EMST 4050: LA Industry Studies

Summer 2017
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00am -12:00pm

Instructor: Prof. Fortmueller

Office Hours: After class or by appointment
Email: kate.fortmueller@uga.edu

The course is designed to introduce students to the structure of the major narrative media
industries and their workers. Our emphasis will be on storytelling media (television and motion
pictures), but we will consider the interrelated industries of music and digital media as they relate
to students’ internships. By the end of the semester, you will hone your critical analysis skills in
relation to industry discourse, get in the habit of keeping up with industry news, develop a
structural analysis of the media industries, gain an understanding of key tensions and issues for
creative workers, and potentially your place within this complicated infrastructure. This
knowledge will help you enter the workforce with a clear understanding of the issues of your
chosen career path and develop the skills that will serve you well as you enter the entertainment
media industries.

Required Texts
All required readings available on eLC

In addition to the assigned reading you are required to read at least one of the following trades
(all available online): Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and/or The Wrap

Course Objectives
By the end of the semester, students will:
 Locate their internship within the broader industrial context
 Identify key players in the entertainment media industries
 Recognize the media industries’ key challenges, hierarchies, and debates
 Reach out to new industry contacts

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  Cultivate the habit of keeping up with industry news and developments
 Develop individual critical reading and thinking skills

Assignments

Blog Posts (6 total) 60 points (10 points Due: Friday by 8pm

per post)
Internship Presentation 40 points Due: Varies
Interview Questions 20 points Due: June 22, 2017

Interview Blog Post 20 points Due: July 6, 2017

Guest speaker paper 50 points Due: July 20, 2017

Take-home final 100 points Due: July 27, 2017

Attendance and Participation 60 points Due: Ongoing

There are 350 possible points in this course. Your final course grade will be determined based on
the percentages of total points earned.

There are several assignments in this course with variable due dates. You are responsible for
making sure that you turn in the correct number of assignments at the correct time.

Unless otherwise stated, assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated on
the syllabus. Late assignments will be penalized by 10% per day late (i.e., if the assignment is
worth 50 points, 5 points will be deducted per day late.) If you do not attend class you are still
responsible for turning in your assignment on time.

All assignments will be submitted online through eLC.

Prof. Fortmueller will provide additional handouts with assignment details and expectations.

Attendance and Participation

You are expected to arrive on time, be prepared for class activities (this includes our regularly
scheduled class time, guest speaker events, and cultural activities), and participate in an
intelligent, respectful, and constructive manner. Some cultural activities are listed on the
syllabus, but stay tuned for future announcements about events and speakers.

Throughout the semester, you are permitted one absence (three late arrivals equal one absence).
There is no distinction between excused and unexcused absences, so there is no need to email
Prof. Fortmueller if you know you will be absent.

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It is your obligation to manage your time and make sure that you do not miss more than one
class. You are responsible for keeping track of your total absences, obtaining notes for missed
lecture, and making sure all assignments are turned in when they are due. Beyond one class,
every absence thereafter will result in a 5 point deduction from your attendance and participation
grade.

Over the course of the semester we will have several participation assignments (for example, you
might need to bring in media examples or reading questions for discussion). These assignments
will be checked off in class (as Pass/No Pass) and will count toward your participation grade.
Failure to complete any of the participation assignments will result in a 5 point deduction from
your attendance and participation grade.

Grade Scale
94-100 = A 90-93 = A- 87-89 = B+ 84-86 = B 80-83= B-
77-79 = C+ 74-76 = C 70-73 = C- 67-69 = D+ 64-66 = D
60-63 = D- < 60 = F

Academic Honesty

As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the University’s academic
honesty policy, “A Culture of Honesty,” and the Student Honor Code. All academic work must
meet the standards described in “A Culture of Honesty” found at: www.uga.edu/honesty. Lack of
knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable explanation for a violation.
Questions related to course assignments and the academic honesty policy should be directed to
the instructor. 

Disability Services

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to participate in

course activities or meet course requirements should contact the instructor or designate during
regular office hours or by appointment.

Students who train or use service animals should be aware of UGA policy. A FAQ is available at
http://eoo.uga.edu/policies/pdfs/ServiceAnimalPolicyFAQ.pdf

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 Weekly Schedule
Readings and assignments are due on the date listed. The course syllabus is a general plan for the
course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Week 1: Interning in the Creative Industries (and applying critical thinking to the
workplace)
T (6/6): No reading due!

Th (6/8): (1) Ross Perlin, “The Economics of Internships,” in Intern Nation: How to Earn
Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy (New York: Verso, 2012), 123-144.

Sa (6/10): (1) Walking tour of Downtown LA Theatre District (2) Outdoor screening of The
Princess Bride at the Autry Museum of the American West

Week 2: Understanding the (Contemporary) Media Industries

T (6/13): Timothy Havens and Amanda Lotz, “Understanding Media Industries,” in
Understanding Media Industries (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), 1-21; (2) Selection
from Bill Seiter and Ellen Seiter, The Creative Artist’s Legal Guide (New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press, 2012), 15-36.

Th (6/15): (1) Janet Wasko, “Financing and Production: Creating the Hollywood Film
Commodity,” in The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry, edited by Paul McDonald and
Janet Wasko (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008), 63-82; (2) Selection from Patricia
Holland, The New Television Handbook, 5th edition (London: Routledge, 2017), 67-75.

Week 3: Production
T (6/20): Guest Instructor: Andres Rosende

Th (6/22): Guest Instructor: Andres Rosende

Week 4: Distribution
T (6/27): (1) Timothy Havens and Amanda Lotz, “Media Distribution and Aggregation
Practices,” in Understanding Media Industries (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), 171-
187.

Th (6/29): (1) “Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix,” in Distribution Revolution:
Conversations about the Digital Future of Film and Television, Michael Curtin, Jennifer Holt,
and Kevin Sanson, eds. (Oakland: University of California Press, 2014), 132-145.

Week 5: Exhibition
T (7/4): Independence Day Holiday/No Class

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Th (7/6): (1) Charles Acland, “Theatrical Exhibition: Accelerated Cinema,” in The
Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry, edited by Paul McDonald and Janet Wasko (Malden,
MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008), 83-102.

8:00pm: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (screening with a live score) at the
Hollywood Bowl

Week 6: Marketing
T (7/11): (1) Interview questions and transcription due; (2) Philip Drake, “Distribution and
Marketing in Contemporary Hollywood,” in The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry, edited
by Paul McDonald and Janet Wasko (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008), 63-82.

Th (7/13): (1) Justin Wyatt, “Market Research in the Media Industries: On the Strategic
Relationship between Client and Supplier,” in Making Media Work, edited by Derek Johnson,
Derek Kompare, and Avi Santo (New York: NYU Press, 2014), 254-274.

Week 7: Industry Co-operation

T (7/18): (1) Jonathan Sterne, “There is no music industry,” Media Industries Journal 1.1
(2014); (2) Paul Rutter, “Music ownership into copyright,” in The Music Industry Handbook
(London: Routledge, 2011), 70-88. (3) Student vote for week 8 topics

Th (7/20): Denise Mann, “Welcome to the Unregulated Wild, Wild, Digital West,” Media
Industries Journal 1.2 (2014)
http://www.mediaindustriesjournal.org/index.php/mij/article/view/47

Week 8: Wrap-Up
T (7/25): (1) Reading TBD

Th (7/27): (1) Take-home final due

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