Universität Wien

124264 KO Critical Media Analysis (2017S)

Screening America/America on Screen: Critical Perspectives On/From TV & Film

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 30 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

ATTENTION! There will be no regular session on May 18 due to a conference I am hosting. Instead, part of this class is your attendance of one of the workshops of this conference (you can choose freely) on either May 18 or 19 at the US Embassy's Amerika Haus (close to U2 Rathaus) and write a report about your experience. This is mandatory, so please be aware of these dates when you register for this class. The program can be accessed on the conference website: http://aya2017.univie.ac.at/

Donnerstag 09.03. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 16.03. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 23.03. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 30.03. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 06.04. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 27.04. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 04.05. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 11.05. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Montag 29.05. 18:00 - 20:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 01.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 08.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Montag 19.06. 18:00 - 20:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 22.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
Donnerstag 29.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

On January 24, 2017, journalist and film critic Richard Brody opened an article in The New Yorker entitled “The 2017 Oscar Nominations Don’t Matter” with the following words: “The only good thing about this year’s political events is that, as far as the Oscars go, nobody with a brain, a heart, or some courage actually gives a shit—and even this is a bitter paradox. As health care for millions is threatened, along with the right to abortion, justice for immigrants, the right of black Americans to vote, the right of assembly, public education, park lands, the environment, venerable alliances, nuclear security, the nation’s dignity, and other matters ranging from the crucial to the existential, a golden statuette for sound mixing as opposed to sound editing can be forgiven for passing almost unnoticed. This isn’t to minimize the essential importance of art in times of outrage and injustice—on the contrary. It isn’t the movies that don’t matter—it’s the Oscars. The movies matter as much as ever.”

Brody’s observations can be applied to both the big and the small screen: film and TV shows as some of the most popular and populated forms of art take on especially significant roles in times of cultural and political upheaval for the ways in which they (re)present, discuss, criticize, subvert, and put into critical focus the issues at stake in the societies of which they are an extension.

Screening America/America on Screen references both the ways in which the United States are negotiated on screen and the ways in which these representations can and should be subjected to a differentiated discussion through the lens of various critical perspectives and theories taken from film studies and cultural studies.

Course Objectives
As the title indicates, the aim of this class is a critical examination of a number of movies and TV shows that both emerged as and in turn produce responses to the cultural and political phenomena of the United States as a (post)colonial empire and a global superpower, but also as a space of empowerment and resistance.

By focusing the essential tools of film analysis, we will discern the aesthetic, creative, educational, and persuasive strategies of cinema and seriality through discussions of narration, production and reception; the significance of the depiction of issues of multiculturalism and diversity, of changing attitudes and responses to the roles of women, minorities, and the values of family, important LGBTQ+ debates, and the development of modes of programming and the influence of technology.

Methods
In this course, we will engage in group work and individual assignments, short presentations, research projects, multimedia, and interactive as well as online discussion. We will welcome a guest lecturer who will speak on post-millennial crime TV and post-factual meaning-making.

A Note on Texts and their Availability
Exemplary movies/episodes will be screened in evening screening sessions outside the regular class time. Attendance for these is voluntary; you are expected to get a hold of and watch all of the texts though, even if you do not attend.
Most texts will be available on Netflix or Amazon Prime; subscriptions can be useful for the purposes of this class. We’ll talk more about availability in the first session.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Regular attendance, active participation in class, short group presentation, critical readings, short homework assignments, portfolio

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Attendance and active participation: 20%
Presentation: 10%
Assignments: 20%
Portfolio: 50%

Students must attain at least 60% overall to pass this class.

Prüfungsstoff

In addition to completing a (written) portfolio, participants are expected to read all texts, view all films, complete all homework assignments, actively participate in class, and attend a workshop of a conference.

Literatur

Select primary texts (Django Unchained, House of Cards, Black Mirror, How To Get Away With Murder, The Cabin in the Woods, Search Party) and secondary literature (which will be made available in a Reader at the beginning of March at CopyStudio Schwarzspanierstraße).

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Studium: UF 344, BA 612, BEd 046
Code/Modul: UF 4.2.5-426, BA07.3; BEd 08a.2, BEd 08b.1
Lehrinhalt: 12-4260

Letzte Änderung: Mi 09.09.2020 00:22