Culture - Television Studies and Me: Can't be a Fan-boy about It

For the longest time, I've wanted to take certain classes. Mostly, they are classes with specific focuses that are not available at smaller institutions. For example, I saw one class listed that promised a study of the literature of south Asia. Another was the concerted study of animal behaviors and patterns in that behavior. One such variety of classes is in the field of television studies. However, whenever I think about it, I also come up with difficulties. At least, difficulties for me. I don't know quite how to approach it in a scholarly way. (I'd probably learn how by taking one of the classes. However, I do have some ideas about problems I'd need to overcome.)

My first point can be illustrated with Doctor Who. I really like the show. I've assembled costumes and outfits based off the dress of the main character, the Doctor. Take it how you will, but I also willingly suffered through the low seasons of the show. However, most of my discussions about the show go in certain ways: either I talk about costumes, or we discuss our favorite incarnation of the Doctor. Most of the discussions are what I would call "fanboyish." Basically, we discuss details that only the most dedicated fans would know, or even care about.

I recently read a book about Doctor Who, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, which looked at various aspects of the show. One such thing was how the Doctor related to his different companions. The author noted the Doctor's seeming condescension towards male companions, citing various instance across the span of the show. Such analysis of detail would only engage someone interested in the show, and only if they had the working knowledge to know what was being discussed in the first place.

Also, sometimes discussions require much background knowledge and information. Some episodes make oblique references to other, previous episodes. Others point to obscure aspects of story and plot. This is not a unique problem: even in literary studies, one must be somewhat versed in the culture and history behind a story to fully analyze it. This is particularly true of ancient and medieval literature, so far removed from the modern day. Television, however, largely reflects the worldviews and cultures of contemporary society. It does not take as much study to figure out where a director or script-writer is coming from in terms of intended message or subconscious bias.

Television is contemporary, and this also implicates a few things for its study. For instance, many programs are designed purely for entertainment, and one might ask "How or why should we analyze this? It's just a TV show!" However, it is still worth examining. At college and the university, we constantly seek out new things to partake of and analyze. Naturally, television, with its ability to transmit old and new ideas, should also be studied. I will try not to stray too far into doing television studies, rather than writing about it (One can find articles for that online and in journals.) as I further consider difficulties that face television studies. Stay tuned for the next part!