Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Ukraine's got talent - Down the Rabbit Hole
 |
| Mika Newton from Ukraine at Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A Quick TV Review, Plus Interview
Interview with artist
UK's Guardian Grapples with the 'Art' of It
Ukraine and the Nazis
On Wikipedia
An English-Language Newspaper Story
Mika Newton and Simonova
Added this 5.13.16.
Depending on her subject matter, her work can seem facile, sentimental, kitschy. This may be an example of the limitations of a form or genre that is trying to establish itself among "the people," not the elites. Perhaps - like popular music - a form needs to establish itself, to become sufficiently widespread in appeal that practitioners try to extend its established and recognized possibilities, its conventions. Perhaps by "creative" we most often mean some advance or surprise in a genre with which we are already familiar and thus have a historical basis against which we can judge its newness.
Here's a favorite quote that I *usually* share six times a semester that is useful in encountering the New, the Strange the Ugly:
“When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs you do, you can relax and use more normal means of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock -- to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures.” - Flannery O'Connor
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Social Tools Boost Network Shows
|
- Turn on, tune in and start tweeting
Television networks are using social tools to drum up buzz around upcoming shows and are designing social content intended to run parallel to on-air programs. A few early experiments suggest social campaigns can provide a ratings boost, and social chatter can encourage people to stay tuned for the duration of a show. "The water-cooler effect makes big shows even bigger ... and gives small shows a new way to stand out," Brian Stelter writes. The New York Times (free registration) (2/20)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
With Gratitude We Borrow from Wikipedia
Cover of Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition)Polls of critics and filmmakers
 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (August 2010) |
- Every decade, the British film monthly Sight & Sound asks an international group of film professionals to vote for their greatest film of all time. The Sight & Sound accolade has come to be regarded as one of the most important of the "greatest ever film" lists. Roger Ebert described it as "by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies--the only one most serious movie people take seriously."[1] The first poll, in 1952, was topped by Bicycle Thieves (1948).[2]
- Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941) has been voted number one in each of the last five Sight & Sound polls. A separate poll of established film directors, held for the first time in 1992, has also placed Citizen Kane at the top.[2] The film was selected as number one in a Village Voice and in a Time Out critics' poll. It was listed as the greatest American film by the American Film Institute in both the first (1998) and second (2007) versions of its 100 Years... 100 Movies list.
- The Searchers (1956) is the film most often mentioned in a poll of the favorite films of directors by German language Steadycam magazine in 1995.[3]
- Tokyo Story (1953) by Yasujirō Ozu topped a critics' poll conducted by Asian film magazine Cinemaya in 1998. It was followed by Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali (1955) and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (1953) tied at second place.[4]
- La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) (1939) by director Jean Renoir was named the greatest film by the French film magazine Positif in 1991.[5] It also holds the second slot in the Village Voice poll,[6] and is one of only two movies to have appeared in every one of the Sight & Sound polls.[citation needed]
Not the real Harry Knowles.
The real Harry Knowles.
His website.
Quote whores.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Many Many Reviews of Super Bowl Halftime
A definite case of Twilight's Last Reaming.
"Regarding the music ... was being three-sheets-to-the-wind drunk a requirement to enjoy this Super Bowl halftime show?" wrote the Los Angeles Times' Christie D'Zurilla. "Are the folks who said it's still cool to like the Black Eyed Peas eating their words? Do you sympathize with the not-an-old-fart-at-all editor who sent me a frantic note about that 'horrific caterwauling by Fergie,' proclaiming her ears had been violated?"
"Regarding the music ... was being three-sheets-to-the-wind drunk a requirement to enjoy this Super Bowl halftime show?" wrote the Los Angeles Times' Christie D'Zurilla. "Are the folks who said it's still cool to like the Black Eyed Peas eating their words? Do you sympathize with the not-an-old-fart-at-all editor who sent me a frantic note about that 'horrific caterwauling by Fergie,' proclaiming her ears had been violated?"
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Some Key Words for Tasting Chocolate
Tasting chocolate is, after all, a lot like tasting wine or whiskey. As such, it has a vocabulary all its own. In chocolate’s case, the key words to remember are "appearance," "snap," "aroma," mouthfeel," and, of course, "taste."
Appearance:
Look for an even texture and a shiny gloss, with no discoloration, pitting or fat or sugar "bloom." Color is not an indication of quality, nor is it an absolute indication of either quality or cacao content. Light chocolates (light Porcelana, a truly fine bean) will be light, even at 85 percent cacao content and, like coffee, the more darkly the bean is roasted by the producer, the darker the finished chocolate will be, so even a very dark bar with a high percentage of cacao can be made from inferior cacao.
Snap:
Professionals gauge the quality of chocolate by its "snap." That’s the clear, crisp sound made by breaking a piece off from its bar. Listen for a good, clean "snap" when you’re seeking an excellent product, says Kita.
Aroma:
The aromas of chocolate vary widely and different varieties of beans, grown in different parts of the world, have different aromas. Seek out your favorites.
Mouthfeel:
Generally, good chocolate will liquefy in the mouth without being chewed, since cocoa butter melts at 97 degrees F and body temperature is 98.6 degrees F. Break off a piece, run your tongue over the surface and let it melt on its own for a bit.
Taste:
Let the chocolate melt in your mouth, different tastes will reveal themselves as it works its way across your tongue and through your taste buds. Like good wine, there should be an initial taste, a mid-palate experience and, of course, a finish or aftertaste. Look for long and lingering.
Read more at Suite101: Food Trends: How to Taste Chocolate: ChocolateTasting has its own Vocabulary http://www.suite101.com/content/a-taste-for-chocolate-a83582#ixzz1CNXthJmT
A Vocabulary for Cheese Tasters
Borrowed from The Nibble for educational purposes.
Need A Word (Or Three) To Describe Your Cheese?
Here are descriptive terms for cheese. Different cheeses have specific characteristics. For example:
- A fresh goat cheese can be milk white, floral or herbaceous, moist and soft.
- A Roquefort can be ivory, sweet, salty, pungent, mildly acidic, complex, creamy and crumbly.
- A Brie can be ivory, buttery, mushroomy, elastic and melting.
- An aged Cheddar is deep yellow, crumbly, moist, sharp and peppery.
| Positive Characteristics/Descriptors | Defects | |
Color | hay, pale hay, rich hay; white, milk white, chalky white, ivory; yellow, yellow gold, deep yellow, orange | bicolore, bleached (for rindless cheeeses) brown, dull, faded, mottled |
Aroma & Flavor | acid(1), barnyardy, bold, buttery, clean, earthy, flat, floral, fragrant, fruity (and particular fruits, e.g. blackberry in Robuchon and plum in Comté), gamey, goaty, hay, herbaceous, intense, mild, mushroomy, nutty, pasture, peppery, persistent, pungent, milky, salty, satiny, sharp, sheepy, silky, straw, sweet, tart, typical, well balanced | Aroma: ammoniated(2), sour, spoiled Flavor: astringent(3), bitter(4), biting, chemical(5), fermented, flat, mealy, metallic, oversalty, pungent, putrid, rancid, , soapy, sour, sulfurous, unbalanced, weak |
Touch | coarse, compact, crumbly, elastic, fibrous, firm, flaky, grainy(6), hard, moist, rubbery, soft, smooth, sticky | mealy, oily, pasty, waxy |
Palate | buttery, chewy, creamy, finely granular, melting, soft, sticky | chalky, grainy, gummy, sandy |
(1) A pleasant tang and sourish flavor due to a concentration of acid.
(2) Ammoniated or ammoniacal designates the heavy smell or taste of ammonia as a result of being overripe or mishandled (i.e., held at fluctuating temperatures). This condition can afflict bloomy rinds, such as Brie, Camembert and some chèvres. A hint of ammonia is not objectionable, but heavy ammoniation is.
(3) A harsh taste with a puckery, almost medicinal quality.
(4) An unpleasant, biting flavor, usually a bitter aftertaste, sometimes associated with variations in manufacturing and curing or aging procedures in high-moisture content cheese.
(5) An aroma or flavor taint which usually indicates improper manufacturing or contamination with foreign materials.
(6) Grainy is a characteristic of grating cheeses; it’s desirable in those cheeses and a flaw in others.
Olive Oil Vocabulary
Olive Oil Vocabulary
Descriptive Words Relating to the Aroma of an Oil
Descriptive Words Relating to the Aroma of an Oil
FRUITY
Apple: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this fruit.
Banana: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this fruit.
Lemon: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of its peel.
Melon: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of very ripe melons.
Orange: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of its peel.
Passion Fruit: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this fruit.
Pears: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of cooked or fresh pears.
Tomato: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of fresh tomato coulis or tomato skins.
Banana: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this fruit.
Lemon: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of its peel.
Melon: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of very ripe melons.
Orange: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of its peel.
Passion Fruit: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this fruit.
Pears: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of cooked or fresh pears.
Tomato: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of fresh tomato coulis or tomato skins.
VERDANT
Earthy: can have unpleasant connotations but often used to convey the idea of a rustic oil.
Floral or Flowery: reminiscent of a bouquet of flowers.
Grass*: characteristic flavour of certain oils which is reminiscent of freshly mown grass.
Hay*: characteristic flavour of certain oils which is reminiscent of more or less dried grass.
Leafy: generally herbaceous.
Floral or Flowery: reminiscent of a bouquet of flowers.
Grass*: characteristic flavour of certain oils which is reminiscent of freshly mown grass.
Hay*: characteristic flavour of certain oils which is reminiscent of more or less dried grass.
Leafy: generally herbaceous.
VEGETAL
Artichokes: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this vegetable.Asparagus: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this vegetable.
Avocado: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of avocados.
Mushroom: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this vegetable; providing this is not moving into very musty flavours it is usually acceptable.
NUTTY
Almond*: this flavour may appear in two forms: that typical of the fresh almond or that peculiar to dried, sound almonds which can be confused with incipient rancidity. 
A distinctive taste is perceived as an after-taste when the oil remains in contact with the tongue and palate. Associated with sweet oils which have a flat odour.
Walnut*: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this nut.
Hazelnut: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this nut.
Nutty*: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of nuts.
A distinctive taste is perceived as an after-taste when the oil remains in contact with the tongue and palate. Associated with sweet oils which have a flat odour.Walnut*: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this nut.
Hazelnut: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of this nut.
Nutty*: flavour of olive oil is reminiscent of nuts.
Other Aromas, Including a Few Flights of Fancy!
Aniseed, Buttery, Car tyres, Catty, Creamy, Dark chocolate, Dried flowers, Eggy, Petrol.
Aniseed, Buttery, Car tyres, Catty, Creamy, Dark chocolate, Dried flowers, Eggy, Petrol.
Words Sometimes Used to Describe the Overall Tasting Experience, Harmony and Balance
Aggressive: oils which have strong up-front flavours (punchy).
Delicate: oils which have light aromatic flavours.
Fragrant: similar to aromatic but perhaps more flowery.
Harmonious: oils which have good ratios of all organoleptic factors.
Mellow: oils which are soft and sweet.
Rich: oils which have a full rounded flavour.
Rounded: oils which are well balanced.
Rustic: oils which have hearty aromas and flavours.
Delicate: oils which have light aromatic flavours.
Fragrant: similar to aromatic but perhaps more flowery.
Harmonious: oils which have good ratios of all organoleptic factors.
Mellow: oils which are soft and sweet.
Rich: oils which have a full rounded flavour.
Rounded: oils which are well balanced.
Rustic: oils which have hearty aromas and flavours.
Words Describing Off-Flavours Which May Find their Way into the Shop
Cucumber*: flavour produced when an oil is hermetically packed for too long, particularly in tin containers.
Fatty: refers to a greasy feeling in the mouth.
Flat or Smooth: flavour of oil whose organoleptic characteristics are very weak owing to the loss of their aromatic components.
Harsh*: characteristic sensation of certain oils which, when tasted, produce a mouthfeel reaction of astrigency.
Old*: characteristic flavour of oil that has been kept too long in storage containers. May also appear in oils which have been packed for excessively long periods.
Rancid*: characteristic flavour common to all oils and fats that have undergone a process of auto-oxidation caused by prolonged contact with air. This flavour is unpleasant and cannot be corrected.
Fatty: refers to a greasy feeling in the mouth.
Flat or Smooth: flavour of oil whose organoleptic characteristics are very weak owing to the loss of their aromatic components.
Harsh*: characteristic sensation of certain oils which, when tasted, produce a mouthfeel reaction of astrigency.
Old*: characteristic flavour of oil that has been kept too long in storage containers. May also appear in oils which have been packed for excessively long periods.
Rancid*: characteristic flavour common to all oils and fats that have undergone a process of auto-oxidation caused by prolonged contact with air. This flavour is unpleasant and cannot be corrected.
Off-flavours Which Should Never Find their Way into the Shop
Brine*: flavour of oil extracted from olives which have been preservedin a saline solution.
Earthy*: characteristic of oil obtained from olives which have been collected with earth or mud on them and not washed. This flavour may sometimes be accompanied by a musty-humid flavour.
Esparto*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from olives pressed in new esparto mats. The flavour may differ on whether or not the mats are made ofnew or dried esparto.
Fusty (Atrojado)*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from olives tored in piles which have undergone an advanced stage of fermentation.
Greasy*: odour of oil extracted in a plant where residues of petroleum, grease or mineral oil have not been properly removed from the machinery.
Green leaves*: flavour of oil obtained from excessively green olives or olives that have been crushed with leaves or twigs.
Grubby*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from olives which have been heavily attacked by the grubs of the olive fly.
Heated or Burnt*: characteristic flavour of oils caused by excessive and/or prolonged heating during processing, particularly when the paste is thermally mixed if this is done under unsuitable conditions.
Metallic*: flavour that is reminiscent of metal. Characteristic of oils which have been in prolonged contact under unsuitable conditions whith foodstuffs or metallic surfaces during crushing, mixing, pressing or storage.
Muddy sediment*: characteristic flavour of oil recovered from the decanted sediment of vats and underground tanks.
Mustiness-Humidity*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from fruit in which large numbers of fungi and yeast have developed, as a result of being stored in piles in humid conditions for several days.
Pomace*: characteristic flavour that is reminscent of the flavour of olive pomace.
Pressing mat*: flavour of oil obtained from olives that have been pressed in dirty pressing mats in which fermented residues have been left.
Rough*: characteristic perception in certain oils which, when tasted, produce a thick, pasty mouthfeel sensation.
Soapy*: flavour producing an olfactory gustatory sensation reminiscent of that produced by green soap.
Vegetable water*: characteristic flavour acquired by oil as a result of poor decantation and prolonged contact with vegetable water.
Winey-Vinegary*: characteristic flavour of certain oils reminiscent of wine and vinegar.
* = Words which are on the EC approved list together with their official definitionsEarthy*: characteristic of oil obtained from olives which have been collected with earth or mud on them and not washed. This flavour may sometimes be accompanied by a musty-humid flavour.
Esparto*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from olives pressed in new esparto mats. The flavour may differ on whether or not the mats are made ofnew or dried esparto.
Fusty (Atrojado)*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from olives tored in piles which have undergone an advanced stage of fermentation.
Greasy*: odour of oil extracted in a plant where residues of petroleum, grease or mineral oil have not been properly removed from the machinery.
Green leaves*: flavour of oil obtained from excessively green olives or olives that have been crushed with leaves or twigs.
Grubby*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from olives which have been heavily attacked by the grubs of the olive fly.
Heated or Burnt*: characteristic flavour of oils caused by excessive and/or prolonged heating during processing, particularly when the paste is thermally mixed if this is done under unsuitable conditions.
Metallic*: flavour that is reminiscent of metal. Characteristic of oils which have been in prolonged contact under unsuitable conditions whith foodstuffs or metallic surfaces during crushing, mixing, pressing or storage.
Muddy sediment*: characteristic flavour of oil recovered from the decanted sediment of vats and underground tanks.
Mustiness-Humidity*: characteristic flavour of oil obtained from fruit in which large numbers of fungi and yeast have developed, as a result of being stored in piles in humid conditions for several days.
Pomace*: characteristic flavour that is reminscent of the flavour of olive pomace.
Pressing mat*: flavour of oil obtained from olives that have been pressed in dirty pressing mats in which fermented residues have been left.
Rough*: characteristic perception in certain oils which, when tasted, produce a thick, pasty mouthfeel sensation.
Soapy*: flavour producing an olfactory gustatory sensation reminiscent of that produced by green soap.
Vegetable water*: characteristic flavour acquired by oil as a result of poor decantation and prolonged contact with vegetable water.
Winey-Vinegary*: characteristic flavour of certain oils reminiscent of wine and vinegar.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Our Syllabus Spring 2011
O166329S2011
Arts Reporting and Reviewing
0166-329
Spring 2011
Class meets Tuesday & Thursday in Ed 305
Dr. Michael Robertson
Office: Kalmanovitz Hall 119
Phone: 422-6250 (office); 510-836-4870 (home)
Email: robertson@usfca.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday 430p-6p. If you need to see me, don't hesitate to ask for a time convenient for you.
Required Texts:
None. Readings will be linked to in the syllabus or handed out or emailed.
Required Reading:
Read all assignments before the due date. Identify at least one reviewer or critic whose work appears regularly in print or online. Follow that reviewer during the semester. At the end of the semester you will be required to interview one local reviewer. I assume she/he will be the one whose work you follow. Be alert for reviews in any of your sources that illustrate excellence – or mediocrity. Bring examples to class.
Quizzes:
Quizzes based on the reading Assignments may be given without prior notice.
Your Personal Blog and Twitter Account:
Each student is responsible for creating a personal blog on which you will post your reviews. You are also required to comment at least once every three weeks concerning the critic you are following, for a total of five during the semester. Such posts might link to a review and provide a comment on some aspect of that review. Since most reviewers/critics invite conversation with their readers via email, you might also engage in an email exchange with your chosen critic and post that. Several websites provide free space for blogging. Blogger.com is a popular one. (Tumblr.com is NOT acceptable.) You are also responsible for creating a Twitter account. After you have written a review, the final part of the assignment is boiling it down to a single Tweet in which you will include the hashtag #usfreview.
Late Assignments:
You do not need to ask my permission to turn in an out‑of‑class Assignment after deadline. However, unless you have a medical excuse, you will be penalized for turning in a late story. Your mark will be lowered 2/3rds of a letter grade for the first two days of lateness, 1/3rd of a letter grade for each subsequent two days. For example, a "B" paper turned in two days late would be reduced to a "C" grade. If you miss an Assignment because of illness, it is your responsibility to present me with an acceptable medical excuse, find an alternative Assignment and clear it with me.
Attendance:
Regular class attendance is also expected. Two unexcused absences are allowed, but in‑class work missed through absence may not be made up although it may be excused. If you miss class for any reason, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what future class assignments are. Excused Assignments will not be averaged into your grade; unexcused assignments will be -- as a zero. Excessive absences will factor into the class participation portion of your grade.
Reminder:
Under the current policies of the Media Studies Department, a student will not get credit in the major for any course in which he or she receives a grade of less than C; that is, a grade of C-minus or lower means you must retake the course.
Academic misconduct:
Instances of source fabrication or plagiarism will result in severe sanctions.
Deadlines:
If you have any handicap or any other physical, emotional or personal problem that will interfere with your performance, you should discuss it with me by the end of the first week of the course or as soon as the problem arises. Every effort will be made to accommodate legitimate problems if they are discussed in a timely fashion. Some chronic problems may receive a sympathetic hearing but result in no adjustment to expectations for performance. A semester's-end revelation of personal problems will not improve your grade.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing this course, a student should be able:
1. To complete all writing assignments employing correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and syntax.
2. To understand enough of the history, the conventions and the contemporary context of the art forms you are assigned to review so that a well-informed reader would conclude that you are well-informed, also. (In other words, I expect you to “write smart.”)
3. To explain the decisions you made concerning the structure, the emphasis and the tone of your reviews on request. In some instances you may spontaneously produce a provocative and entertaining review without (it may seem to you) stopping to think, but even in those happy cases I expect you to spend time contemplating what you have written so that you advance your understanding of those two elusive categories, what “works” and what doesn’t. Most of us improve our writing by producing a draft and then rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting.
4. To write a standard news story on an “arts” topic.
5. To do an in-person interview with an arts reviewer.
6. To know when information must be attributed to a source to avoid editorializing and how to handle attribution smoothly in a story.
7. To understand the general sources for news (observation, interview, written reports), the necessity of skepticism in dealing with these sources; to master the process of verifying information; to exhibit that understanding in your stories.
8. To use basic AP style rules in the reviews and stories written.
9. To prepare copy so that it is clean and conforms to standard copy preparation rules. (For instance, always double space.)
10. To create and maintain a personal blog and Twitter account.
11. To do one video review – that is, a version of one of your reviews reduced to a script and spoken in front of a camera – that will be posted on your blog.
Grades:
Your final grade will be determined by the average of in‑class writing, out‑of‑class writing, and final project (70 percent); class participation (10 percent); quizzes (10 percent); blog (10 percent). Additional credit MAY be given for work published in the Foghorn or in any other credible publication, either print or online. In addition to having done adequate research before each review, observed closely during the research for the review and in general “writing smart,” the
A Student: Has either a gift for writing or works very hard at clean, clear and concise prose. Has grammar and stylistic skills resulting in copy that requires little editing. Misses no deadlines and completes all Assignments. Participates in class discussions but does not dominate those discussions or divert them from the subject at hand. By the course's end, this student could function as an entertainment generalist in the newsroom of a moderate-size daily newspaper with no supervision. A=100-95.
B Student: Writes basically correct English with flashes of style. May have some grammar and syntax problems, but problems can be corrected without major editing. May blow a few Assignments but is basically a contributing member of the class. By the course's end, this student could perform basic functions of an entertainment writer without close supervision. Your basic bright journalism student who is still learning. B= 94-85.
C Student: Has problems with the English language that appear to be correctable with effort by both student and teacher in future courses. May have problems with accuracy and attention to detail. May have problems under deadline pressure. Able to perform basic entertainment newsroom functions if closely supervised. May think he or she deserves a B because he or she "tried." C=84-75.
D Student: Has problems with the language that may not be correctable -- ever. Has basic grammar and syntax errors still appearing in Assignments at course's end. Could not perform basic entertainment newsroom functions. Does severe damage to the English language. I will give people who "try" a D. If they don't, I will fail them. D=74-65.
Work may be turned in online. However you submit, it is your responsibility to have a second copy of the story in your possession until I return the graded original.
Semester Schedule
Week One: January 24
Objective: An introduction to reviewing. Preparing for restaurant review. Preparing for semester-end publication analysis due the day of the final exam By the end of the semester, you will have an idea of how reviews must be aimed at specific audiences. Your final analysis will explore what implicit/explicit expectations in form, content, etc. you would have to observe if you wished to do freelance reviewing for your chosen publication. Blogging and Tweeting.
Out of Class: Read handouts and online essays. Our syllabus will be posted at the class website, so you can click through to each of these articles:
Assignment: A restaurant review of at least 600 words is due Tuesday, February 3. You will place a version of your review on Yelp as well as on your blog.
Week Two: January 31
Objective: Preparing for a movie review.
Out of Class: Read handouts, plus the following online essays.
* Let's Rate the Ranking Systems of Film Reviews
* Pauline Kael on the fun of writing disrespectfully
Assignment: A movie review of at least 600 words is due Thursday, February 10. On that day, I’ll video each of you doing a Twitter review of the film.
Week Three: February 7
Objective: Your Assignment will be reviewing an episode of your favorite sitcom during which you compare it to an episode of the classic sitcom “I Love Lucy.” We will explore how an appreciation of the history of a TV genre affects your appreciation of an example of that genre. (See the ‘Lucy’ link below.)
Out of Class: Read handouts and online material.
Assignment: The TV review of at least 600 is due Thursday, February 17.
Week Four: February 14
Objective: Poetry as performance. The poetry slam!
Out of Class: Read handouts and online material.
Assignment: We will go as a class to a poetry slam at the Starry Plough in Berkeley, Wednesday night, February 16. (No class on Thursday.) A review at least 600 words is due Tuesday, March 3.
Week Five: February 21
Objectives: Reviewing a musical performance
Out of Class: Read handouts and online essays.
Assignment: A review of at least 600 words of a musical performance attended by the class is due Thursday, March 2. (If we go Tuesday or Thursday night, it can sub for class.)
Week Six: February 28
Objective: The entertainment interview written on deadline.
Out of Class: Read handouts and online material.
Assignment: Thursday, March 3, we will have a Q&A in class with a guest. Your story of at least 600 words based on that interview is due 24 hours later.
Week Seven: March 7
Objective: Reviewing a play. Exploring the extent to which intensive preparation for a review enriches a review. (This Assignment may come at a different time in the semester depending on what is being presented on campus.)
Out of Class: Read handouts and online material. I hope we will spend the next two weeks preparing to attend an on-campus play. If all goes well, we will have the opportunity to interview actors, crew and the director of the play. I’m going to invite a drama teacher to class to give the class a “mini” acting lesson.
Spring Break
Week Eight: March 21
Objective: Reviewing a play (2). Exploring the extent to which intensive preparation for a reviewing experience enriches the review.
Assignment: A play review of at least 600 words is due Tuesday, March 29.
Week Nine: March 28
Objective: Reviewing a documentary movie. Is point-of-view propaganda?
Out of Class: This is the week of USF’s Human Rights Film Festival. We will review one of the films presented at the Festival.
Assignment: A review of at least 600 words of the assigned movie is due Thursday, April 7.
Week Ten: April 4
Objectives: Reviewing the Friday night concert and labyrinth walk at Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill.
Out of Class: Read handouts and online essays.
Assignment: Do a story containing elements of a review – particularly whether or not this is an experience you recommend to your readers. I want you not only to watch and listen but to participate, to walk the labyrinth. The story of at least 600 words is due Thursday, April 14.
Week Eleven: April 11
Objectives: Reviewing a ‘Fine Art.’ Elitism, classism and the end of beauty.
Out of Class: Read handouts and online essays.
Assignment: A review of an assigned exhibit of at least 600 words is due Thursday, April 21.
Week Twelve: April 18
Objective: Wild Card week.
Out of Class: Read assigned handouts and online essays.
Assignment: A review of 600 or more words of anything you wish to review is due Thursday, April 28.
Week Thirteen: April 25
Objectives: A review video to be posted on your blog. You will reduce one of your reviews to a two-three minute script and do that script on camera.
Out of Class: Read handouts and online essays.
Assignment: Your script is due Monday, April 25.
Week Fourteen: May 2
Objectives: Interviewing the reviewer or critic whose work you have been following during the semester.
Out of Class: Read handouts and online essays.
Assignment: An interview of at last 750 words with your reviewer of choice is due Thursday, May 5.
Week Fifteen: May 9
Objectives: Final Evaluation
Assignment: A 750-word publication analysis is due on exam day in which you explain how you would adjust your reviewing style to fit a publiction in which you would like your reviews to appear.
Other reading:
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