Gateway 100--------------Sitcoms & Society
Room: Buck 11 Time: MWF 10-10:50
a.m.
Instructor: James Plath Phone: 556-3352 Office: CLA 143
Hours: MWF 9-10 a.m. & by appointment
URL: http://sun.iwu.edu/~jplath/plath.html Email: jplath@iwu.edu
Text: Our "texts" will be sitcoms, with instructor
handouts on writing, grammar, and humor. Be aware that some
sitcoms will have nudity, strong language, adult situations, and
situations/language now considered politically incorrect.
Web Resources: Internet
Movie Database, Rottentomatoes.com,
TV.com, Jumptheshark.com, Classic-TV.com, and TVmegasite.net. Remember to
always corroborate data on three sites before you consider it
accurate.
Course Objectives:
Course Requirements:
Students must complete ALL assignments in order to receive a grade
for the course. In addition, because Gateways are discussion-based
and peer review is both crucial and ongoing, students are expected
to miss no more than three classes; more than three will affect
your grade, up to one full grade per absence after the allotted
three excused absences. If there are extenuating circumstances,
students are expected to contact the instructor at once, and not
let things get out of hand. One round of conferences is built into
the syllabus, but students MUST sign up for at least one
additional conference on their own.
Out-of-Class Work: Students will spend 10-12 hours some weeks outside of class time working on research and writing assignments; plan your schedules accordingly.
Grades Will Be Determined on the Following Basis:
Format/Deadlines: All papers (first drafts included) must be typed, double-spaced, and submitted in HARD COPY in 12-pt. Times New Roman, with standard margins. Late papers will be penalized up to one grade for every class period they're late.
Tentative Calendar:
Week 1 (Aug 26, 28, 30)--The Fifties. Possible
in-class sitcoms: I Love
Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.
Week 2 (Sept 4, 6)--The Fifties. Possible in-class
sitcoms: Father Knows
Best, The Donna Reed Show, Make Room for Daddy. Due
Sept 6: 2-4 page reaction paper.
Week 3 (Sept 9, 11, 13)--The Sixties. Possible in-class sitcoms: The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched. Due Sept 13: Draft, 3-5 page personal essay.
Week 4 (Sept 16, 18, 20)--The Sixties. Possible
in-class sitcoms: Gilligan's
Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, I
Dream of Jeannie. Due Sept 20: Final Draft,
personal essay.
Week 5 (Sept 23, 25, 27)--The Seventies. Possible
in-class sitcoms: All in
the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H. Due
Sept 27: Draft, 4-6 page comparison/contrast essay.
Week 6 (Sep 30, Oct 2, 4)--The Seventies. Possible in-class sitcoms: The Brady Bunch, Good Times, Taxi, The Jeffersons. Due Oct 4: Final Draft, comparison/contrast essay.
Week 7 (Oct 7, 9, 11)--The Eighties. Possible
in-class sitcoms: Three's Company, Night Court, Cheers,
Newhart, Murphy Brown. Due Oct 11: Draft, 4-6 page
argument & persuasion essay.
Week 8 (Oct 14, 16, 18)--The Eighties. Possible
in-class sitcoms: The Cosby Show, Married with Children,
Family Ties. Due Oct 18: Final Draft, 4-6 page
argument & persuasion essay.
Week 9 (Oct 21, 23, 25)--The Nineties. Possible
in-class sitcoms: Seinfeld, Will & Grace, Friends,
Frasier. Due Oct 25: Draft, 4-6 page right brain
or left brain essay (analysis or creative humor).
Week 11 (Nov 4, 6, 8)--The 2000s. Possible in-class sitcoms: Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Ugly Betty. Due Nov. 8: topic/thesis for research paper; sign up for conferences.
Week 12 (Nov 11, 13, 15)--Comedy Writing / Conferences. In-class handouts. Students are expected to attempt 3-5 pages of comedy writing, either as stand-up or as a script for an existing or imagined show, to be presented during the final exam. Students may perform stand-up, a scene, or show a short film they've made; students can work alone or in pairs or teams. Possible in-class sitcom w/script: Will & Grace or The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Due Nov. 15: Sources for 8-10 page paper, annotated.
Week 13 (Nov 18, 20, 22)-- Extended Research Paper/Development. Due Nov. 22: First draft of 6-8 page research paper/critical essay; in-class peer review.
Week 14 (Nov 25, Thanksgiving)--"Turkeys Away" episode of WKRP in Cincinnati and research paper troubleshooting.
Week 15 (Dec 6, 8)--Due Dec. 8: Final Draft of 8-10 page
research paper. Roundtable on sitcoms then and now.
FINAL EXAM: Tues., Dec. 10, 3:30-5:30 p.m. (Five-Minute Stand-up Comedy Routine, Performed Scene, or Short Film; may work in pairs or teams). Final draft of 8-10 page research paper is due at the beginning of the final exam period.