LT123-4-AU-CO:
Contemporary Television
2024/25
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 13 December 2024
15
20 March 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
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This module aims to introduce students to a range of critical approaches for analysing contemporary television.
Looking at television from the US and the UK from the last 30 years, students will gain an understanding into the ways in which scholars have investigated and interrogated these texts through key theoretical and conceptual frameworks. The module will consider our understanding of television through key issues in production, distribution, consumption, reception and representation. The module is broken into two parts. Part one examines television as text, particularly considering the role of broadcasters, networks and platforms in creating this text. Part two examines the ways in which ideologies, for example, gender, race, and sexuality are taken up in contemporary television.
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to key critical approaches to television from television studies.
- To critically apply these approaches to key televisual texts from the US and the UK over the last 30 years.
- To give students an understanding of the significant changes occurring in the medium of television, including production, consumption and representation.
- To critically analyse the changing nature of television as a medium.
By the end of the module, students will be expected to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key issues relating to television and television studies.
- Demonstrate an ability to interrogate issues pertaining to television through various theoretical and contextual frameworks.
- Demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate the changing nature of television over the last 30 years.
- Submit written material for an assessment in line with departmental standards for academic work.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- Ten 1-hour lectures
- Ten 1-hour seminars
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Close-Textual Analysis Assignment (1,000 words) |
|
35% |
| Coursework |
Essay (2,000 words) |
|
60% |
| Practical |
Participation Mark |
|
5% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Sarah Smyth, email: sarah.smyth@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Dan O'Brien (AU), Dr Sarah Smyth (SP)
liftstt@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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