The class will study the history of television from its origins in radio broadcasting to the latest transformations in digital television. We will focus on television as a communications and cultural medium by analyzing the structure of the television industry, television’s role within American society, and television as a site of cultural production. The class will also consider the fundamental theoretical issues in television studies including genre study. The primary objective of this class is to develop the basic analytic skills necessary to use television history as a way to understand America’s social and cultural history.