Unit information: Television: Ideas and Industry in 2022/23

Unit name	Television: Ideas and Industry
Unit code	FATV30020
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Piper
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one
School/department	Department of Film and Television
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

This unit will explore television programming in relation to its production and cultural contexts, initially by comparing the vision and practice of early British television (in the so-called 'golden age' of the 1950s/60s) with the present complexities of the international television industry and contemporary consumer culture. Students will also consider how commissioning decisions are made, and how notions of 'quality' and expectations of public service shift in an increasingly plural environment that includes non-broadcast provision of television programming. Lectures and seminars will be supplemented by screenings of a range of programmes that may be seen to reflect the broader contextual changes of industry, markets, and the public sphere. Students will deepen their understanding of practical creative decision making at various levels of the broadcasting industry by researching broadcaster requirements and working on commercially viable group TV programme proposals to be presented/submitted at the end of the unit.

Unit Aims

1. To trace the origin of key concepts in broadcasting and examine contemporary developments in the television broadcasting industry.
2. To examine some of the political, social and cultural issues faced by contemporary television providers.
3. To investigate changing forms of programming in particular social and industrial contexts.
4. To engage in research-based investigations of appropriate primary and secondary material and deploy this for the various assignments.
5. To deepen understanding of creative and industrial decision making by engaging in a practical exercise to a brief comparable to broadcaster requirements, and to explore critically and practically how the ideals of broadcasting, such as public service and quality, might translate into forms and modes of television programming.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Identify and critically respond to emerging trends in British broadcasting and examine contemporary developments in the television industry.
2. Identify and critically respond to key political, social and cultural issues faced by contemporary television providers.
3. Analyse specific television programmes at an advanced level within particular historical, national and/or social contexts.
4. Identify and evaluate pertinent evidence in support of a cogent argument.
5. Develop and present an independent programme idea in response to a specific brief.

How you will learn

weekly lecture/seminar or workshop plus screenings

How you will be assessed

2500 word essay (50%) ILOs 1-4

20 minute group presentation (50%) ILOs 1, 5

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. FATV30020).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.