Module: Television Drama

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Television Drama
Module Code	MCO1017 (ITS: CM3001)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Communications
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

This module examines a range of methodologies for the critical analysis of television drama to trace the recurring themes, images, plots, settings and modes of characterisation and the patterns of change emerging in these over the years. It reflects on the relationship between the shifting shapes of TV drama and the larger pattern of social experience, to facilitate an intensive study of particular TV drama series.

Learning Outcomes

1. Charcterise the overall terrain of TV drama in the current period
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the social, political, economic and cultural forces shaping TV drama
3. Consider the range of critical concepts for judging TV drama
4. Demonstrate a knowledge of key genres in television drama
5. Apply a range of different analytical frameworks to individual texts and genres

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	in class instruction
Independent Study	43	viewing of key texts
Independent Study	60	reading texts, viewing material, writing diary
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	21317	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	100%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Debbie Ging	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Formal Examination	n/a	100%	End-of-Semester

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

1. Introduction, Theoretical Perspectives on Television Drama

2. Television and new media

3. Television audiences

4. The history of Irish television drama

5. Contemporary Irish television – quality at last?

6. British social realism. Ken Loach, class and television

8. READING WEEK

7. American quality television and HBO – television after TV

9. American quality television and the representational politics of race, gender and sexuality

10. Subtitles as quality? – the new wave of European TV drama and Nordic Noir

11. Antipodean anxiety - The Slap and Top of the Lake

12. Guest lecture

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Allen, Robert and Hill, Annette: 2003, The Television Studies Reader., Routledge,
Becker, Ron: 2006, Gay TV and Straight America, Rutgers University Press,
Cardwell, S.: 2007, Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond, Is Quality Television Any Good? Generic Distinctions, Evaluations and the Troubling Matter of Critical Judgement, IB Tauris,
Caughie, J.: 2000, Television Drama: Realism, Modernism and British Culture,
Cooke, L.: 2003, British television drama: a history.,
Fiske, J.: 1987, Television Culture,
Sheehan, H.: 1987, Irish Television Drama: A Society and its Stories (Available on Doras),
Sheehan, H. .: 0, Tracking the tiger: the continuing story of Irish television drama. (Available on DORAS),
Spigel, Lynn: 2014, Television After TV: Essays on a Medium in Transition. Duke University Press, 2014.,
Turner, Graeme and Tay, Jinna: 2009, Television Studies After TV: Understanding Television in the Post-Broadcast Era., Taylor & Francis,
Weber, Brenda (Ed.): 2014, Reality Gendervision: Sexuality and Gender on Transatlantic Reality Television, Duke University Press,
Bignell, Lace & Macmurraugh-Kavanagh (Ed): 2000, British Television Drama: Past, Present & Future,

Articles:

Sheehan, H & Sweeney, S: 2009, The Wire and the world: narrative and metanarrative, Jump Cut, 51, June 2009, 0146-5546, http://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/Wire/index.html or http://doras.dcu.ie/2459/, 518203
0: The Joy of Text?: Television and Textual Analysis, Critical Studies in Television 1/1, 518204, 1
From Barrytown to Ballymun: The Problematics of Space, Class and Gender in Roddy Doyle’s Family: Critical Studies in Television, Vol. 7:1,, pp. 57-73, 518205, 1, Peacock, Stephen
Critical Studies in Television 6/2: 518206, 1, Matthias Bauer, Tobias Hochscherf, Heidi Philipsen, 2013
518207: 1, Davis, Glyn, 2012, The Slap’s resonances: Multiculturalism and adolescence in Tsiolkas’ Australia, Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture Volume 3 Number 2,
1: Taylor Nygaard, 2013, Girls Just Want to be “Quality”: HBO, Lena Dunham, and Girls' conflicting brand identity, Feminist Media Studies, 13:2, 370-374,

Other Resources

None

Additional materials on Loop