new york university department of media - NYU Steinhardt School of ...

Class schedule
Date Ses Topic Readings
1. Introduction: the big picture of media events and spectacle Syllabus
2. Lecture presentation: the pre-history of media events: The Cantril, from “The Invasion
Invasion from Mars: a study in the Psychology of Panic. from Mars,” on blackboard.
3. Lecture presentation: the pre-history of media events: The Cantril, from “The Invasion
Invasion from Mars: a study in the Psychology of Panic.
Screening sections from “’Invasion from Mars’ documentary.”
from Mars,” on blackboard.
4. Media events and spectacle: prehistory: Boorstin’s the pseudo Boorstin, from “The Image,”
event.
on blackboard.
5. Media events and spectacle: prehistory: Boorstin’s the pseudo Dayan and Katz, from “Media
event.
Events,” on blackboard
6. Media Culture and the triumph of the spectacle. Dayan and Katz, from “Media
Events,” on blackboard.
7. Media Culture and the triumph of the spectacle. Kellner, from “Media
Spectacle,” on blackboard.
8. The Spectacle of Commodities: American advertising. Mcluhan, from “The
Mechanical Bride,” on
blackboard;
9. The Spectacle of Commodities: American Advertising. Williams, “The Magic
System,” on blackboard.
10. The Spectacle of Sports: the Super Bowl in American culture Appropriate readings on
blackboard
11. The Spectacle of Sports: the Super Bowl in American culture: Appropriate articles on
the advertising.
blackaboard.
12. The Spectacle of the body: American professional wrestling Barthes, Hedges,
introduction. Both on
blackboard.
13. Class Review.
14. Midterm (in class)
15. The spectacle of celebrity. Boorstin, from “The Image,”
on blackboard & Turner,
Part1.
16. The spectacle of celebrity. Turner, Part 2 and 3
17. The spectacle of celebrity.
18. The movie spectacle. Tryon, chap 1.
19. The movie spectacle Tryon, chap. 3
20 The movie spectacle: the academy awards Haastrup, on blackboard.
21. The spectacle of democracy: presidential debates. All readings on blackboard. .
22. The spectacle of democracy: presidential debates. All readings on blackboard.
23. The spectacle of democracy: presidential debates. All readings on blackboard.
24. The spectacle of democracy: presidential conventions. Lang, from Politics and
Television Reviewed,” on
blackboard.
25. The spectacle of democracy: presidential conventions. Panagopoulos, on
blackboard.
26. Puncturing the political spectacle: new political talk television. Jones, from “Entertaining
Politics,” chaps on
blackboard.
27. Puncturing the political spectacle: satire and dissent. Jones, from “Entertaining
Politics,” chaps on
blackboard.
28. Puncturing the political spectacle: satire and dissent. Day, from “Satire and
Dissent,” on blackboard.
29. Final class session. All questions answered; all answers
questioned. Final paper due.
SAMPLE SYLLABUS
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