ENG-H266 "Mad Men:" Reading Visual Narratives
This course will focus on the cultural phenomenon of the TV Series Mad Men, considered by many to be the foremost example of Quality TV produced during the so-called "golden age of television" and engage with it on visual, cultural, literary and filmic levels. The basic premise of the course is that the current practice of "binge watching" one's favorite shows should be a heightened experience rather than a guilty pleasure, one akin to reading a novel. Watching a complex and sophisticated TV narrative involves taking into account the viewer's positionality as a filmic consumer, textual critic and social commentator. The class will consider various theoretical approaches to television narrative, beginning with ideas gleaned from the discourse of visual literacy, and proceed by applying textual analysis adapted from the more traditional modes of literary studies and film analysis. A combination of critical and evaluative sources will be examined, including book-length studies of the series, individual essays based on the series' appeal to style, American popular culture, advertising, gender roles, race, and 60s nostalgia. Additionally, the recent phenomenon of the "series recap" will serve as the touchstone to the class's collective viewing of the series and students will be challenged to synthesize and assess these popular on-line critiques as they draft their own recaps and creative readings of the episodes. The entire first two seasons of Mad Men will be studied and the invaluable resource of director/producer commentaries will be incorporated into the study of the series with a view to acquiring critical insights and analytical skills that may be applied to other quality TV series that students currently enjoy watching.
Prerequisite
Restricted to CAS Honor Students
Offered
Fall, Spring