BROOKLYN COLLEGE
Department of Television and Radio
British Television
TVRA 2221 Section MW11 (Course Code 3243)
Fall, 2011, Mon, Wed, 11:00am-12:15pm
402A Whitehead Hall


Dr. Foulger
Office: 404S Whitehead Hall
Additional Contact information Available at http://davis.foulger.info/brooklyn

Semester Syllabus

Class Schedule and Assignments / Discussion Notes / Moodle

Course Description

Any medium of communication can be regarded as a product of the technology that enables the medium, the economic models that support it, and the culture that both produces content for and consumes content from that medium.  That is certainly as true for British Television as it is for American Television or, for that matter, any medium as it is used in any culture.  The media products of some cultures are more influential than others, however, and British television, like American television, has proven to be highly influential in global markets.

This course is conceived as a limited audience ethnography of another culture through its television products.  While there will be readings, the focus will be on viewing and researching a small subset of the many hundreds of British television shows that have been produced for British audiences.  It is hoped that, by immersing you in the television products of another culture for a semester, that you will come away with a better understanding of both British culture, American culture, and the ways in which culture influences the content of media; media content influences culture. 

One of the main points of this class is to remove ourselves from the familiar.  Most or all of you have a deep, lived experience of U.S. television that makes it difficult to break out of our assumptions about what is reasonable and normal.  Some of you will have some experience of British Television from watching PBS or BBC America, but it is likely that many of you have never viewed a British television show, even when that show has been reproduced for American audiences.  Many of the issues that matter in British society, including multi-culturalism, feminism, race, class, globalization, the contradictions inherent to market-driven democracy, and the tensions between freedom, equality, and security, matter as much or more as they matter in American society, but they are generally expressed in different ways and to some extent with different vocabularies.

Students will be expected to learn and apply both analytical research skills and facts about British TV.  TV/Radio majors can anticipate doing research which will anticipate, and which may usefully be extended while taking, the departments capstone course, Media Criticism.

Texts

Additional Resources

Learning Objectives:

  1. Students should gain an understanding of the structure and workings of the broadcast industry..
  2. Students should understand the variety of careers available in the broadcast industry and the skills associated with those careers such that they can start building their skill sets..
  3. Students should be able to compare the broadcast industries of different countries around the world and understand the economic, political, and other structural differences between them..

Outcomes Assessment:

  1. 30% Participation, with in class presentation, completion of think assignments, and completion of readings-based questions equally weighted.
  2. 40% two papers, worth 15% and 25% of your grade, respectively\
  3. 30% Two exams, including a mid-term (12%) and a cumulative final exam (18%)
  4. Up to a 10% effort bonus. If I think your computed grade does not reasonably reflect what you have accomplished in the class I may increase grades by as much as a letter grade. There is no guarantee I will give any of these points to anyone.
  5. I do not grade based on attendance, but failure to attend class will almost inevitably result in a lower grade.

Discussion Notes

My usual practice is to make my class discussion notes directly available to the class via the Internet. I will usually display those notes during class. You can print them out later if you desire. You may be able to print them out before class, but I don't guarantee that you will. I often change my discussion notes right up to the beginning of class (and sometimes during class. The version posted at the end of class can generally be considered to be reliable, but I make changes based on what we actually discussed a day or two after a class has been completed.

Discussion/Learning Space

Three and a half hours (the scheduled meeting time) is a long class. I will therefore try to keep class sessions shorter and conduct a portion of the class online using a class discussion/learning space called a "Moodle" located at http://messageecologies.com/ed. There will be required discussions and assignment submissions there. You can also use this group to exchange of any class-related information or questions. Only class members (and perhaps one or two selected others) can post to or read messages in this discussion space. You will be registering into this Moodle on the first day of class. You'll have assignments to complete there for the second day of class and most subsequent days. There is a possibility we will also use online discussion environments. I will inform you of any such change in advance.

Instructions for accessing the Moodle Discussion/Learning Space

  1. Point your web browser at http://messageecologies.com/ed

  2. Click on "Login" at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Press the "Create New Account" button in the right column of the login screen.
  4. You'll be asked to fill in a series of fields that include your user ID, password, e-mail address, location, etc. Fill them in as accurately as you can. Remember your userid and password. You will need them to log in again.
  5. When processing of this page completes you will be sent an e-mail at the address you specify. Open that e-mail and confirm your registration by pressing the confirmation link in the e-mail.
  6. When you submit this page you will enter the moodle environment. If you see a button marked courses, press it. You will see this course (British Television Fall 2011) listed. Select the course.
  7. You will be asked for a key. It is "bt2221". Case matters, so enter all letters as lower case (don't use the shift key).

Participation

Participation will be evaluated based on in class participation, evident effort, and your completion of two types of ungraded assignment that will be due for most classes: questions (two questions for each reading), and think assignments.

Think assignments entail doing a small assignment involving thought or observation. Answers will be short and should be posted to the Moodle.

Question assignments: involve coming up with two questions based on each of the readings. A portion of at least some class sessions will be devoted to discussion of your questions.

Viewing assugnments: entail watching an assigned television show and reflecting on what you see. What have you learned about British Culture and assumptions, about your culture and assumptions, about the show and the people who created it? A portion of most class sessions will be devoted to discussing your observations.

Course Rules

  1. Attendance is required for all classes, including the final exam period. Punctuality is much desired.

  2. Assignments must be completed. Complete reading assignments, questions, and think assignments prior to coming to class. Be prepared to discuss readings.
  3. Write in your own words. Reference the ideas you use to the original sources. Plagiarism and cheating will are unacceptable.
  4. Print papers double spaced in standard font. Papers should be printed out for submission. Double space your papers and print them out using standard 12 point fonts (Ariel, Times Roman, and Courier are all acceptable). I will notice attempts to pad the length of your papers with oversized fonts and lines spacing and count it against you.
  5. Submit assigments on time. Unexcused late papers will be penalized 1/2 of a letter grade if one period late and one full grade thereafter.

Good Advice

  1. Keep up. The reading and writing load for this course is not particularly heavy, but the television viewing and written assignment load is. If you can't keep up with the readings, papers, or other assignments, you may want to drop the course early on and try again in another semester.

  2. Keep a copy of any paper you submit, just in case the original gets lost.
  3. Write your name on the front of any assignment you submit, including questions, think assignments, and papers.
  4. Stay backed up. Assuming you work on a computer, maintain backups of your paper in a reliable and convenient format. USB flash drives work on just about all computers now, can be readily obtained for less than $20.00, and are much less likely to fail than diskettes. Assume the worst. Maintain two backups.
  5. Ask questions/ask for help. If at any time you find yourself confused or have questions, especially in terms of the writing, please ask me (either in class or in private) for help. One person's question may help countless others in class. If you can't meet me during my office hours, we can probably find another time.
  6. Let me know if you need an accommodation. Please speak with me confidentially if you have a disabling condition that may require some accommodation in class. I'm here to help.
  7. Use the learning center to get writing help. Brooklyn College's Learning Center (in Boylan) is an excellent resource if you have any issues working through the writing process. They can help you develop writing strategies for any stage in the process: from planning, to drafting, to editing, to reflecting.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is mandatory. The Brooklyn College Bulletin states that "Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions of every class for which they register. Students late for class may be excluded from the room. An instructor may consider attendance and class participation in determining course grade." While I am unlikely to lock the door, I will take account of missed class time in computing grades. You should not, as a general note, ask me for "permission" to miss class. While I will try to be understanding of documented emergencies, the basic reality (which has more to do with your ability to learn when you aren't in class than anything else) is that absences make your grade grow smaller.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

The CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity states that “Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in the City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion, as provided herein.”  For more information on CUNY policy on Plagiarism and cheating and BC's implementation of that policy, see http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies/ .

On a more practical note, I have caught a number of students attempting to pass off other people's work as their own. Such behavior is unacceptable in any classroom, and I won't accept it in mine. My usual practice will be to zero any assignment on which a student has been found to be cheating and consult with the department chair on what other actions may be appropriate. Examples of cheating include:

  • Duplicate test answers. I cannot prevent students from studying together or comparing notes on a take home exam (should I give any). Test answers should always be in your own words (e.g. not copied out of a book or off of someone else's test paper).
  • Plagiarized term paper content. I encourage you to look at content from a wide variety of sources, but the content of your term paper should be in your own words.
  • Unreferenced term paper content. Where, in the course of writing a term paper, you present the ideas of others, you must indicate where they came from with a reference. This is true even when you have stated the ideas in your own words or if the ideas or their sources seem obvious.

Bottom line: Write in your own words and reference the ideas you use to the sources you read them in.

Help with Research and Writing

The Library maintains a collection of links to sites that can assist you with proper citation format and paraphrasing and quoting other authors at http://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu  Research & Writing Help. The Learning Center has writing tutors available to help you with your writing http://lc.brooklyn.cuny.edu/.

The best learning is done in conversation with others, whether they are people—classmates, teachers, friends—or texts—books, articles, essays, poems, films etc. It should not be a solitary process. However, the assignments that you hand in for this course must be done on your own, should represent your own thinking, and should be original work that you have done for this particular course. In my opinion, the best way to balance these two seemingly contradictory approaches (collaborative learning and original individually-produced work) without knowingly—or, even unwittingly—resorting to plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is to learn and meticulously observe the rules for citing the work of others (this could be the great point your roommate made that you used in your paper, it could be a well-turned phrase from an academic essay, or it could be anything in between). It is your responsibility to learn what constitutes plagiarism and the correct rules for citing sources—read the information on the following web site carefully: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies/. The bottom line is: passing off anyone’s words or ideas as your own for any reason whatsoever is plagiarism.

Late Assignments:

It is your responsibility to ensure that all assignments are submitted by the due date. I will reduce the grade on an assignment by one half letter grade if one period late and one full grade thereafter. As a general rule, it is always best to turn in assignments on time, but not turning in an assignment at all is far worse than turning them in late. A letter grade penalty is far less onerous than a zero.

Accessibility

It is important to me that the course be accessible to all students. Students who have a disabling condition which might interfere with their ability to successfully complete this course are encouraged to speak to me confidentially. I will be happy to cooperate in identifying alternate means of demonstrating such mastery where there is a demonstrable need. Students with disability-related academic accommodations students must register with the Center for Student Disability Services if they have not done so already. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at 718-951-5538. If you have already registered with the Center for Student Disability Services please provide me with the course accommodation form so we may discuss your specific accommodation.

Bottom line: I'm here to help. Brooklyn College wants to help too.

Questions, Problems and Incomplete's:

If you have a question I encourage you to ask it in class. There are no stupid questions; only answers that didn't need to be. If you don't know the answer to a question it is likely someone else is curious as well. Please ask. The worst that can happen is that I defer my answer to a meeting after class or during office hours.
If you have a problem in the class I encourage you to contact me as quickly as possible. Several means of contact are listed at the top of my Brooklyn College home page, including telephone, e-mail, and instant messenger. I also maintain regular office hours. Note, in particular, that I will not grant an incomplete for the course unless you talk to me about it in advance or I am aware of conditions which would make it impossible for you to complete the course during the semester.