Comm 204: Human Communication Principles and Practices

CMGT 559: GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD Fall 2015

Instructor: David Craig Section: Email: [email protected] Classroom: Telephone: 213-281-1613 (cell) Days/Times: Office/hours: ASC 321; please contact me to schedule a time.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

How do we define Global Hollywood? Do we mean film, tv, new media? Are these exclusively U.S. media industries? How can these be considered American films when 70% of the U.S. box office is derived from outside the U.S? What about the emerging global competition, including Chollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood? Conversely, how do global media industries inform, constrain, and liberate regional, national, and local players?

Global Hollywood considers the relationship between global and national media industries. We start by examining the core concepts, theories and practices of U.S. media industries (with some discussion of the emerging global influence of Chollywood). Next, we’ll examine global and transnational media ownership, regulation and policy of global film, which privilege U.S. studios and contrast this with the more diverse forces and flow of content in global TV. Finally, we will discuss how new media industries and online entertainment are disrupting both global and national media industries, transcending boundaries and challenging national identities. Each student will become an expert in another nation’s media industries.

COURSE GOALS  To understand the market, policies, and practices of global and national media industries.  To become an expert in a specific nation’s media industries.  To cultivate a broad range of skills for conducting research, writing professional papers, making state of the art presentations and developing networking skills.

REQUIRED TEXTS  Havens, T. and Lotz, A.D. (2011). Understanding Media Industries. Oxford.  Straubhaar, J. D. (2007). World Television: From Global to Local. Sage.  Winseck, D. and Jin, D. Y. (2012). The Political Economies of Media. Bloomsbury.  ADDITIONAL READINGS will be posted on Blackboard and are subject to change.

1 SYLLABUS (Subject to Change) Class Topics/ Class Projects Reading/Assignments (due before class) 8/26 Intro; Essays (Robinson) Screening: Exporting Raymond 9/2 Media Industries POST ESSAY; START BLOG Sample National Media Study Media Industries/ 1- 5 Napoli/ Media economics 9/9 Discuss Essays; Prezumes; POST PREZUME assignments Media Industries/ 6-11 Valaskivi/ Mapping Japanese Media (skim) 9/16 Global Film Political Economy/ Chapter 2,3, 4, 6 9/23 Guest speaker: Craig Dehmel UNESCO Film Report Jin/ Global Film Industries Donoghue/ Sony and Local Film Christopherson/ Hollywood in Decline? Cox and Proffitt/ Mimicking Bollywood 9/30 Global Media Policy Sorenson/ Doc Financing and Distribution Guest Speaker: Ryan Harrington Lobato/ Six Faces of Piracy Jin/ US Cultural Policy Sarikakis/Global Media policy 10/7 US TV World TV/ 1-5 10/14 Chinese Media World TV/ 6-9 Hong/ Chinese Media 10/21 Digital Entertainment Political Economy/ 7-9 Sabir/ Media Imperialism Burri/ Digital Technologies 10/28 Digital Entertainment Chen/ Impact of New Media Ravi/ New Media Singh/ New Media Svodobic/ Open Cultural Spaces Vukanovic/ Global Paradigm Shift 11/4 NO CLASS 11/11 Presentations 11/18 Presentations Movius/ Cultural Globalization 11/25 Presentations Political Economy/ Intro 12/2 Presentations Political Economy/ Chapter 1 Essay questions posted online 12/16 Finals Exams due 6pm via email

2 COURSE GRADING and ASSIGNMENTS 20% Blog and Class Essay 20% Class Project (Group) 30% National Media Industry Case Study 30% Final Essay Exam

PREZUME (Prezi + resume)  Go to Prezi.com, sign up for a free educational account, take the tutorial and get started.  SHOW us what we should know about you, e.g, home, school, work, hobbies, videos.  Use images, pictures, logos, video…BUT NOT no more than 3 per screen. Limit your textPost the link to your Prezi on the class blog before class.  DO NOT exceed 5 minutes. This means no more than 10 links.

BLOG  Find a news article online from THAT WEEK that relates to THAT WEEK’S READING.  Write a brief description (2-3 lines) of the article and HOW IT RELATES to the reading.  CORRECTLY cite the reading and post the link. MAKE SURE the hyperlink works.  DO not go back to prior weeks and do not repeat someone else blog.  Sources may include Cynopsis, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and others.  During presentations, your blog should contrast and compare that week’s presentations.

CLASS ESSAY:  Question: Name one project that best describes Global Hollywood and why.  2 pages MAX. No title page or abstract required. Citations on a separate page.  If you are uncertain how to write an argument essay, seek help from Dr. Robinson.  You must take a position and defend it citing examples.  You are not required to use references but if you do, you must cite them correctly.  Use WORD and APA Format. I will deduct a full point for failing to use APA format.  The essays should be emailed to me by 6pm.

FINAL ESSAY EXAM: the questions and instructions will be posted on Blackboard towards the end of the semester. This exam requires that you have attended class, performed the readings, completed your assignments and synthesized the knowledge from the lectures, reading, presentations and speakers. On this last note, I recommend taking notes on speakers.

CLASS PROJECT: I will assign to groups of you a short class project, usually based on your own expertise that will require minimal research and a brief presentation. Follow instructions carefully. Once assigned, email me for directions. Projects may include: o Research and present additional research about your own media industries, e.g. U.S. v Chinese film and TV industry, Global Piracy, Videogame Industry. o Research and discuss Global New Media and Digital Entertainment scholarship. o Coordinate guest speakers for the class.

3 NATIONAL MEDIA INDUSTRY CASE STUDY and PRESENTATION: Every student is to become an expert in another country’s media industries and present their research to the class.  Country: Your country must be approved in advance and cannot be your home country.  Time: 30 minutes each; 4-5 presentations per night.  Research: as soon as you have been assigned your country, start exploring these questions:  Market: what are the most popular media industries (film, tv, radio, press)? the top films? the highest rated television networks and programs? The best-selling newspapers, magazines, books, videogames? The most popular radio stations, record labels and musicians? The most used search engines, online video platforms (e.g, YouTube, Netflix), social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Baidu), etc.?  Ownership and Regulation: Who owns these industries? Are these public or private? State-regulated or self-regulated? Who produces this content?  Audiences: for each medium, how are the audiences defined? Are they global, national, regional and/or local? What composition e.g., race, gender, age, class, language, etc.?  Content: Is the content domestic, co-production, or imported? Within each industry, what type of content is popular and/or critically acclaimed? Does the content feature “cultural heritage”? Is it multicultural, post-colonial, bilingual, niched, or indigenous? Is the news propaganda, for-profit, critical, and/or independent?  Thesis: after you’ve conducted your research, form a thesis. What is the most important thing we need to know about how your country’s media industries operate locally, nationally, regionally and globally? Should you look at this through the lens of cultural control and regulation? Through commercial industry and vertical integration? Through geography, language and recent history? You should include a minimum of four media industries, which will be informed by your thesis  Do NOT spend more than 5 minutes on history. This is the biggest mistake people make.  Interview: You must interview a media professionals who can assist you with your topic, whether employed in the international division of a U.S. studio or network or working in a domestic media company in your country. Your subjects must be approved in advance and cited in your Prezi. I will provide more information including tips on how to contact and conduct your interview. Failure to secure your interview will cost you half a grade.  Schedule: failure to follow these directions will cost you half a grade. o 1 MONTH PRIOR, schedule time to meet with me. You should have completed preliminary research and have a 1-page outline to share with me plus at least 3 media professionals that you would like me to approve, including weblinks. o 1 WEEK PRIOR, send me a rough cut of your Prezi for my notes. o AFTER the presentation, make changes and post on Blackboard.  Grading: will be based on your research, content, design, and performance.  Citations: post your citations at the end of Prezi or in a WORD document in APA format.

4 Late assignments/Emergencies: No late assignments will be accepted. If you have a legitimate and verifiable emergency that makes it impossible to turn in your assignment you must: (1) email me before the beginning of class the day the assignment is due to notify me of your emergency, (2) provide official proof (doctor’s note or other evidence) and (3) arrange to email the assignment at a time to be determined.

Academic Conduct  Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards https://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-university- standards-and-appropriate-sanctions  Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific- misconduct.  Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university.  You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu or to the Department of Public Safety http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-forms/contact-us.  This is important for the safety of the whole USC community. Another member of the university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage http://sarc.usc.edu describes reporting options and other resources.

Support Systems  A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students.  The Office of Disability Services and Programs http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations.  If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information http://emergency.usc.edu will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.