MEDIA CONTENT
Quantitative analysis of media
WEEK 6. MEDIA EFFECT
Media effects theory, media echo chamber
Week 7. REPRESENTATION
Textual/visual analysis of media and politics of representation
WEEK 8. REPRESENTATION (CONT'D)
WEEK 9. AUDIENCE
Media audience research, audience commodity
WEEK 10. AUDIENCE (CONT'D)
Marwick, A. (2015). Instafame: Luxury Selfies in the Attention Economy
WEEK 11. THANKSGIVING BREAK
WEEK 12. SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARTICIPATORY CULTURE
Burgess, J. & Green, J. (2018). Selected chapters from YouTube: Online Video
and Participatory Culture
WEEK 13. REMIX, COPYRIGHTS, AND IP
Screening: RIP! A Remix Manifesto
WEEK 14. IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS
WEEK 15 - 16. FINAL