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University of Kent Annual Department of Film Studies Symposium 2006
'TELEVISION, GENRE AND EVALUATION'
1st June, 2006
Despite the 'virtual omnipresence' (Mittell, 2004) of generic categories in television, from television scheduling and listings, channel branding, and everyday talk, through to academic study, the complexity of the medium's relations with genre has rarely been subjected to sustained analysis. Given contemporary developments in television itself, as well as the on-going development of Television Studies as an academic discipline, the time seems right to revisit the question of genre within the medium. With this in mind, the University of Kent is hosting a one-day symposium that aims to interrogate television's relations with genre, as these range across questions of history, methodological approach, aesthetics and evaluation.
The fact that generic categories are never 'neutral' -- that ascribing or debating generic categories also involves processes of evaluation -- forms a particularly important theme of the day. The symposium aims to offer an eclectic range of papers, including those that address specific programme texts, and those that offer explorations of broader conceptual, theoretical and historical debates, as well as time for open discussion of the themes addressed. Full handbook and timetable
Speakers include
Professor John Ellis, Royal Holloway, University of London Professor Robin Nelson, Manchester Metropolitan University Dr Steven Peacock, Southampton Solent University, Dr Su Holmes, University of Kent.
This one-day event was the latest in a series of annual Department of Film Studies symposia held at Kent since 1998 (previous keynote speakers have included David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, Victor Perkins, Steve Neale, Richard Allen and Robert Stam).
The 2006 symposium was organised by Dr Sarah Cardwell (Adaptation Revisited [2002]; Andrew Davies [2005]) and Dr Su Holmes (British TV and Film Culture in the 1950s: Coming to a TV Near You! [2005]; Understanding Reality TV [2004], co-editor).