Symposium: Issues in RTVF (398-0-20)
Topic
Children's Media Culture
Instructors
Jacob Arnaud Smith
Meeting Info
Louis Hall 119: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Louis Hall 119: Tues 6:00PM - 8:50PM
Overview of class
When we consider the subject of children's media culture, we quickly discern a host of contradictory behaviors and attitudes: childhood is seen as a period of timeless wonder, but children are bombarded with all the latest fads and newest gadgets; we try to insulate children from the adult world, but provide them with media technologies that allow them easy access to it; we want kids to be kids, but are thrilled to introduce them to the consumer marketplace through toys, advertisements, and media franchises. This class will explore contradictions such as these by placing discourses around childhood and children's media within their broader cultural, social, and historical contexts. We will discuss a wide range of media texts, including film adaptations of fairy tales and classic children's literature, children's television, digital games, children's music, and online video. These case studies will allow us to engage with debates about contemporary media culture and interrogate differing perspectives on the nature of childhood. Children are often understood to be a particularly vulnerable segment of the media audience, and the investigation of children's media has much to tell us about regimes of regulation and censorship, theories about media influence on behavior and identity, the relationship between media and the lived environment, and debates about the media's role in education and marketing. Our goal is to better understand children's media culture and the social institutions and practices that have shaped it, while engaging with this important cultural field through critical, historical, and aesthetic analysis.
Teaching Method
Class meetings will involve lecture, discussion, and evening screening sessions.
Evaluation Method
Students are required to write two essays, the second essay will consist of a substantially revised and expanded version of the first essay.
There is also a required writing portfolio that consists of several revised versions of in-class writing exercises.
One component of the attendance and participation grade will be in-class reading quizzes.
Class Materials (Required)
All the required readings can be found on Canvas.