| Session |
Date |
Subject |
Assignment (to be completed before class on the date assigned) |
| NC |
September 4 |
Labor Day Break |
| 1 |
Wednesday, September 6 |
Introduction |
No Reading. Note that this class is on Wednesday. |
| 2 |
September 11 |
The
Landscape of Media Criticism; Exploring
and Explaining Media |
Read Levinson, Chapters 1, 2, 3; Read http://davis.foulger.info/research/unifiedModelOfCommunication.htm
and http://evolutionarymedia.com/papers/hammerAsMedium.htm |
| 3 |
September 18 |
Doing
Media Criticism; Semiotics |
Read Allen, Introduction, Chapter One; Bring body
of content to class |
| 4 |
September 25 |
Semiotics
(continued); Narrative
Theory |
Read Allen, Chapter 2 |
| NC |
|
Yom Kippur Break |
| 5 |
Tuesday, October 3 |
Narrative
Theory (continuted); Writing
Media Criticism |
Read Levinson, Chapters 4, 5, 6, First Annotated
Bibliography Due; Note that this class is on Tuesday. |
| NC |
October 9 |
Columbus Day Break |
| 6 |
October 16 |
Genre
Theory;
Auteur Theory and Production-Oriented Approaches |
Read Allen, Chapter 4; Medium as an Ecology of Genre (web reading); Levinson, Chapters 7 and 8; Short Paper 1 Due |
| 7 |
October 23 |
Medium as Message; Audience-Oriented
Criticism |
Read Levinson, Chapters 9 and 10; Read Allen, Chapter 3 |
| 8 |
October 30 |
Ideological
Analysis; Ideological
Analysis (continued) |
Read Allen Chapters 5; Optionally Read Allen, Chapter 7 |
| 9 |
November 6 |
Cultural
Studies; Theories
of Mind
|
Read Allen, Chapters 6 and 8; Short Paper
2 Due |
| 10 |
November 13 |
The Postmodern Turn; Deconstruction of Media Content |
Read Allen, Chapter 9; Term Paper
Introduction Due; Web Readings. See Online Syllabus for links.; Second Annotated Bibliography |
| 11 |
November 20 |
Exam |
First Complete Draft of Term Paper Due; Exam |
| 12 |
November 27 |
Uses
of Media; Term Paper Presentations
|
Read Levinson, Chapters 11, 12, 13; No Reading |
| 13 |
December 4 |
Term Paper Presentations |
No Reading |
| 14 |
December 11 |
The
Rearview Mirror; Thinking
Systematically About Media |
Read Allen, Afterword. Read Levinson, Chapters 14 and 15.
Final Submission of Term Paper for Grading |
| Final |
December 18 |
Optional Final Exam |
Monday from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Term
papers and, to the extent it is possible to do so, final grades will be
returned at this time. |
