MEDS 288 - The Wire, Quality Television, and the Media of Dissent

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as FILM 288) This course examines HBO’s The Wire by situating the show within the historical, cultural, and industrial contexts of the production and reception of television programs known as “quality television.” Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of television we investigate different critical frameworks used to discuss the history and theory of the medium. The show is used as a case study to examine media convergence on an industrial and textual level, changes to televisual aesthetics and narrative paradigms, and theories of authorship. The course considers The Wire as a part of a long lineage of “dissent” media (including television, motion pictures, and newspapers), which through its emphasis on structural and institutional conditions conveys a particular argument about societal issues and the need for change. Particular attention is paid to the show’s portrayal of African-American and female characters as well as the connections between The Wire and its cinematic predecessors including neo-realism, Blaxploitation and the social problem film. Alex Kupfer.

Prerequisite(s): one course in Media Studies or Film.

Two 75-minute periods accompanied by film screenings.