Reality Television and Popular Culture
Speech 095 Z3 (92723)/Soc 095 Z2 (92968)
Spring 2008
Instructor:
Helen Morgan Parmett
Course Description
This course was formulated out of my own fascination with reality television. As I
watched, I found the programs pleasurable and entertaining, drawing me towards the
question—why do I find this “leisure” activity so pleasurable despite my scholarly
criticisms? To what effect politically, socially, economically is my pleasure being put to
work? I suspected that there were likely a great deal of other people out there who felt
similarly and delved into the abundant scholarly literature in search of answers. In this
class, you will journey with me to create and answer questions that will lead us towards,
hopefully, a greater understanding of this ubiquitous television phenomenon.
The course is crosslisted between Speech Communication and Sociology. This means
that it will merge theories, readings, and concepts from both disciplines, providing a
multi-disciplinary approach to understanding reality television as a part of U.S. and
global popular culture. We will examine the meanings of popular culture, the role of
television and audiences within that culture, and its social, political, and economic
implications. Many of the readings emerge from a Cultural Studies disciplinary way of
approaching the topic, while others stem from the Cultural Sociology and
Communications disciplines.
A significant portion of the course requires participation in a final group project. This
project may be both exciting and intimidating, as it will require you to digitally film a
portion of the class as well as to edit and create a reality tv program out of these
recordings. You are not expected to know how to produce and edit video already—you
will be provided with instructions by the media department at the Bailey Howe Library.
Additionally, throughout the semester, they will be available for consultation and help for
your project.
The course is divided into several sections in an attempt to cover the breadth of themes
emerging out of reality television programs. Through these readings, our discussions,
student presentations, activities, and viewing of a variety of reality tv programs and
formats, we will hope to answer the following questions:
1. What is popular culture and where does reality tv fit into it?
2. What kinds of pleasure does reality tv provide to its viewers? Does this pleasure
account for its seeming popularity?
3. What accounts for the ubiquity of reality television? What is the role of the
television industry in the political economy?
4. Who watches reality tv and why? How do they receive, interpret, and respond to
these programs? What role does the internet play in this reception?
5. What kinds of representations do reality television programs construct about
race/gender/class/sexual orientation and to what effect?
6. How “real” is reality tv and what is the significance of this question? What is
“reality” anyway? What role does mass media, digitization, industrialization play
in influencing “reality”?
7. What is the significance of reality tv’s normalization of surveillance and social
control as a means of entertainment?
8. What influences on and implications of reality tv’s fascination with creating the
celebrity out of the ordinary and the ordinary out of the celebrity?
9. Will reality television provide an opportunity for increased democratic
participation in the culture industry or will it reproduce already existing
hierarchies that stifle democracy?
Course Objectives
1. Learn to read reality tv and other mass media through a critical lens
2. Become familiar with significant debates surrounding television, mass media, and
reality tv in particular
3. Improve speaking skills through discussions and class presentations in addition to
improving writing skills through response papers and exam papers.
4. Be able to connect the course to your personal/public life & enable an active
response to mass media by becoming a producer of reality tv programming
Required Readings
Books:
Holmes, Su and Jermyn, Deborah. Understanding Reality Television. New York:
Routledge, 2004. (available at the bookstore)—heretofore referred to as HJ
Murray, Susan and Oulette, Laurie. Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. New
York: New York University Press, 2004. (available at the bookstore)—heretofore
referred to as MO
Chapters & Articles:
Andrejevic, Mark. “Rediscovering Reality,” Reality TV: the Work of Being Watched.
Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2003
Bignell, Jonathan. “Surveillance,” Big Brother: reality tv in the twenty first century.
London: Palgrave, 2005.
Cavender, Gray and Fishman, Mark. “Television Reality Crime Programs: Context and
History,” in Entertaining Crime: Television Reality Programs, ed. Gray Cavender and
Mark Fishman. New York: Aldine De Gruyther, 1998.
Carmody, Dianne Cyr. “Mixed Messages: Images of Domestic Violence on ‘Reality’
Television,” in Entertaining Crime: Television Reality Programs, ed. Gray Cavender and
Mark Fishman. New York: Aldine De Gruyther, 1998.
Dann, Gabrielle. “American Idol: From the Selling of a Dream to the Selling of a
Nation.” Meditations, vol. 1, no. 1, pp.
Deery, June. “Reality TV as Advertainment.” Popular Communication. vol 2, no.1, pp.
1-20, 2004.
Kachgal, Tara. "'Look at The Real World. There's Always a Gay Teen on There': Sexual
Citizenship and Youth-Targeted Reality Television." Feminist Media Studies, vol. 4, no.
3, pp. 361-64, November 2004.
Grading
The grading scale is as follows:
100-96.5—A+
96.4-92.5—A
92.4-89.5—A59.4 and below—F
89.4-86.5—B+
86.4-82.5—B
82.4-79.5—B-
79.4-76.5—C+
76.4-72.5—C
72.4-69.5—C-
69.4-66.5—D+
66.4-62.5—D
62.4-59.5—D-
What the Grades Mean
A= Work that goes beyond the requirements of the assignment by adding insight,
creativity and/or particularly thoughtful analysis. Demonstrates a comprehensive
command of the course material, and exceptional ability to apply concepts to the real
world, and a superior ability to organize and express ideas.
B=Work that adequately meets the requirements of the assignment. Demonstrates a solid
command of the course material, an ability to apply concepts to the real world with only
minor problems, and good organization and expression of ideas.
C= Work that partially meets the requirements of the assignment. Demonstrates
acceptable command of the course material, a basic ability to apply concepts to the real
world with some gaps and problems, and moderate skill in the organization and
expression of ideas.
D=Work that marginally meets the requirements of the assignment. Demonstrates little
command of the course material, minimal attempt to apply concepts to real world, and
limited ability to organize and express ideas.
F= Work that does not meet the requirements of the assignment. Demonstrates no
command of the course material, unable to appropriately or consistently apply concepts
to the real world, and insufficiently organizes and expresses ideas.
Course Requirements
Reading Response Analyses
Class Presentation
Midterm Exam
Final Group Project
Discussion Participation
Total
15%
15%
25%
35%
10%
100%
Reading Response Analyses (15%)—you will need to choose one reality television
program of your choice to watch throughout the semester. Four times during the
semester, you will compose a 2-4 page paper analyzing and critiquing this show using the
concepts, theories, and arguments made in the readings for the week of and prior to the
date the paper is due. You should feel free to disagree with the readings, but ground your
disagreement in an analysis that accounts for the readings’ arguments and your own
reading of the show. These papers should show an adept understanding of the concepts
in the readings as well as the ability to knowledgably apply them to the television show
you choose.
Class Presentation (15%)—you will give a brief (10-15) minute presentation of the
reality television show you have chosen to follow over the semester. In the presentation,
you will show a short clip of the show, give a brief analysis of the clip drawing on course
concepts and discussions, and facilitate a brief discussion. Greater details of this
assignment can be found at the end of the syllabus.
Midterm Exam (25%)—this will be a take-home essay exam. I will provide a series of
questions for you to respond to regarding the course readings, lectures, discussions, and
other course materials.
Final Group Project (35%)—you and other class members will form a group.
Throughout the first half of the semester, students will video tape each class. Each group
will then be given a series of video tapes with which to create their own reality television
episode. You will receive some training in video editing and production. During the
final class period, each group will show their video to the class and provide a presentation
and discussion of their episode, experiences, and processes. You will also hand in a short
paper discussing the project. Greater details of this assignment can be found at the end of
the syllabus.
Discussion Participation (10%)—this will be a discussion based class, and as such, you
will be expected to participate in class discussions. You should, however, come prepared
to class to participate in an educated discussion on the course topics and readings.
Though many of you are likely to have already formulated ideas about reality tv,
television, and popular culture, these insights may not always be relevant or grounded in
evidenced argument.
Class Challenges—though not a requirement per se, you will be rewarded for coming to
class. Throughout the semester, we will have a series of challenges where class members
will participate in a group to accomplish a particular task. Winners of the task will be
rewarded.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend each class meeting. Each student is allowed one absence.
Unexcused absences that exceed this amount will be penalized by 3 points off of their
final letter grade for each additional absence.
Course Schedule
The following course schedule is tentative and subject to change
Date
Aug 30
Sept 6
Topic
Introduction to course
Go over syllabus
Introduction to Theories on
Sociology, Cultural Studies, &
Popular Culture
Reading & Assignments
HJ, introduction, ch. 1 & 2
History and Roots of Reality
Television
Sept 13—No Class
Sept 20
Tutorial in Production and
Editing Processes
Meet on ground floor of
Bailey-Howe Library
HJ, ch. 6
MO, Ch. 15
First Reading Response Due
Sept 27
Oct 4
Oct 11
Discourses of the Real, the
Authentic, & the Performative
Industry and Commercialization,
Part 1
Industry and Commercialization,
Part2
Celebrity Fetish
MO, ch. 6 & 7
Deery, “Reality TV as Advertainment”
Dann, “American Idol: From the Selling
of a Dream to the Selling of a Nation”
HJ, ch. 5
MO, ch. 13
Second Reading Response Due
Oct 18
Cultural Politics Part 1
Hand out midterm
HJ ch. 9
MO, ch. 9
Oct 25
Nov 1
Cultural Politics Part 2
Social Control & Surveillance
Midterm due
HJ, ch. 8 & 10
Kachgal, “’Look at The Real World.
There’s always a gay teen on there.’:
Sexual citizenship and youth targeted
television”
MO, ch. 3
Bignell, “Surveillence”
Nov 8
Nov 15
Crime
Audience Reception
Third Reading Response Due
Fishman & Cavender, “Television
Reality Crime Programs: Context and
History”
Carmody, “Mixed Messages: Images of
Domestic Violence on ‘Reality’
Television”
HJ, ch. 12
MO, ch. 14
Nov 22—No Class
Nov 29
Interactivity
HJ, ch. 13
MO, ch. 17
Andrejevic, “Rediscovering Reality”
Dec 6
Presentation of final projects
Fourth Reading Response Due
Final project due
Class Presentation Assignment
Overview: You have been asked to continually watch a reality television program
throughout the semester. The class presentation provides you with an opportunity to
share your observations of the program with your classmates. You will show a brief clip
to the class, discuss what you think is happening in this clip using course concepts and
readings (i.e. critically read the clip), discuss its implications, and facilitate a brief
discussion with the class. Your presentation should include the following components:
Introduction—
1. introduce the show you are watching. Give a brief summary of the program—
what genre does it fit under, what has been happening on the show so far, why
you chose to watch that show.
2. introduction to the clip—any important background information needed to
understand the clip, a brief summary of what we are about to see.
Body—
1. show clip—it should be brief, 3-5 minutes, poignant, & allow you to make an
argument with regards to what it is showing
2. critique clip—use the class readings & course concepts to “read” what you
think the
Clip is showing. For example, you might show a clip of America’s Next Top
Model and
Critique it for its gender representations using some of the concepts in our section
on cultural politics. “Critique” does not have to be something negative, you can
critique it for its positive representations of gender as well. Your criticisms
should be relevant to what the topic for the day is if at all possible. This part of
your presentation should make up the bulk of your presentation time.
3. facilitate discussion—come prepared with 5 questions to ask your classmates.
Try to
think of questions that will spur thought and discussion. It is okay if you don’t
make it through all 5 questions if your first one or two lead to a great discussion.
You might want to consider other things about the clip that went beyond your
criticism, such as asking the class what they thought about the racial
representations in America’s Next Top Model. Or you might want to spur a
debate about what it was that you criticized; you may ask them if they disagreed
with your reading & what other reading might they offer.
Conclusion—
1. Reiterate your main thesis in your critique of the clip & why you think it is a
valid &
Good reading of the clip.
2. Leave the audience with an ending that will spur them to think further about
what you have said.
Grading—This assignment is worth 15% of your grade. You will be graded most on
your reading of the clip, its relevance to the course, your organization & clarity, & your
delivery.