Media and film studies

TV: Fictions and Entertainments

Module code: P3068
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module focuses on the textual and contextual study of television's key fiction and entertainment genres - soap operas, sitcoms and other styles of comedy, game shows, lifestyle television, daytime television, and music television among others. You will be encouraged to explore the defining generic characteristics of these televisual categories, their representational strategies, their ideological implications, their particular pleasures and their relationship with audiences. The primary focus will be on British television, although material from other broadcasting contexts will be used where appropriate for comparative purposes. Most of the primary material will be drawn from current or recent TV, but students will also be required to investigate the history of popular TV genres to understand their evolution over time.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of popular television genres and their operation in the contemporary televisual landscape.
• Recognise and critically evaluate key critical approaches to the study of popular television with special reference to the practices of television consumption and questions of social and cultural identity.
• Apply a range of concepts and approaches in a critical analysis of an aspect of popular television, focusing on specific TV texts as appropriate
• Synthesise knowledge, research and analysis to construct an independently argued extended essay