Fall 2014
TFM 573 / History: Women in Prime-time Television
W 4:00 – 6:40 / LSS-244
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Office Hours:
Dr. Lauzen
LT 171B
594-6301
By appointment only Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and
Thursdays at 6:45
Course Description
How has prime-time television portrayed girls and women over the last 60 years or so?
How have programs defined what it means to be female in our culture? How do media
organizations, executives, and members of the creative community interact to construct
images of and messages about girls and women? What are the enduring types of female
characters that populate the small screen? This course considers these questions within
the context of scholarly research.
The goals of this course are: 1.) to acquaint you with the body of scholarly knowledge on
women in television, and; 2.) to provide you with the critical thinking skills necessary to
evaluate televisual representations of girls and women. As a result of taking this course,
you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the types of female characters that
populate prime time, how these images have evolved since the inception of television,
and how the representation of women working behind the scenes influences on-screen
portrayals.
Prerequisites
Students must have successfully completed TFM 160 and TFM 310.
Course Reading
Packet available at Aztec Shops (copy on Reserve in the library)
Grading
Midterm Exam #1
Midterm Exam #2
In-Class Writing Assignments
Paper
Presentation
Respondent
TOTAL
50 points
50
20
60
10
5
______________
195
Make-up exams will be given only when proof of illness is presented. There are no
exceptions.
There is no extra credit in this class.
In-class writing assignments will not be announced in advance and cannot be made up.
They may occur at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of class.
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission
for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. You may
request, in writing, that your paper not be submitted to Turnitin. However, if you choose
this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate that the paper is
your original work and does not include any plagiarized material.
Please turn off and put away all phones and other electronic devices before class begins
and refrain from using lap top computers in class.
You must be in class and ready to present on the first day of presentations. If you are
absent and are called on, you will forfeit your right to present.
There is a 10-point per day penalty for late papers.
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations
for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services (SDS)
at (619) 594-6473 as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided
until you have presented your instructor with a letter from SDS.
Course Schedule: (dates are approximate and subject to change)
Week 1/August 27
Introduction: The Television Industry and Gender
Week 2/September 3
Female Archetypes in Television
Week 3/September 10
The First Woman of Television: Gertrude Berg
Week 4/September 17
The 1950s: Beulah, Our Miss Brooks, and Private Secretary
Sign Up for First Round Papers and Respondents
Week 5/September 24
The 1960s: Honey West, My Living Doll, and That Girl
Week 6/October 1
The 1960s: Julia
The 1970s Drama: Police Woman
Week 7/October 8
Midterm Exam #1
Week 8/October 15
First Round Papers Due
Presentations
Week 9/October 22
Sign Up for Second Round Papers and Respondents
Presentations
Week 10/October 29
The 1970s Comedy: Mary and Maude
Week 11/November 5
1980s: Moonlighting and Cagney and Lacey
Week 12/November 12
1980s/1990s Unruly Women: Murphy and Roseanne . . . and Absolutely
Fabulous
Week 13/November 19
Second Round Papers Due
Presentations
Week 14/November 26
No class
Week 15/December 3
Presentations
Week 16/December 10
Midterm Exam #2
THERE IS NO CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM IN THIS CLASS