My Own State of the Union
First time trying a blogpost from an iPad, so please excuse any typos/autocorrect issues!
I’ve been slack on my blogging, as many of my blogposts begin, but I get the feeling that the blog is going to be more functional than inspirational for the next 12 months. I am now into the last 12 months of my PhD writing, which means I have a whole heap of writing to do, and am steadily running out of time in which to do it. Having said that, it’s also hugely exciting, as all the work I’ve put into the last 2 years starts to come together!
As I did last year, I’m currently teaching in Summer School, on a Video Games paper, which is equal parts fun and challenging. I love delving into the theory, which is a little outside my wheelhouse (although anything to do with pop culture is gravy in my books), but it is a bit of a challenge not being so familiar with the latest texts. Postgrad has kept me from being a gamer for quite a few years. But I find the work inspiring, it’s given me great ideas for some papers to write once I get the thesis off my plate.
I’m lecturing the course that I lecturer first semester last year again, and definitely looking forward to it. My co-convenor and I have been able to make the course a little more our own again this year, meaning I get to add a lecture on storytelling in the digital age to the 2 other media culture lectures. It’ll make for a really fun run of lectures in the middle of the semester, at least for me, and hopefully for the students as well. Engaging a little more with transmedia, and with fan cultures – I love that I get to show students some of the awesome things that can be studied if you have the desire.
I’m also looking at a pretty busy year for conferences, and hopefully for publications too. Heading to Portland in early March for the What Is TV? Conference; thinking about going to ANZCA in Adelaide in July; and finally, this should hopefully be a FlowTV year, which would see me heading to Austin near the end of the year, funds willing. In addition to that, ANZCA produces a peer-reviewed proceedings, which if I can get into, will give me my first proper publication.
What this all means is what I need to have done by early March is:
I’m thinking that should be enough to be going on with 
when you add in trying to keep up with all the TV content I try to follow, plus staying in touch with as many colleagues on Twitter as possible…
It’s going to be quite a year.
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I have recently begun the slightly odd project of watching Law and Order start to finish. Although I have watched the most recent several seasons of L&O, as well as the various spin-offs, the earlier 10-15 seasons really passed me by. I’m well aware that L&O is almost ubiquitous on US cable TV (I had a sick day in a US hotel where I watched nothing but), but in New Zealand, re-runs of earlier seasons have been fewer and further between. However, one of our PayTV networks recently started from season 1, episode 1, and seems to be intent on just running right through them. That, combined with a DVR, encouraged me to go back and experience the whole lot. A fool’s mission, maybe, but one I’m finding quite interesting.
What has struck me, 3-ish seasons in, is the way that L&O operates as an artefact, as a cultural historical record. Early seasons are filled with references to AIDS, to DNA, to mobile phones. Incident reports are being completed on type-writers, a foot cop runs to a pay-phone to call in a crime. Sexual harrassment seems to become a common trope as the series progresses. Females serving in the police force and the military becomes a theme. Homosexuality becomes more and more in the public eye, as does racism. I’m struck by the number of derogatory terms used in the show’s early seasons, especially n***er, which seems to be used in every second episode.
This is not the world’s greatest show. And as it is still a work of fiction, it answers more to the storyline than to culture. But I feel that the 20 years (running from roughly 1990-2010) saw massive shifts in technology and culture in the US, and L&O seems to be marking the importance of various issues as they come up. I expect to see more concerns around new technology, around the rise of the internet, around concerns of identity, around sexuality, race and gender, around politics and the rise of the religious right, around corruption, around terrorism. And I really feel that I am in some ways getting a glimpse back into the US’s cultural history, seeing the issues that were preoccupying people at a given moment, and seeing attitudes change and shift.
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Sexuality and Idol paper
Following the excellent Gender Cultures and Reality TV symposium held in Auckland this past weekend (a follow-on from one held in Dublin earlier this year), I thought I would post the full text of the paper I presented. Obviously, I actually talked around it a little, and it is written for oral presentation, but I’m always interested in getting further feedback. The full text is after the jump. The suggestion was made that there might be enough of an idea here to work up for publication too, so that is also floating around in my mind.
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Better late than never, I’ve got most of my conference paper together for the Gender Cultures and Reality Television conference I’m attending tomorrow and Saturday. Since almost noone who sees this blog will be there, I figured I’d put it up online. Feel free to make any constructive comments you might have, either before or after I deliver it 
-edit-
I’ve removed the link here, as it was to an old version. The final version of the paper delivered can now be seen at:
http://televisionftw.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/sexuality-and-idol-paper/
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So, after much to-ing and fro-ing, I’ve decided to put an abstract together for the What Is Television? Conference in Oregon next year.
The current incarnation of the abstract can be seen at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13WJnGCoXj91PMdMXxph8bntbY7mfdWlxIEtEAnrl_3Y/edit?hl=en_US
And the details about the conference can be found at:
http://journalism.uoregon.edu/whatistv/
As always, any comments, criticisms, advice, gratefully received.
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Stepping outside my comfort zone
The abstract I posted last has been accepted. Which is excellent. But that now means that I need to write the paper. Which is scary.
Ever since I came back into the loving embrace of the tertiary institution, I have pushed myself, sure, but I have worked pretty much within my comfort zone. I have worked with texts that I know, well. I’ve stuck to areas that I have felt relatively comfortable in – the TV industry, fandom, new and social media. This is the work I’ve pretty much focused on over the past 5 years, meaning that I’ve grown with it.
But none of the work I traditionally do would have fit the CFP for this conference, that I really wanted to attend. So I took a deep breath, and I wrote the abstract. And imperfect as it might be, it was accepted. And now, I need to start from scratch with writing it.
Most things I write are based on a literature I know well. If I want to write about cult television, or quality, or televisual eras, I know the 5 or 6 key texts I need to turn to. But all of a sudden, I’m writing about sexuality and sexualisation. And I’m doing a whole new set of literature searches.
It’s incredibly disconcerting to not know the most basic level of academic research about this. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of academic work about my specific niche take on this (Idol and sexualisation), which is good – nice niche area for a paper, possibly means it’s even worth expanding it to a publication if I come up with something useful to say. But it also means I’m doing very broad Google Scholar searches, and trying to distil out some fairly broad concepts. And I don’t even really know what sorts of theoretical bases I could be using.
So it’s something that is very exciting, but simultaneously utterly terrifying. I have several months to work on this, and I get the feeling I’m going to have to devote a reasonable amount of time to this.
So, how do other academics feel about this? Do you ever have the feeling of stepping out of your comfort zone?
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Symposium + Abstract
There is an excellent symposium being run at the University of Auckland near the end of the year. The theme is Gender Cultures and Reality TV, and there have already been some exciting speakers announced. If this is at all in your area, and you think you might be able to justify a trip to Auckland, then I strongly recommend taking a look. I’m a little late pimping this, so abstracts are due Friday! Details can be found at: http://www.genderculturesandrealitytv.com/
And so to me. As much as I do work with Reality TV, and enjoy listening to discussions and chiming in where I can on issues of gender and sexuality, this is a little outside my comfort zone. But this is too good an opportunity to pass up, so I have put together an abstract. I’m still pretty new to abstract writing, so any advice on it would be gratefully appreciated.
“You keep singing like that and you will be able to afford the rest of that dress”: Nascent sexuality in the Idol Franchise
In the first nine years of its run, American Idol was relatively careful to avoid overt sexualisation of the contestants, playing very carefully to a conservative family audience. Judging panel comments regarding appearance or wardrobe of participants frequently came from Paula Abdul, taking on a sisterly or motherly role towards most contestants. However, in the tenth season, the changes made to the judging panel saw the introduction of Steven Tyler, a rocker known for, amongst other things, his lasciviousness and history of promiscuity. Tyler’s presence on the panel saw a shift in the dynamic, with him frequently making comments of a sexual nature towards both male and female contestants. Tyler joining the panel only a year after the success of the most overtly sexual contestant on Idol, Adam Lambert, may not be a pure coincidence, and may indicate a shift to attract new demographics to the show in order to arrest falling ratings. Where this may be problematic is in its coincidence with the lowering of the age limit for competing in Idol, meaning that contestants Lauren Alaina and Thia Megia were both fifteen years old at the time of their auditions. This paper will analyse the increased sexualisation of contestants over the 2011 season, identify moments at which this sexualisation became uncomfortable or problematic, and will attempt to draw comparisons to Australasian versions of the format.
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Teaching vs Writing
For a number of reasons, I have no funding while I am completing my PhD. I am not in a position to apply for any of the standard doctoral scholarships, and being white, middle-class, and male, most of the other scholarships do not apply for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a reverse discrimination complaint, and I am receiving some support from my family in order to get through this. But what it does mean is that I have needed to take on work in the department. For this, I will be eternally grateful.
I have no idea whether or not I would have taken on as much, or for that matter any work, had I not needed it. But instead, I am in my 4th year of work as a GTA (graduate teaching assistant), on three difference courses, and have just completed my first co-convenorship of a course. The money earned on any of these is not great (not the department’s fault, just the reality of the tertiary education system in NZ), but my CV is now starting to look a lot healthier than it might have done. As well as an undergrad course on television, I have worked on an upper-undergrad media studies course, dealing with some fascinating and very current issues, as well as a course on video games. Both of the latter two were slightly outside my wheelhouse to begin, but have given me some strong skills, as well a the confidence that I could get myself up to speed to teach on pretty much any course that I might need to.
The opportunity to convene/lecture on the media studies course this semester was an incredible one, and so lucky – the regular lecturer got a research grant, and used it to buy out of his teaching for the semester. Another PhD student and I were given the opportunity, and seized it with both hands. We both had to very quickly get used to the week-in, week-out production of lectures (very different to the first lecture I gave a couple of years ago, where I believe I spent 50-60 hours preparing and rehearsing the lecture). We also had to get used to being the place where the buck stopped, the person to whom all the most difficult questions come. I feel incredibly grateful as well that I had a co-convenor who was also very interested in the material of the course and interested in trying some pedagogically-interesting techniques, as well has having a tutor who was dedicated, interested in the material, and who really worked to inspire her students. And we got there, and from the accounts I’ve received, did pretty well.
The semester is now over, the exams have been graded, and all that remains is a little paperwork (and by a little, I mean a lot more than I ever realised was possible). And now I look at the sorry state that my PhD has been left in. The amount of work I was doing, and how much I was enjoying that work, meant that my PhD has been a little neglected. A couple of bits and pieces were done, but now I sit and survey the amount of writing I should be doing between now and 3 weeks time, when the second semester will start. There might be some other reasons why my PhD hit the back-burner, including some structural and conceptual issues that are still haunting me, but I think they should be the realm of a separate post.
But it does raise some interesting issues of balance in the modern PhD (at least within the NZ system) – even those who are on scholarship still need to take some teaching (or other paid work) to be able to live, and there certainly aren’t enough scholarships to go around. So how do you balance these two elements competing for your time? Teaching is in theory only 10 hours per week roughly, but I think anyone would agree that, especially when marking/grading is on, it’s closer to 40+ hours per week.
And so it comes down to balance. This semester, that balance failed. And I’m ok with that, because it was an opportunity that just couldn’t be turned down. But it does raise larger questions about how people balance teaching and writing, whether they are still grad students, or even post-employment, when they have to balance lecturing, departmental requirements and administration with the production of their own writing, research and publication.
Any suggestions or comments gratefully received.
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My abstract was accepted to present a paper at the Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association conference on Storytelling. The abstract I sent can be found elsewhere on the blog. I’m presenting on Wednesday our time, and true to form, I’m only just finishing my draft of my paper. I’m a little nervous about it, as it is my first conference paper presentation, and it will also be my first encounter with ‘traditional’ conference papers – the only other conference I have attended is Flow, and while that was AWESOME, I expect this to have a slightly different feel!
So, please, any and all responses, comments, criticisms, are welcome, even if it is that I need to start from scratch and re-write! I can’t promise I actually will, with time constraints, but it would be useful to know that I should if that’s the case!
Note: This is a very, VERY rough draft, and I may continue to edit over the next few days on my own. I’m particularly concerned by the lack of a strong conclusion – any advice there would be appreciated. Also, the paper is mostly without references, since it will be delivered verbally. I will probably go through and add the full references in at a later date for my own interest and use.
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-edit- Change of plan – I’ve decided I should make use of the tech I’m using anyway – the most up-to-date version is available at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CphlAqQoXlcVB8i0PiMEcZoFICUBNis-XVve1hd2afw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIDWmpQM
I’ve made it non-editable, so if you have any comments, please either make them on this post, or via twitter: @markboynz
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Storytelling Conference
So, my inability to craft a decent abstract continues. I really struggle to craft a 200 word statement about a paper I haven’t written yet – and at this stage, I don’t have a store of papers built up, just waiting for the appropriate forum for presentation.
There is a local conference being held in February, run by a Languages and Literatures Association, but with an over-arching theme of storytelling. I felt that this certainly opened up room for a paper on the changing nature of storytelling in television. But as always, my abstract feels vague, generalised, and without any real direction.
I realise this is the third or fourth time I’ve put an abstract up for advice, and I do hope I am making some progress, but any advice that people might be able to give would be gratefully appreciated.
Happy holidays, everyone!
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Traditionally, primetime Television has utilised an episodic mode of storytelling, mainly for practical, industrial reasons. Recent years have seen significant shifts in televisual storytelling, embracing a more serial narrative, specifically within the genres of Cult and Quality television. Programming such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer saw a mixed model, with stand-alone episodes which also furthered an on-going series-long story arc. In the past 6 years, series based around a central enigma, such as Lost or The Event have taken this serialisation even further, requiring a more dedicated viewing model, rewarding audience engagement, and encouraging a forensic model of fandom, where active viewers work together and individually to decode the narrative (Mittell). I suggest that television has finally found its own unique narrative style, distinct from every other medium, allowed for by changing audience models and reception technologies.
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-edit- I have qualified television to prime-time television to remove the complicating factor of soaps. Yes, there are primetime soaps. I realise this doesn’t quite solve the issue. But I believe this better indicates the type of programming I’m interested in. I would also argue that soaps, whilst being serial, occupy a similar space to episodic programing, as the inherent redundancy of soap operas means people can dip in and out, the same way they might with a procedural or a sitcom.
@noelrk has also pointed out that comics work to a similar form of serialisation. While I 100% agree with him as my argument stands, I truly believe that there is a fundamental difference between the serialisation of enigma television, such as Lost or The Event, and most comics. Whether it is ‘unity of purpose’, or something else, I’m just not quite sure. I’m working to put my finger on it before I submit my abstract.
But I guess this raises another question – how do you cover all the bases of your argument in a 200-word abstract. Or do you just lay out a position, and it is accepted that the details of the argument will be covered off in the final paper?
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Recent Entries
- My Own State of the Union
- “Law and Order” as cultural history
- Sexuality and Idol paper
- Gender Cultures and Reality Television conference paper
- What Is Television? conference abstract
- Stepping outside my comfort zone
- Symposium + Abstract
- Teaching vs Writing
- Storytelling Conference paper draft
- Storytelling Conference
- What I Watch, What I Don’t
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