Topics in Media Writing (360-0-27)
Topic
Writing about TV
Instructors
Hope Rehak
Meeting Info
Annie May Swift Hall 219: Thurs 3:00PM - 5:50PM
Overview of class
Writing about television is a broad subject, and includes criticism in the traditional sense of evaluating a commercial exercise on an artistic level, as well as the more popular online form of perspective-based criticism, which often veers into the territory of the personal essay. Outlets like NYMag and its online component Vulture, The New Yorker, Buzzfeed (and its many imitators), etc. publish widely different forms of television-based writing, all of which we will read examples of in order to write our own essays about the television we love. Authors studied will include the likes of Emily Nussbaum, Jia Tolentino, James Poniewozik, and more in traditional print media to the internet's bevy of cultural critics, who often share personal details while claiming and owning the idea of their own subjectivity. This class will look at writing that uses television as a means to discuss something bigger about the author and/or society, in pursuit of making our own writing about television sharp, relevant, and compelling. Students will learn the tools of criticism and personal essay and be tasked with writing the same kinds of pitches and pieces they themselves like to read.
Registration Requirements
None beyond the dept's requirements for the 260s.
Learning Objectives
Students will have several polished, revised essays and pitches ready to send to the outlets of their choosing in pursuit of publication, if they so wish.
Evaluation Method
As a writing workshop class, the majority of student work will be writing personal and critical essays. There will also be a number of assignments that require students to write something in response to a piece of media or another piece of criticism. Rubrics for midterm and final assignments will be provided.
Class Materials (Required)
There are no textbooks or softwares required for this course, but students will need to be able to access PDFs on Canvas, utilize their access to JSTOR and other online scholarly sources through their NU Library access, and have a way of submitting .doc or .pdf writing files to Canvas for their writing assignments. All required readings will be provided as PDFs.
Class Notes
All readings will be available on Canvas. This class will rely on the exchange of ideas between students, so reasonable access to the internet will be necessary to complete assignments and workshops.
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Students must have completed RTVF 260-0 in order to register for this course (concurrent registration is not allowed) or students in Writing: MFA or Documentary Media: MFA programs
Students must have completed RTVF 260-0 in order to register for this course (concurrent registration is not allowed) or students in Writing: MFA or Documentary Media: MFA programs