Media Landscape

COMPETENCES AND SKILLS THAT WILL BE ACQUIRED AND LEARNING RESULTS

1. Basic general knowledge about the audiovisual system function (main contents, main authors, class readings).
2. Ability to apply theoretical and critical analysis to media institutions (main ideas and concepts comprehension, personal analysis and its communication by the student).
3. Understanding of the problems and questions aroused by the media landscape

DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS: PROGRAMME

I. Film Industry

Lesson 1: What are we talking about?

Lesson 2: The Film Industry: an overview
Film as a cultural industry
Main actors
The beginnings of cinema: Who invented cinema? Kinetoscope vs. Cinematographe. European Hegemony. An international business.
Reading: The Political Economy of Film, by Janet Wasko.

Lesson 3: Hollywood hegemony
Historical reasons: WWI and WWII.
Economical reasons: End of the Edison¿s trust. Hollywood. Fordism.
Cultural reasons: From melting pot to salad bowl. Modernity (Hansen).
Political reasons. The Little State Department and the Falacy of the laissez faire: The MPAA as a lobby. Independence? Rating system?
Relationship between the United States government and the MPAA.
Conclusion: Oligopoly. Competence inside / collaboration outside. Distribution control.
Reading: Global Cultural Industries: New Strategies, Old Motivations, by Janet Wasko

Lesson 4: Hollywood hegemony (II). Not Only Films.
Hollywood after WWII
The Windows System: Dollars beyond tickets
The digital revolution and the piracy troubles
Media concentration
Majors and indies
Synergy
Other revenues
Reading: Scans from The Global Transformations Reader, by David Held and Anthony G. McGrew and The Structure and Dynamics of Global Multi-Media Business Networks by Manuel castells and Amelia h. Arsenault.
Lesson 5: Hollywood today
New Industrial Division of Labor
Runaway production
Reading: Scans from Global Hollywood 2, by Toby Miller et al

Lesson 6: Government and the movie industry I:
Reasons for the
An abridge history of European government activities
From cultural exception to cultural diversity
Disney and children's culture
Reading: Cultural Exception, national policies and globalization, by Divina Fraug Meis

Lesson 7: The State and the movie industry II MID TERM EXAM!!
Types of helps
European Regulation: Television Without Frontiers
Problems and consequences
Reading: Television Whithout Frontiers

II. Television Industry

Lesson 8: Television Industry: an overview
Main actors and their activities
Television birth
The government influence
Lesson 9: American Television
Features
The ¿big five¿
The PBS
Financing
FCC
Reading: Watching Television: A Political Economic Approach, by Eileen R. Meehan
Reading: TBA

Lesson 10: European Television
Features
BBC
Public Service
Financing
Ofcom
Reading: Public Broadcasting and Democratic Culture: Consumer, citizens and communards, by Graham Murdock

Lesson 11:Deregulation and re-regulation
New times, new politics. The Crisis
In United States
PBS crisis
Reading: Scans from European Television in the Digital Age, by Stylianos Papathanassopoulos and Public Service Broadcasting Beyond 2000: Is There a Future for Public Service Broadcasting?, by Collins et al.

Lesson 12: Pay Tv / television contents
Types of pay tv
The Birth of HBO
IpTV
Reading: The Inflow of American Television Fiction on European Broadcasting, by Else de Bens.

Lesson 13: Your TV. Comments about your TV

Lesson 14: Doubts

Selected Filmography:

Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
Why we fight? (Frank Capra, 1942)
The Battle of Midway (John Ford, 1942)
Quiz Show (Robert Redford, 1994)
The Player (Robert Altman, 1992)
The Bad and the Beautiful (Vincente Minelli, 1952)
Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY
English Course:

60% Final exam
10% Mid term exam
10% Participation in class
20 % Weekly assignments (to be delivered together during the last class)
Summaries
Personal questions

VERY IMPORTANT: It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to pass the final exam to be evaluated

*There is a lot of work in the course, if you procrastinate on assignments, you will not be able to catch up.
*The assignments are not just busy work. By doing the assignments, you will be gaining valuable knowledge and skills. Further, each assignment builds upon the knowledge and skills of the previous one.
*We will have time to provide feedback to you on how to improve your work, which you can apply to your future assignments.