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COMM 430

Global Entertainment

Fall 2010

Instructor: Paolo Sigismondi, MBA, PhD

Section: 20644R, 03:30-06:20 pm T, ASC G34

E-mail:

Office Hours:1:30 – 3:30 pm Tuesday and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The increase of economic and political linkages between nations and the development of new communication technologies globally have ushered in a new phase in the flow of international popular culture artifacts. In this new scenario, global entertainment is a key feature in the 21st century media landscapes and societies worldwide. The complexity of the phenomenon of international flows of entertainment content calls for an interdisciplinary approach through an analysis of its economic, political and cultural dimensions within the discourses of globalization, as the information and communication technology revolution unfolds.

This course surveys the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of the global entertainment marketplace, focusing on the international production and distribution of media products and services. It analyzes the economics of global entertainment, the evolution of its business practices and Hollywood’s global competitive advantage. It explores the political and cultural issues generated as entertainment content crosses national borders and reaches diverse and culturally situated audiences. Finally, specific relevant markets are analyzed to focus on how the aforementioned forces materialize in different regions of the world, drawing on current examples from the US, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Paolo Sigismondi, MBA, PhD has more than a decade of work experience in the global media and entertainment industry. He held executive positions in two of Europe’s largest media holding companies, Mediaset and Telemontecarlo networks, and most recently worked at Warner Bros., in its International Television Distribution division.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) (2005). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press.

The rest of the readings are in a course reader available at the USC bookstore, or are available on line. There may be additional short readings distributed in class.

ADA COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

Any student requesting academic accommodation based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to your instructor as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is 213-740-0776.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The AnnenbergSchool for Communication is committed to upholding the University’s Academic Integrity code as detailed in the Scampus guide. It is the policy of the School of Communication to report all violations of the code. Any serious violations or pattern of violations of the Academic Integrity Code will result in the student’s expulsion from the Communication major or minor.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Class participation. Students are expected to make informed contributions to class discussions and online activities, coming to class having completed all assigned readings.
  2. Class presentation. Students will be asked to identify and present relevant examples of global entertainment in assigned regions, explaining how they relate to the readings and topics discussed in class.
  3. Midterm exam. There will be a closed book midterm exam on October 12.
  4. Course project. Student will individually conduct research on a topic related to global entertainment. A one page synopsis of the project should be submitted for approval by November 2. The final presentations will take place in the last two weeks of classes, and they must include visual aids and a short paper (8-10 pages suggested).
  5. Final exam. There will be a take-home final exam.

GRADING

Requirements will be weighed as follows:

Class participation 10% - 50 points

Class presentation 10% - 50 points

Midterm exam 25% - 125 points

Course project 30% - 150 points

Final exam 25% - 125 points

Total 100% - 500 points

Class Schedule

Week 1. Global entertainment: an overview (Aug. 24)

Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) (2005). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (Chapter 1: The world of television, pp. 3-16).

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 1: The historical context of international communication, pp. 1-14; Appendix A: A chronology of international communication,pp. 260-269).

Week 2. Economics of the entertainment industry (Aug. 31)

Blume, S. (2004). The revenue streams: An overview. In Squire, J. E. (Eds.)

The movie business book.New York: Fireside (pp. 333-359).

Caves, R.E. (2000). Creative industries: Contracts between art and commerce. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (Chapter 1: Introduction: Economic properties of creative activities, pp 1-17).

Hollifield, C.A. (2004). The economics of international media. In Alexander, A., Carveth, R., Hollifield, C. A., Greco, A. N., & Owers, J. (Ed.).Media economics: Theory and practice.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum (pp. 85-106).

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 4: The global media bazaar, pp. 98-121).

Week 3. Hollywood’s global competitive advantage (Sep. 7)

Gershon, R.A. (2005). The transnationals. In Cooper-Chen, A. (2005). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (pp. 17-35).

Taplin, J. (2005). Crouching tigers: Emerging challenges to US entertainment

supremacy. Part 1: The movie business.Available at:

Terry, N., Cooley, J. W. & Zachary, M. (2009). The determinants of foreign box office revenue for English language movies. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies. Available at:

Veron, L. (1999). The competitive advantage of Hollywood industry. Center for International Studies, University of Southern California, working paper. Available at:

Week 4. Global entertainment and the cultural imperialism question (Sep. 14)

Herman, E. & McChesney, R. (1997). The rise of global media. In The global media: The new missionaries of corporate capitalism. London: Cassell.

Rothkop, D. (1997). In praise of cultural imperialism? Foreign Policy, Number 107,

Summer 1997, pp.38-53. Available at

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 2: Approaches to theorizing international communication, pp. 40-65).

Tomlinson, J. (1991). Media imperialism. In Parks, L. & Kumar, S. (Ed.). Planet

TV: A global Television reader. New York, NY: New YorkUniversity Press.

Week 5. The politics of cultural trade: Soft power and cultural diplomacy (Sep. 21)

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 1: The historical context of international communication, pp. 15-38).

Waisbord, S. & Morris, N. (Eds.) (2001). Media and globalization: Why the state matters. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefield (pp. vii-xvi Introduction: Rethinking media globalization and state power).

Wildman, S. S. (1995). Trade liberation and policy for media industries: A theoretical

examination of media flows. Canadian Journal of Communication. 20(3). Available at:

Wilson, E. J. III (2008). Hard power, soft power, smart power. The Annals of the

AmericanAcademy of Political and Social Science 2008 616: pp. 94-109.

Week 6. Cultural studies in global entertainment (Sep. 28)

Appadurai, A. (1990). Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy.

Public Culture, 2(2).

Banet-Weiser, S. (2007). The Nickelodeon brand: Buying and selling the audience. In S. Banet-Weiser, C. Chris & A. Freitas, (Eds.), Cable Vision: Television beyond broadcasting, (pp.234-252). New York: New YorkUniversity Press.

Kraidy, M. M. (2002). Hybridity in cultural globalization. Communication Theory, 12(3), 316-339.

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 6: Contraflow in global media, pp. 180-206).

Week 7. Global audiences’ reception studies (Oct. 5)

AngI. (1990). Culture and communication: Toward an ethnographic critique of media consumption in the transnational media system. In Parks, L. & Kumar, S. (Eds.). Planet TV: A global Television reader. New York, NY: New YorkUniversity Press, pp. 363-375.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Fans, bloggers, and gamers: Exploring participatory culture.

New York: New YorkUniversity Press. (Chapter 7: Pop cosmopolitanism:

Mapping media flows in the age of media convergence, pp.152-172).

Miller, T. (2007). Global Hollywood 2010. International Journal of Communication, 1(2007), Feature 1-4. Available at:

Olson, S. R. (1999). Hollywood planet: Global media and the competitive

advantage of narrative transparency. In R. C. H. Allen, A. (Eds.), The Television Studies

reader. New York: Routledge, pp. 111-129.

Week 8. Intellectual Property Rights and digital entertainment (Oct. 12)

MIDTERM EXAM

Anderson, C. (2004) ‘The long tail’, Wired Magazine, October 2004. Available at: .

Elberse, A. (2008). Should you invest in the long tail? Harvard Business Review. Available at:

Lessig, L. (2004). Free culture: How big media uses technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity. New York: The Penguin Press (Chapter 5: pp. 62-79, the rest is optional). Available at

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 7: International communication in the Internet age, pp. 207-249).

Week 9.Regional examples: Europe (Oct. 19)

Foster, K. & Knieper T. (2005). Germany. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 4: pp. 59-79).

Griffin, J. (2005). The United Kingdom. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 3: pp. 39-58).

Menédez Alarcón, A. V. (2010). Media representation of the European Union: Comparing Newspaper Coverage in France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. International Journal of Communication, 4(2010), 398-415. Available at:

Sigismondi, P. (2009). Global strategies in the children’s media market: The Jetix case in Italy. Journal of Children and Media 3(2), pp. 152-165.

Week 10. Regional examples: The Americas and US Spanish language broadcasting (Oct. 26)

Coeli da Silveira, R. (2005). Brazil. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 11: pp. 183-202).

Orozco, G. (2005). Mexico. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 11: pp. 203-219).

Dos Santos, S. (2009). The central role of broadcast television in Brasil’s film industry: The economic, political, and social implications of global markets and national concentration. International Journal of Communcation, 3(2009), 695-712. Available at:

Stacy, N. & Gordon, A. (2009). Globalization and cultural imperialism in Jamaica: The homogenization of content and Americanization of Jamaican TV through programme modeling. International Journal of Communication, 3(2009), 307-331. Available at:

Week 11 . Regional examples: Asia (Nov. 2)

Cheng, H. (2005). China. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 10: pp. 161-182).

Kanayama, T. & Kanayama, T. (2005). Japan. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 9: pp. 145-160).

Rao, S. (2005). India. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 8: pp. 131-144).

Sigismondi, P. (2009). Hollywood piracy in China: An accidental case of US

public diplomacy in the globalization age? Chinese Journal of Communication, 2(3), pp. 273-287.

Sun, W. (2010). Mission impossible? Soft power, communication capacity, and the globalization of Chinese media. International Journal of Communication, 4(2010), 54-72. Available at:

Week 12. Regional examples: Africa/Middle East (Nov. 9)

Berenger, R. D. & Labidi, K. (2005). Egypt. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 5: p. 81-98)

Cowling, L. (2005). South Africa. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 7: pp. 115-130).

Kraidy, M. M. (2009). Reality Television, gender, and authenticity in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Communication, 59(2); pg. 345

Oduro-Frimpong, J. (2009). Glocaliztion trends: The case of hiplife music in contemporary Ghana. International Journal of Communication, 3(2009), 1085-1106. Available at:

Olorunnisola, A.A. & Akani, T.M. (2005). Nigeria. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 6: .pp. 99-114).

Week 13. Cross – national case studies and the digital glocalization of entertainment (Nov. 16)

Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.) (2005). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (Chapter 14: A world of “millionaires”: Global, local, and “glocal”, pp. 237-251).

Kjus, Y. (2009). Idolizing and monetizing the public: The production of celebrities and fans, representatives and citizens in Reality TV. International Journal of Communication, 3(2009), 277-300. Available at:

Moretti, A. (2005). The Olympics. In Cooper-Chen, A. (Eds.). Global entertainment media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Chapter 13: pp. 221-236).

Thussu, D.K. (2006). International communication: Continuity and change(2nd

Edition).New York: OxfordUniversity Press. (Chapter 5: The global and the local in media cultures, pp. 98-144).

Week 14. Project presentations (Nov. 23)

Week 15. Project presentations (Nov. 30)