• Home
• Requirements
• Syllabus
• Extra Materials
• Discussion Questions
• Short Assignments
  • Week 1
  • Week 2
  • Definitions
  • Week 3
  • Week 4
  • Week 5
  • Week 6
  • Week 7
  • Week 8
  • Week 9
  • Week 10
  • Week 11
  • Week 12
  • Week 13
  • Week 14
  • Week 15
• Papers

Short writing assignment -- week 9
due by email at 5pm on Friday, Oct. 30

Because we are reading about watching television, this week I’d like you to spend at least 30 minutes watching someone (or a group of people) watching television. Following Mankekar’s methods, take notes about how the audience is reacting to the program, what they seem to be doing with what they’re watching, how they’re responding. Please write at least one page describing what you saw and your analysis.

We will talk more in class about how to accomplish this assignment, but I want to emphasize that “watching TV” doesn’t necessarily mean “not doing anything else.” Many people I know turn on the TV and then begin to do other things. This observation can be accomplished in any situation in which a television is on. Also, the definition of "television" is flexible, so feel free to watch people watching things online. For any situation, be sure to describe the context.