rtvf330 syllabus
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Schedule of readings and assignments for RTVF330 The Tribe Has Spoken: Surviving Television's New Reality.TRANSCRIPT
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RTVF 330 Culture Industries The Tribe Has Spoken: Surviving TV’s New Reality T/TH 3-4:50 Louis 119
Your Emmy Award winning host: Prof. Max Dawson Annie May Swift Hall 213 e: [email protected] t: @fymaxwell Office Hours: T/Th 1-2 pm or by appointment The dream team: Kate Newbold e: [email protected] Chris Russell e: [email protected] Course description: Reality TV is popular, profitable, and wildly controversial. To better understand reality TV's impact on the American television industry this class examines the history, reception, and influence of one of its defining examples: Survivor. Survivor debuted in the United States in Spring 2000. Its runaway success propelled the CBS network to the top of the Nielsen ratings and transformed its creator Mark Burnett into one of television's most sought-after producers. Survivor also launched the current reality TV boom, inspiring a host of programs that emulated its competition format, episode structure, and visual style. While most of these programs have long since had their torches snuffed, Survivor has outwitted, outlasted, and outplayed its competition for twenty-five seasons. The show's ongoing success makes it an ideal starting point for a critical examination of the American television industry's new reality. Required textbooks (available at Norris):
• Bill Carter, Desperate Networks (Doubleday, 2006). • Troy Devolld, Reality TV: An Insider's Guide to TV's Hottest Market (Michael
Wiese Productions, 2011) All other readings will be available on Blackboard. Readings marked “w” are available online via links through Blackboard.
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Schedule of readings Note: This schedule is subject to change. Any alterations will be announced via email. When in doubt, check Blackboard. Week one
Tu. Jan 8 The Marooning Screening: Survivor: Borneo ep 1
Th. Jan 10 Reality TV and social media
Read: RTVF330 Island Orientation Packet
Mark Burnett, “Survivor: The TV Show”
Anne Trubek, “Why Tweet (and How to Do It)” w Hubspot, “How to Use Twitter for Business” “Twitter on TV: A Producer’s Guide” w “How 'The Voice' Uses Twitter to Raise Ratings” w
Event: Social media workshop
Week two
Tu. Jan 15 What was TV? Read: Michael Curtain and Jane Shattuc, “Key Players”
Th. Jan 17 What is TV in 2013?
Read: Amanda Lotz, “Understanding Television at the Beginning of the Post-Network Era”
Event: Television Critics’ Roundtable
Week three Tu. Jan 22 What is “reality TV”? Read: Susan Murray and Laurie Ouellette, “Introduction”
(excerpt pp. 1-13) Tu. Jan 24 Reality before “reality TV” (part 1)
Read: Craig Gilbert, “Reflections on An American Family”
Screening: An American Family Week four
Tu. Jan 29 Reality before “reality TV” (part 2) Read: Chad Raphael, “The political economic origins of reali-TV”
Screening: The Real World Season 1, Episode 1
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Th. Jan 31 TV’s new reality
Read: Ted Madger, “TV 2.0” Week five Tu. Feb 5 Final Project Workshop
Read: Bill Carter, Desperate Networks, prologue and chapters 2, 3, 4
Event: Final project workshop
Th. Feb 7 The reality TV explosion
Read: Bill Carter, Desperate Networks, chapters 5, 6, 9, 10, 14 Week six
Tu. Feb 12 The Charmin Café Read: Amanda Lotz, “Advertising After the Network Era”
Th. Feb 14 The merge (midterm exam)
Week seven
Tu. Feb 19 Real work Read: Heather Hendershott, “Belabored Reality”
Todd Cunningham, “Reality TV: The Invisible Front in Hollywood’s Labor Wars”
Th. Feb 21 Casting reality TV
Read: Dan Gheesling, How a Normal Guy Got on Reality TV (excerpts TBA)
Vicki Mayer, “Reality Casters: New Jobs in and Out of Hollywood”
Event: Class visit from Dan Gheesling (winner, Big Brother 10,
runner-up, Big Brother 14) Week eight Tu. Feb 26 Writing reality TV
Read: Jim Milio and Melissa Jo Peltier, “Does Reality Still Bite?”
“Harsh Reality: Working Conditions for Reality TV Writers” Lee Abbott, “Reality Check”
Th. Feb 28 Producing reality TV Read: Troy DeVolld, Reality TV, chapters 5, 6, 7 Event: Reality TV producers roundtable
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Week nine Tu. March 5 Being yourself
Read: Amber Watts, “‘You Can Blame the Editing but You’re Still A Bitch’” John Jeremiah Sullivan, “Leaving Reality”
Th. March 7 Reality TV Roundtable Event: Guests TBA Week 10 Tu. March 12 Reality TV formats Read: Troy DeVolld, Reality TV, chapter 9 Charles Homans, “A Soap Opera on the High Seas” Th. March 14 Final Tribal Council Assessment Date Due Points 5 Immunity Challenges (pop quizzes) ??? 250 points
(5 x 50 each) The merge (midterm exam) Th, Feb 14 250 points Final project (reality TV show dossier) Th, March 14 400 points Participation n/a 100 points Total: 1000 points