Students will explore televisions formative years. The course is a sequel of sorts to the earlier course, but can be taken independently or concurrently. Students will learn about and discuss the cultural, economic and regulatory decisions that shaped the medium and analyze TV's changing portrayal of the American family, gender roles, minority representation and other key concepts. The history of breaking news coverage, the emergence of cable, and the rise and fall of various programming genres - from live TV drama and the variety show to newsmagazines and reality TV - will be examined.