Listed in: First Year Seminar, as FYSE-122
Amelie E. Hastie (Section 01)
Television has become so vast, so amorphous that it may seem impossible to define today. But in
this ineffability also lies possibility. This course will explore the possibilities that television
offers us when we look at it closely: possibilities of comfort, of speculation, of desire, even of
kindness. And we will consider other formal possibilities in television’s various incarnations
from its original broadcast commercial format in the US to contemporary streaming applications.
Hence, we will also explore televisual and digital approaches to narrative, temporality, and
control. The course will include a range of readings about television from disciplinary
perspectives, and it will also include readings that enable an imaginative approach to what
television has to offer us as viewers. Indeed, we will see television viewers themselves (and
ourselves!) as also full of possibilities; hardly passive, TV viewers have the potential to analyze,
speculate, and imagine connections within and across television series, or “texts.” We will also
look at several case studies: multiple episodes and arcs of historical and contemporary series to
ground our understanding and debates.
Fall semester. Professor Hastie.
How to handle overenrollment: Freshmen year seminar
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Students will write regularly. Students will collaborate in small groups and regularly participate in class discussions.
Course Materials