Just TV
Veronica Mars and Exchanges of Value Revisited » Mapping a Pluralistic Field: What Does Television Studies Really Look Like? » The Scared Is Spread » Haunted by Seriality: The Formal Uncanny of Mulholland Drive » Media violence and debating effects & influences » Homeland, Emotional Plausibility, and the Tethered Triangle » Caption Mining at the Crossroads of Digital Humanities & Media Studies » Talking about Teaching TV at Flow » Back to the Classroom » Thoughts on teaching theory to undergrads »Jason Mittell
Associate Professor of American Studies and Film & Media Culture
Email: jmittell@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.3435
Office Hours: M/T/Th 10:30-12, and by appointment
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Jason Mittell is Associate Professor of American Studies and Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College. He arrived at Middlebury in 2002 after two years teaching at Georgia State University. He received a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin - Madison.
He is the author of two books: Genre and Television: From Cop Shows to Cartoons in American Culture, (Routledge, 2004), and Television and American Culture (Oxford University Press, 2010). He is currently writing a book on narrative complexity in contemporary American television forthcoming from NYU Press and MediaCommons. He maintains the blog Just TV.
His research interests include television history and criticism, media and cultural history, genre theory, narratology, animation and children’s media, and new media studies & technological convergence. He was a founding member of the Public Policy Committee for the Society for Cinema & Media Studies, and is actively involved in advocating for fair use rights in education and media. See his CV for more details, or his scholarly writings for downloadable content.
Professor Mittell teaches a range of courses on media and American culture. Recent courses include Television & American Culture, Theories of Popular Culture, Urban America & Serial Television: Watching The Wire, Sustainable Television: Producing Environmental Media, Storytelling in Film & Media, Media Technology & Cultural Change, and The Art of Animation.
In the 2011-12 academic year, he will be a visiting fellow at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg at the University of Göttingen, Germany, collaborating with colleagues on the Popular Seriality research initiative.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
AMST 0277 / FMMC 0277 - Watching the Wire
Urban America & Serial Television: Watching /The Wire/
Frequently hailed as a masterpiece of American television, The Wire shines a light on urban decay in contemporary America, creating a dramatic portrait of Baltimore's police, drug trade, shipping docks, city hall, public schools, and newspapers over five serialized seasons. In this course, we will watch and discuss all of this remarkable-and remarkably entertaining-series, and place it within the dual contexts of contemporary American society and the aesthetics of television. This is a time-intensive course with a focus on close viewing and discussion, and opportunities for critical analysis and research about the show's social contexts and aesthetic practices. (FMMC 0104, FMMC 0236, or AMST 0211) 3 hrs. sem./screen
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2013
AMST 0500 - Independent Study ▲ ▹
Independent Study
Select project advisor prior to registration.
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
AMST 0700 - Senior Essay
Senior Essay
For students who have completed AMST 0400 and are not pursuing an honors thesis. Under the guidance of one or more faculty members, each student will complete research leading toward a one-term, one-credit interdisciplinary senior essay on some aspect of American culture. The essay is to be submitted no later than the last Thursday of the fall semester. (Select project advisor prior to registration)
Fall 2009, Fall 2010
AMST 0710 - Honors Thesis ▹
Honors Thesis
For students who have completed AMST 0705, and qualify to write two-credit interdisciplinary honors thesis. on some aspect of American culture. The thesis may be completed on a fall/winter schedule or a fall/spring schedule. (Select a thesis advisor prior to registration)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
ENAM 0700 - Senior Essay: Critical Writing
Senior Essay: Critical Writing
Individual guidance and seminar (discussions, workshops, tutorials) for those undertaking one-term projects in literary criticism or analysis. All critical essay writers also take the essay workshop (ENAM 700Z) in either Fall or Spring Term.
Fall 2010
ENAM 0710 - Senior Thesis: Critical Writ.
Senior Thesis: Critical Writing
Individual guidance and seminar (discussions, workshops, tutorials) for those undertaking two-term projects in literary criticism or analysis. All critical thesis writers also take the thesis workshop (ENAM 710z) in both Fall and Spring terms.
Fall 2010
FMMC 0104 / AMST 0104 - Television & American Culture
Television and American Culture
This course explores American life in the last six decades through an analysis of our central medium: television. Spanning a history of television from its origins in radio to its future in digital convergence, we will consider television's role in both reflecting and constituting American society through a variety of approaches. Our topical exploration will consider the economics of the television industry, television's role within American democracy, the formal attributes of a variety of television genres, television as a site of gender and racial identity formation, television's role in everyday life, and the medium's technological and social impacts. 2 hrs. lect./3 hrs. screen
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2012
FMMC 0246 - Media Tech & Cultural Change
Media Technology and Cultural Change
This course will explore how new media technologies impact society and change cultural practices. The course will consider new media of today and yesterday, including printing, comics, audio and digital media, focusing on the social construction of technology, how media technologies help foster our sense of identity and social reality, and how media technologies can be understood across a range of disciplines. We will use new media as both a topic of analysis and as a mode of expression, with ongoing lab projects exploring course concepts via the creation of digital media. No previous media technology skills required. (FMMC 0101 or FMMC 0104) 3 hrs. lect./disc./2 hrs. lab
Spring 2010
FMMC 0285 - Producing Environmental Media
Producing Environmental Media
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Spring 2011
FMMC 0355 / AMST 0355 - Theories of Popular Culture
Theories of Popular Culture
This course introduces a range of theoretical approaches to study popular culture, exploring the intersection between everyday life, mass media, and broader political and historical contexts within the United States. We will consider key theoretical readings and approaches to studying culture, including ideology and hegemony theory, political economy, audience studies, subcultural analysis, the politics of taste, and cultural representations of identity. Using these theoretical tools, we will examine a range of popular media and sites of cultural expression, from television to toys, technology to music, to understand popular culture as a site of ongoing political and social struggle. (Formerly AMST/FMMC 0275) (FMMC 0102 or FMMC 0104 or FMMC 0236 or AMST 0211) 3 hrs. lect./disc./3 hrs. screen.
Spring 2009, Spring 2011
FMMC 0357 - Storytelling in Film & Media
Storytelling in Film & Media
All media feature their own particular techniques of storytelling. We will explore how narrative forms work differently between film, television, and digital media such as videogames. Drawing on theories of narrative developed to understand the structures, techniques, creative practices, and cultural impacts of narrative for literature and film, we will consider how different media offer possibilities to
creators and viewers to tap into the central human practice of storytelling. Students will read theoretical materials and view examples of film, serial television, and games, culminating in a final research project, to better our understanding of narrative as a cultural practice. (FMMC0101 or FMMC0104) 3 hrs. sem./3 hrs. screen.
Fall 2010, Fall 2012
FMMC 0507 - Independent Project ▲ ▹
Advanced Independent work in Film and Media Culture
Guidelines for submitting proposals are available on the Film & Media Culture web site along with a list of prerequisites.
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Winter 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
FMMC 0700 - Senior Tutorial
Film and Media Senior Tutorial
All FMMC majors must complete this course, in which they undertake a critical essay, a screenplay, or a video. The following prerequisite courses are required: for a video project: FMMC 0105, FMMC 0335, FMMC/CRWR 0106; for a screenwriting project: FMMC 0105, FMMC/CRWR 0106, FMMC/CRWR 0341; for a research essay: demonstrated knowledge in the topic of the essay, as determined in consultation with the project advisor, and coursework relevant to the topic as available.
Spring 2013
FMMC 0707 - Senior Independent Work
Senior Honors Project in Film and Media Culture
During the first term of their senior year, students with a GPA of A- in film and media culture courses may apply to undertake a senior project (FMMC 0707) for honors, with the project to be completed the last term of the senior year.
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Winter 2012, Winter 2013
FMMC 1019 / ENVS 1019 - Sustainable Television
Sustainable TV: Producing Environmental Media
In this project-based course, we will collaborate to produce a nonfiction television program discussing sustainability and energy issues. Students will collectively serve all roles in the project, from research and writing, to shooting and editing, resulting in a team-based environment with tight deadlines. Visiting filmmakers and experts will offer project guidance, with the final project shown on local cable, online, and possibly in conjunction with the PBS series Planet Forward. Students will be selected by application to create a team with a range of experience and expertise – prior video production or environmental studies experience is preferred but not required. (Approval required, application available at http://go.middlebury.edu/sustainabletv)
Winter 2010
FYSE 1396 - Digital Media Literacy ▲
STLD 1005 - Collaborative Video Production
Collaborative Video Production
In this course, students will produce four weekly episodes (each five to ten minutes in length) of a situational comedy webseries to be posted on Vimeo prime. Students will be responsible for production at all levels, from the initial writing process to the final edits. While certain roles may be delegated (Head Editor, Director of Photography, Head Writer, etc.), all members of the class will have responsibility and input at every level. A typical week will include filming-intensive days on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, editing-heavy days on Thursday and Friday, and weekends devoted to writing the following week’s episode. (Approval Required; Credit/No Credit)
Winter 2011
Selected Recent Publications
Television and American Culture (Oxford University Press, 2010).
“Previously On: Prime Time Serials and the Mechanics of Memory,” in Intermediality and Storytelling, edited by Marina Grishakova and Marie-Laure Ryan (De Gruyter, 2010), 78-98.
“The Ties Between Daytime and Primetime Serials,” interview in The Survival of Soap Opera: Transformations for a New Media Era, edited by Sam Ford, Abigail de Kosnik, and C. Lee Harrington (University of Mississippi Press, 2010), 133-39.
“TiVoing Childhood: Time Shifting a Generation’s Concept of Television,” in Flow TV: Television in the Age of Media Convergence, edited by Michael Kackman et. al. (Routledge, 2010).
"All in the Game: The Wire, Serial Storytelling and Procedural Logic," in Third Person: Authoring and Exploring Vast Narratives, edited by Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan (MIT Press, 2009), 429-38.
"Lost in a Great Story: Evaluation in Narrative Television (and Television Studies)," in Reading LOST, edited by Roberta Pearson (I.B. Tauris, 2009), 119-38.
"Sites of Participation: Wiki Fandom and the Case of Lostpedia," Transformative Works and Cultures Vol. 3 (Fall 2009).
"Film and Television Narrative," invited contributor to The Cambridge Companion to Narrative, edited by David Herman (Cambridge University Press, 2007), 156-71.
"Speculation on Spoilers: Lost Fandom, Narrative Consumption, and Rethinking Textuality," co-authored with Jonathan Gray, Particip@tions 4:1, May 2007.
"Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television," The Velvet Light Trap #58, Fall 2006, 29-40.