Introduction
Television is an electronic medium that broadcasts many different kinds of programs, each of which can be classified as belong to a genre or, in some cases, mixed genres. cartoons, stand-up comedy, news programs are just some examples of them.
In dealing with a mass medium such as television, there are a number of focal points to be considered: the text of the show, the creators and producers of the text, the particular qualities of the medium, the target audience, and the society in which the show is produced and which influences the kind of text that can be created.
Nevertheless, it is difficult, in many cases, to place a particular show in a category, since some of them could fit in several genres. Not to be confused, it is reasonable to assign the shows to a particular television genre.
So, is the Big Bang Theory a sit-com or a comedy? And what about Bob the Builder? Is it a cartoon or a children's show?
Let's find out how much you know!
Task
You must:
- Write the name of TV genres.
- Give a short definition of each genre.
- Provide examples of each TV genre.
- Are you into those TV genres? Which is your favourite one?
Process
Work in pairs or teams of three students.
- Cover page.
- Introduction to your work.
- Body of your project:
- Choose the name of eight TV genres;
- Give a brief explanation of each TV genre;
- Provide two examples of each one;
- Illustrate your project with TV covers;
- Personal questions:
- What's your favourite TV genre? Why?
- What's your favourite TV show? Why?
- Have you ever streamed on that TV show? Why?
- Do you think people can be addicted to TV? What are the dangers of being addicted to TV?
- Conclusion. Final ideas about TV shows.
- Maximum of ten pages.
- Font style and size: ARIAL 12
Follow these links to find information to build your project:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/canrec/eng/tvcat.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=television+genres&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_series_by_genre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_program
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/
Some phrases to be used in your personal answers and conclusion:
- In my opinion... /
- I think.../ I don't think...
- I love watching.../ I really adore watching.../I'm very fond of...
- I really hate...
- My favourite...
- To conclude/Finally, I think that.../I would say...
Evaluation
The evaluation will be based on the text production and presentation of the project work.
- Presentation of the project (tideness; creativity; illustrations; etc.) : 25%
- Use of the resources (exploration of the resources; use of the information): 25 %
- Text production (contents clearly expressed; verbal tenses; summarizing of contents; etc.): 25 %
- Answer assignment personal questions (ideas clearly expressed; verbal tenses; TV vocabulary learnt in class; defence of your opinion; etc.): 25 %
If you need any help, remember that the teacher is always willing to help you in class or via e-mail.
Conclusion
Television genres refer to a class of television programs and a given program is an example of that genre. We identify genres by looking for similarities in texts relating to common themes, subject matter, settings, characters, conventions, plots, etc.
The creators of television shows generally focus on a particular audience and adapt the conventions of a genre to their purposes. When a particular television show becomes popular, other television production companies start imitating it, hoping to cash in on the popularity of the show.
This is causing that anyone who enjoys even the most casual relationship with a television set is probably aware that How We Watch TV has been changing in recent years. People watch TV for many hours a day not only through TV sets but also watching programs online and sometimes complete seasons of a show. That's producing people's addiction to TV with results of serious health and social problems on people's lives.
So it is advisable not to let the television take charge of our life. Many people work or change their schedules around movie times, sitcom series etc. If this is the current state of affairs in your life, take a moment to realize how much influence the television has on you as a person.
