English 111-201
Entertainment Arts: Film, Television, and the Internet
Instr: Poster, Jamie
Office: CRT 405; 229-5912
e-mail: poster@uwm.edu
Office hours: TBA
Course Information: Online Web course
Course Description
From cinema to cell phones, the multimedia context of contemporary life is rapidly changing; this course will examine some of those shifting and ubiquitous technologies and images. Entertainment Arts offers a general introduction to the critical study of film, television, and new media. While examining each technology individually we will also work in a state of persistent comparison, endeavoring to comprehend media culture as a larger phenomenon. Through readings, screenings, and discussions, students will develop sophisticated understandings of media culture in terms of technical properties, industrial practices, representation, cultural theories, social responses and more.
There are no prerequisites for this course and you are therefore not expected to have any prior knowledge of media studies. You are, however, expected to treat the material as a legitimate object of study. We will begin with the premise that film, television, and new media offer much more than "entertainment" and, accordingly, studying these forms is a serious undertaking requiring rigor and diligence.
