Featured Courses
Reality Television
The basis for the appeal of both talk shows and reality TV may lie mainly in the “uncensored,” “unscripted,” and “spontaneous” nature of these human dramas. Real World, which premiered on MTV in 1991, has been credited with helping to establish many of the textual characteristics that define the genre of “Reality TV,” a form that in less than 20 years has come to dominate the American television landscape. From its inception, reality TV has ballooned, mushroomed, and mutated into endless hybrids and sub-genres. This course aims to explore questions such as: What are the political and economic environments and ideologies that facilitate not only why and how the programs are produced, but also the audience’s reactions? How may this fascination or even obsession with the “real” impact the styles and productions of other cultural products? How are the factors of race, class, gender, and sexuality systematically represented in the programs, and what is reality TV’s social impact?
Video Games & Culture
After a half-century of rapid development, the video game industry has become mainstream entertainment and video games have become integrated into the cultural and social fabric. In order to delve deeper into the world of gaming, this course introduces students to the emerging, interdisciplinary field of game studies, providing the opportunity to critically examine games, the video game industry, gaming culture, and gamer communities. Each week we will investigate a different aspect of video games, including but not limited to the contexts in which they emerged and evolved, the settings in which they have been played, and the discourses and practices that have determined their place in social and cultural life. We will interrogate the ways in which game worlds, culture, and community reflect and shape taken for granted attitudes, beliefs, and values in society (hegemonic constructions), particularly social issues related to the representation of gender and sexuality, minorities, violence, and the military entertainment complex. We will also consider how video games can be used for social change and have been integrated into everyday life and important social institutions to improve procedures and services.
Please contact for syllabus.
Digital Media & Culture
This course examines the elements, practices, and potential implications of what is broadly categorized as “digital media and culture.” Over the course of the semester, we will grapple with theories, concepts, and issues that come up in readings, class discussions, and media examples and ask us to think about the artistic, economic, political, and social implications of using digital media technology to make meaning out of life.
Because this course covers a wide expanse of topics, and each day’s theme is rich enough to provide the contents of a whole course, this course offers students a sampling of important ideas and debates in the field to stimulate thought and conversation, curiosity to learn more beyond the classroom (or at least ours!), and personal initiative and independence in completing assignments. In other words, I will introduce you to a variety of contemporary studies of digital media and culture and try to give you as much flexibility as possible to pursue those you find more interesting than others in more depth.
Topics include online identity, community, and labor; digital film, TV, photography, and music; video games and gaming culture; spreadable media; Web 2.0; virtual reality; and mobile devices and everyday life.
Consumer Culture
It’s practically a cliché to say that we live in a ‘consumer culture,’ an observation that is often shorthand for saying that our society has become increasingly superficial and homogenized, or that we waste the leisure time and wealth that our modern economy provides for some members of our society. In this course we will unpack what it is we mean when we speak of a ‘consumer culture’ and why it matters; examine the engines of consumer culture (fashion and communicating identity through commodities); foreground the role of media and new marketing strategies in cultivating consumerism; explore the commodification of daily life; and envision projects for social change in a consumer culture. The goals of this course are: To contextualize and make contemporary news and debates about consumer culture more meaningful. To help us reflect on and understand our own experiences with “consumer culture” and identities as consumers. To provide preparation and useful knowledge for different careers in which understanding aspects of consumer culture, such as consumer behavior and preferences, the relationship between consumer culture and the media, and cycles of fashion will be an asset. To have opportunities to practice and improve upon transferable skills including reading critically, writing, small group discussion, and using new media.
Media Theory & Criticism
This course examines approaches to the analysis and criticism of contemporary media. You will learn how to become critical of the media you consume and produce, and how to articulate your thoughts by drawing on a body of theories/concepts to support your opinions. Through extensive reading, writing, class discussions and screenings, you will develop not only the ability to analyze and critique media texts, but also a broader critical worldview.
There are three parts to this course:
Part I: Introducing Media Theory & Criticism: What is it and Why Should We Care
Part II: Mechanics of Media: How Do Media Produce Meaning?
Part III: Media, Culture, and Society: Contexts of Meaning
Please contact for syllabus.