FI367-15 US Comedy Television
Introductory description
n/a
Module aims
This module will explore U.S. comedy television from one of the earliest televised sitcoms, I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951 – 1957), to present-day post-broadcast comedy such as Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix, 2021). Taking a roughly chronological approach, each week will focus on different popular sub-genres such as the network sitcom, the late- night show, the ‘dramedy’, the adult animation, and the stand-up special. Lectures will situate the programmes within a historical context while seminars will allow students to discuss the texts more closely, with an emphasis on close analysis. Previous experience in television studies isn’t required but the module will utilise the skills of analysis, criticism, and theory covered in the core first-year classes, FTV Analysis and FTV Criticism (or outreach classes Film Analysis/History and Methods).
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Indicative Screening List: I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951 - 1957); The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970 - 1977); Seinfeld (NBC, 1989 - 1998); Friends (NBC, 1994 - 2004); Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 2000 - ); Arrested Development (FOX, 2003 - 2006); Saturday Night Live (NBC, 1975 - ); Scrubs (NBC, 2001 - 2010); Girls (HBO, 2012 - 2017); Love (Netflix, 2016 - 2018); The Simpsons (FOX, 1989 - ); Jackass (MTV, 2000 - 2001); Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix, 2021).
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate an ability to closely analyse comedy texts and be able to discuss their significance within the genre.
- Demonstrate a detailed understanding of one or more comedy sub-genres and the key debates surrounding them.
- Use precise and engaging language to describe and analyse comedic moments from the texts.
- Demonstrate an ability to work in a group and communicate ideas effectively through speech as part of a presentation
Indicative reading list
Steve Neale and Frank Krutnik, Popular Film and Television Comedy (New York: Routledge, 1990). Lori Landay, I Love Lucy (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2010). John Mundy and Glyn White, Laughing Matters: Understanding Film, Television and Radio Comedy (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2012). Jeremy G. Butler, The Sitcom (New York: Routledge, 2019). Brett Mills, The Sitcom (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009). Extracts from Glen Creeber (ed.), The Television Genre Book – Third Edition (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). David Lavery and Sara Lewis Dunne (eds.), Seinfeld: Master of its Domain (New York: Continuum International Pub. Group, 2006). Nicholas Mirzoeff, Seinfeld (London: BFI, 2007). Jason Mittell, Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling (New York: New York University Press, 2015). Jason Jacobs and Steven Peacock (eds.), Television Aesthetics and Style (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013). James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live – 40th Anniversary Edition (New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company, 2015). Jim Whalley, Saturday Night Live, Hollywood Comedy, and American Culture: From Chevy Chase to Tina Fey (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010). Mareike Jenner, Netflix and the Re-invention of Television (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Faye Woods, ‘Girls Talk: Authorship and Authenticity in the Reception of Lena Dunham’s Girls’, Critical Studies in Television, 10:2 (2015). Matthew A. Henry, The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). Carol A. Stabile and Mark Harrison (eds.), Prime Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture (London: Routledge, 2003). David Marc, Comic Visions: Television Comedy and American Culture (London: Unwin Hyman, Ltd, 1989).
Research element
Students will have to write an essay that will involve research into concepts, contexts and texts.
Subject specific skills
This module develops skills of audio-visual literacy, through close textual and/or contextual analysis in relation to the moving image and sound. It also develops understandings of historical, theoretical and conceptual frameworks relevant to screen arts and cultures.
Transferable skills
- Critical and analytical thinking in relation
- Independent research skills
- Team work
- Clarity and effectiveness of communication, oral and written
- Accurate, concise and persuasive writing
- Audio-visual literacy
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Other activity | 18 hours (12%) |
| Private study | 114 hours (76%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Required and additional reading; additional viewing; seminar preparation; private research into module topics that goes beyond the module readings/screenings to help with assessments.
Other activity description
Other activity: Screenings
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| 4,500 word essay | 90% | Yes (extension) | |
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This essay is designed to enable students to demonstrate the skills that you have developed in textual analysis and the critical reading of television texts during the module. It is an exercise in combining research, reading and textual analysis and any essay should attend to all three aspects in a meaningful and balanced way. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Group Presentation | 10% | No | |
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10-minute presentation providing a close analysis of one comedy sequence from a programme studied in class accompanied by (at least) one piece of relevant scholarship. Sequence should be no more than 2 minutes in length and shown as part of the presentation. Presentation delivered in class. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Detailed written feedback will be given on the presentation and essay, along with the option of individual tutorials before submission and after grading.
Pre-requisites
To take this module, you must have passed:
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 3 of UFIA-W620 Undergraduate Film Studies
- Year 4 of UFIA-W621 Undergraduate Film Studies (with Year Abroad)
- Year 4 of UFIA-QW26 Undergraduate Film and Literature (with Study Abroad)
This module is Option list A for:
- Year 3 of UFIA-QW25 Undergraduate Film and Literature