Wednesday, November 12, 2008

READING "REALITY" TV Assignment [due by NOON on 12/2!]

WATCH at least 30 minutes of “REALITY” TV. 60 minutes is recommended (if you can handle it!)



Watch at least one episode of “reality” TV (shows focused on, or targeting women, girls, or queer audiences are ripe for analysis). Makeover, dating, family, weight loss, plastic surgery, model competition, sweet 16s and others would be great choices.

Some suggestions:
Network television examples - Wife Swap, Extreme Home Makeover, American Idol, Survivor, America’s Got Talent, Search for Next Pussycat Doll, Amazing Race, Next Top Model, Apprentice, Beauty and the Geek, Big Brother, Nashville Start
MTV - Juvies, Sweet 16, Real World, Made, 50 cent show, Diddy shows
VH1 - Real Chance at Love
TLC - What Not to Wear, A Baby Story, Surviving Motherhood, Miami Ink, Honey We’re Killing the Kids, Shalom in the Home, My Life As A Child, Bringing Home Baby
BRAVO - Top Chef, Real Housewives of Orange County, Project Runway
WE (Women’s Entertainment) – Bridezillas
OXYGEN – Girls Behaving Badly,

There are many sites on reality TV that could point you to some shows currently airing:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/
http://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvworld/allshows.shtml
http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/
http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/

You can choose to watch something you watch often (but watch it again critically) or you can choose something you would not watch unless you were forced to. If you don’t own a television, you can view shows online (clips are viewable on some websites or can be purchaed for $1.99 on itunes for PC or Mac).

2. READ CRITICAL ESSAYS (use essays from our book, or browse the articles from the special issue of Feminist Media Studies focused on feminist analysis of “reality” television, available through the library’s searchable database, this database of readings on reality television (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/realitytv.html) or find a scholarly article that can help you theorize to your “reading” of the show you watched.

3. WRITE AN ANALYTIC BLOG POST on our COURSE BLOG

Your essay should include:

a – A brief summary of the program you viewed (don’t go into EXTENSIVE plot details, just frame the show’s plot line as needed). THINK CONTENT [most significant details]

b – Discussion of the context (where does this program air, when, who produces it and for what purpose). You can find most production companies on the web. Hint: Watch the CREDITS and note the logos at the beginning and end of the programs).

c – A brief discussion of the intended audience (who do you think this show targets). Clue –what sorts of products are advertised during this program (cosmetics, fast food, minivans?)

d –Do a feminist intersectional analysis (a feminist “read”) of the show, using the theoretical concepts we’ve discussed and/or read. Think about how gender, race, class, bodies, identities, and sexualities are represented. Consider the portrayals, stereotypes and processes (like socialization and normalization) at work, the context (what you researched about the show’s producers and distributors), and the (potential) affects on audiences.

!!! Feel free to include image or screen grabs (if you watch your show online), to illustrate points that you may make about form.

!!! Suggested length 800-1000 words (around 2-3 pages). Make sure you cite at least ONE READING to support your analysis!

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