Audiovisual Culture and Media in the United States 4219-AW010-OG

The aim of this lecture is to introduce and explore various social and cultural aspects of contemporary audiovisual culture in the USA; and some major changes in media, in relation to the broader field of the moving image and audiovisuality. The transition from a modern to an electronic postmodern culture is a frame of reference here. The lecture will provide an overview of contemporary theories of media and visual culture; classes will be in the form of lectures and screenings. We will examine and discuss a wide range of approaches to the interpretation of visual and audiovisual experience (the focus is mostly on the popular media: film, television and the Internet). Readings will include seminal works in media studies and contemporary theory in the visual arts. Readings will include some books and articles devoted to general topics related to media, and to film, television, the internet as such, and to particular issues. Some of the concepts covered in this lecture include representation, panopticism, surveillance, media power, propaganda and sexual politics.
Student should get to know the general outlook on the American media, audiovisual and popular culture.

List of topics
1. Oral logic and the origin of audiovisual culture
2. Photography as the social and cultural novelty
3. Film on the media scene, part I
4. Film on the media scene, part II
5. Main forms of TV series: genre, narrative, heroes etc.
6. Prime time television. The politics of sexuality
7. Strategies of visual manipulation.
8. Manipulation in media, commercialization of media; sensationalism
9. Tabloid culture. Tabloid media
10. . „Show me your real face”. Public vs. private sphere in the media discourse. New media as the tools of surveillance.
11. Media literacy after the media shift in the 21st century
12. The Internet, convergence culture, and essential changes in the mediasphere
13. Convergence culture in action: YouTube
14. Visual culture in the times of social media
15. Conclusion

Type of course

general courses

Learning outcomes

Student should get to know the general history of the American audiovisual culture, media, and their meaning to popular culture. Moreover, student should get to understand the phenomena related to the convergence culture of 21st century, and to know the most important factors of media development.
Competences: student is expected to develop her/his cognitive abilities as well as abilities to systematic studies. As a result student should demonstrate the capacity for applying his/her knowledge on American audiovisual culture also in practice.

Assessment criteria

Students are expected to read assigned books and articles, attend classes, and pass the exam.
Grading:
Above 90% 5
85-89% 4+
80-84% 4
70-79% 3+
60-69% 3

Bibliography

Castells Manuel, The Rise of the Network Society, (The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture, vol. I), Wiley-Blackwell 2009.
Jenkins Henry, Convergence Culture. Where Old and New Media Collide, New York University Press, New York-London 2006 (Introduction).
Kozinets Robert V., Netnography. Doing Ethnographic Research Online, Sage 2010.
Lasn Kalle, Culture Jam. How to Reverse America’s Suicaldal Consumer Binge – And Why We Must, Quill-Harper Collins, New York 2000.
Marinescu V., S. Branea, B. Mitu (eds.), Contemporary Television Series: Narrative Structures and Audience Perception, Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2014.
Mirzoeff Nicholas (ed), The Visual Culture Reader, London and NewYork: Routledge, 2001.
Plaisance Patrick Lee, Media Ethics: Key Principles for Responsible Practice, Sage, London 2009.
Glynn Kevin, Tabloid Culture. Trash Taste, Popular Power and the Transformation of American Television, Duke University Press, Durham-London 2000.
Hammond Michael, ‎Lucy Mazdon, The Contemporary Television Series, Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
Storey John, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. An Introduction, Pearson Education Ltd., Harlow 2006.
Shary, Timothy. Generation multiplex: the image of youth in contemporary American cinema. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

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Description of 4219-AW010-OG in USOSweb