For this assignment, you attempt to conduct a textual analysis of a brief period (20 minutes worth) of television viewing. Your goal is to then prepare a short, descriptive analysis (essay) in which you examine the formal and medial structures that work to give meaning to what you are viewing.
1. Record or document: A 20 minute segment of TV
If you have access to a video camera or a webcamera, point it at whatever screen you watch TV on for a period of 20 minutes. If you don't have access to this equipment, set a timer for 20 minutes while you watch TV, and make notes, including the time, for each major "beat" in your experience: a channel change, commercial break, lost signal, etc. Anything that significantly effects the flow of your experience.
2. Annotate: Write a detailed description of the segment
Using your notes or recording, write a detailed description of everything that happens in that 20 minutes, noting the time. Use a table format:
| Time | Channel | Short Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00:00 | 7 | Lost (in progress) | ... |
| 0:01:34 | 7 | Ambien Commercial | ... |
3. Analyze: Create a short, analytic essay
In this essay of at least 1000 words, analyze your segment of TV as though it were a literary text, using the concept of narrative as a guide. Since your segment will likely include several different "texts" (specific shows, commercials, etc.), pay particular attention to the juxtaposition of these different units and how those build your experience into a "flow." You will create and post this essay through the class website, and attach (as an appendix) your table from step 2. If you produced a recording for step one, you may also upload that as an appendix. Finally, if you do produce a recording of your segment, you have the option of preparing and presenting your analysis essay in the form of audio commentary that you present alongside your segment.
