People's University: Your Television Will Be Colorized: Black TV Comics’ Riffs on Race August 6, 2008

Your Television Will Be Colorized: Black TV Comics’ Riffs on Race
Wednesdays, August 6, 13, & 20; 6:30 – 8 PM

Presented by Dr. Walt R. Jacobs, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota’s African American & African Studies Department and author of three books, including Lower Frequencies: Students and Media Literacy.

African American comics have a long history of using television as a stage to address the continuing significance of race in the United States. From overt commentary offered in sketch comedy shows such as In Living Color to the more subtle discourse used in a situation comedy like The Cosby Show, class participants will learn to identify and decode racial critique of American society found in TV shows that without losing the pleasure we derive from these systems. Clips from shows of the early 1970s (The Flip Wilson Show) through the mid-2000s (Chappelle's Show) will be shown and discussion will focus on developing “critical media literacy.”

This series is part of The People's University, presented by The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library with financial support from the Marquette Financial Companies. The People's University is free and open to the public, however advance registration is required. Please visit http://www.friendsofmpl.org/events_home.html for more information.

Official Website: http://www.friendsofmpl.org/events_home.html