Perfect related text - COMMUNITY (TV Series) (1 Viewer)

[CommunityFan]

Ever consider how this television show, Community become the most perfect related text for Belonging?


Trailer

Pilot speech, encapsulation of belonging theme

here is the Syllabus overview

Common Content – Area of Study
An Area of Study is the exploration of a concept that affects our perceptions of ourselves and our world. Students explore, analyse, question and articulate the ways in which perceptions of this concept are shaped in and through a variety of texts.
In the Area of Study, students explore and examine relationships between language and text, and interrelationships among texts. They examine closely the individual qualities of texts while considering the texts’ relationships to the wider context of the Area of Study. They synthesise ideas to clarify meaning and develop new meanings. They take into account whether aspects such as context, purpose and register, text structures, stylistic features, grammatical features and vocabulary are appropriate to the particular text.
The Area of Study integrates the range and variety of practices students undertake in their study and use of English. It provides students with opportunities to explore, analyse and experiment with:
• meaning conveyed, shaped, interpreted and reflected in and through texts
• ways texts are responded to and composed
• ways perspective may affect meaning and interpretation
• connections between and among texts
• how texts are influenced by other texts and contexts.
Students’ responses to texts are supported by their own composition of, and experimentation with, imaginative and other texts. They explore ways of representing events, experiences, ideas, values and processes, and consider the ways in which changes of form and language affect meaning.
The Area of Study and the prescribed texts will be subject to periodic evaluation and review.
Prescribed texts are:
• A range of prescribed texts for the Area of Study from which at least one must be selected. This text list will be published in an English Stage 6 support document.
In addition, students will explore texts of their own choosing relevant to the Area of Study. Students draw their chosen texts from a variety of sources, in a range of genres and media.

Any bold points of the above specifically are reflected for board of studies requirements within the TV series!!!

article worth noting on Community's literal analysis:
The Meta, Innovative Genius of 'Community'
On Season 3's episode 4 "Remedial Chaos Theory"
(All techniques used in community and pop culture reference)

Each season features the study group taking a class together with some sort of underlying theme. In the first season, it was Spanish and was built around the study group members learning to communicate with each other; in the second season, it was Anthropology, which highlighted the group growing into a tight-knit "tribe"; and in the third season, it is Biology, which will feed into the group struggling with their capacity to evolve.

Community is often praised for its often ironic and distant observation of these conventions, and high concept episodes are regarded as some of the show's best material, that isn't to say the low concepts are poor - quite the opposite in fact. Although high concept episodes weren't really seen until the end of Season 1 with Contemporary American Poultry, the first season was a solid comedy, with a genuinely poignant cast. Season 2 manage to sustain the growth and interaction between the characters and mix in outlandish scenarios and off beat humour.

On the literal level, Community is about Jeff Winger. A smarmy attorney disbarred for faking his undergraduate degree, he enrolls at fictional Greendale Community College to get one. There he finds a motley bunch of students played by a very talented group of actors, including Jacobs, Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, and future mother to my children, Alison Brie. The crew forms an unlikely study group, and an even unlikelier family dynamic ensues.

Figuratively, however, Community is about something else entirely. The show's real subject is mass media, especially the conceits, tropes, and conventions of TV and movies. Just as Jeff and Britta aren't a real TV courtship, Community isn't actually a sitcom—not any more than The Onion is an actual news-gathering organization. Community, instead, is a weekly satire of the sitcom genre, a spoof of pop culture in general, and an occasionally profound critique of how living in mass media society can mess up human relationships in the real world. It's also funny, too. Some of that "profound critique" comes disguised in the form of boob jokes.

I mean come on, the title of this show is already screaming about belonging

 

[CommunityFan]

Behind greendale community college

http://www.greendalecommunitycollege.com/

How the school location becomes one of the foundation of each character's second home:

- Greendale provides second chances of life for each character in study group
- Greendale is a safety net for many as the school's low reputation acknowledges and accepts "misfits"
- Greendale is a diverse college, authentic to an actual college/tertiary education experiences (Multicultural society)
- Greendale becomes center of theme of community college --> tertiary education role of society
- Greendale provides sense of identity of place
- Greendale role as Family outlined by the Dean (Craig Pelton)

 

[CommunityFan]

Character's synopsis:

http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Abed_Nadir
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Troy_Barnes
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Pierce_Hawthorne
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Shirley_Bennett
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Annie_Edison
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Britta_Perry
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Jeff_Winger
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Craig_Pelton
http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Ben_Chang

The study group: http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/The_study_group

 

[CommunityFan]

episodes worth analyzing for literary observations: (Episodes in order)

Season 1:
- Pilot (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Pilot))
- Introduction to film (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Introduction_to_Film)
- Football, Feminism, and You (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Football,_Feminism_and_You)
- Advanced Criminal law (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Advanced_Criminal_Law)
- Home Economics (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Home_Economics)
- Debate 109 (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Debate_109)
- Comparative Religion (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Comparative_Religion)
- Physical education (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Physical_Education) the naked episode*
- Contemporary American Poultry (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Contemporary_American_Poultry) the mafia episode

Season 2:
- Anthropology 101 (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Anthropology_101)
- Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Messianic_Myths_and_Ancient_Peoples)
- Aerodynamics of Gender (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Aerodynamics_of_Gender)
- Cooperative Caligraphy (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Cooperative_Calligraphy) a bit hard to analyse though but worth noting of the emotional content.
- Mixology Certification (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Mixology_Certification)
- Early 21st Century Romanticism (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Early_21st_Century_Romanticism)
- Intermediate Documentry Filmaking (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Intermediate_Documentary_Filmmaking)
- Critical Film Studies (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Critical_Film_Studies)
- Paradigms of Human Memory (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Paradigms_of_Human_Memory)
- For A Few Paintballs More (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/For_A_Few_Paintballs_More) star wars episode

Season 3:
- Biology 101 (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Biology_101)
- Geography of Global Conflict (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Geography_of_Global_Conflict)
- Remedial Chaos Theory (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Remedial_Chaos_Theory) the timeline episode
- Advanced Gay (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Advanced_Gay)
- Studies in Modern Movement (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Studies_in_Modern_Movement)
- Documentry Filmmaking Redux (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Documentary_Filmmaking:_Redux)
- Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Urban_Matrimony_and_the_Sandwich_Arts)
- Pillows and Blankets (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Pillows_And_Blankets) the great civil war episode
- Virtual System Analysis (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Systems_Analysis) Most recommended episode for belonging
- Curriculum Unavailable (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Curriculum_Unavailable)
- Digital Estate Planning (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Digital_Estate_Planning) the 16bit old skool episode
- Introduction to Finality (http://community-sitcom.wikia.com/wiki/Introduction_to_Finality)

There are plenty of belonging content that can be thoroughly analyzed with all these episodes, while the modern warfare episode was pure awesomeness, there isn't a lot of belonging theme though so don't ever pick that episode. What I did last time with this belonging essay is that I did the whole TV series, as long as you mention the significance of the show and how the group evolved, you should be fine

 

[CommunityFan]

What makes community stand out to be the perfect belonging theme and among all sitcom histories??

- meta-narrative approach (fourth wall breaking)
- Significant pop culture reference (Satirical effect)
- Philosophical yet comedic
- Major theme and ideologies being explored (Feminism, Marxism, Postmodernism, etc)
- Contemporary issues and/or universal themes (Racism, sexism, Politics etc)
- Postmodernism approach (homages of Genres and combinations of filming techniques)
- It covers wide range of relationship types such as Familial, Romance, Friendship, Institutions, etc

The show also effectively questions to the ever increasing role of media references in defining the existence of a western contemporary society. The authenticity of people's experiences, narrowed down and packaged into a compacted 20 minute episodes. Signifying the potency of media role in defining our sense of belonging to an experience

oh, also the awesomeness of end tag!!!!!!!!!!!! TROY AND ABED!!!!!!!!

(The playlists, below are some examples)

La Bibliotecha

Troy and Abed in the morning

You Have to Believe

 

[CommunityFan]

Bump, any questions for community, fire away and ask me either here in the thread or PM me

 

[theind1996]

Wow - did you do it as a related text yourself?

Because it's an awesome seris

 

[CommunityFan]

yep, i did it for my related text and i got impressive mark for it 14/15 (i only have a phrasing problem sometimes in my essay, the only reason i didn't get full mark)

 

[2xL]

You sir are a genius.

 

[CommunityFan]

the study group significance:

- Abed points out the role of family (Jeff, the father as the leader, Britta, the mother as the anarchic moral compass)
- The study group members role (Pierce as the negative scapegoat, Annie as the motivator etc)
- Exploration of the healthy and unhealthy relationships aspects presented in the group (co-dependency, toxicity, benefits of friendship, moral support)
- their significance in becoming an icon in Greendale (contributing school programs, saving the school from brink of destruction)
- relationships matters as mentioned above could be explored within the study group
- identities of each member, belonging to their world and personalities (heavy reference to religion, race, status, interests)

 

[CommunityFan]

just want to share abed's awesomeness, he's really that good in belonging stuff too

don't worry so much about Hillary duff but it was a heck of a scene

 

[rooster1908]

I'm doing this as my back-up related text for my AOS essay tomorrow. I decided to after reading this thread. Thanks!

6 seasons and a movie!

 

[CommunityFan]

britta is perfect for belonging in time, personality and moral values belonging

feminist try hard much xD

 

[rooster1908]

And guess what question I got? "To what extent is belonging influenced by perceptions of community?"

 

[CommunityFan]

LOL!!! SERIOUS!!! that's just like perfect for this text!!! what did u end up doing?

 

[CommunityFan]

Troy's naivity, childlike quality with a football captain and prom king background outlines one of the qualities of the child role in the family plus the video is funny anyways

 

[CommunityFan]

the "ethically neutral mascot" for a community college there's the fun

 

[JasonG123]

This is amazing (I was considering doing Community as a related text as well, but went with something more generic).

Have you seen the finale of season 3? You could talk about the motif of "mitosis" as an allegory for their collective identity/sense of belonging.

 

[CommunityFan]

i know right!!! any part of that show could be related to belonging

look back at my first post, especially the part where the group's subject becomes a metaphor of their relationship, and it fits well as well with Romulus my Father (Advanced English peepz) especially Abed's aloof and distant self from a possible mysterious disorder and Raimond's mother possible untreated post natal depression syndrome which alienates herself in the barren Australian conservative society

also how greendale has similar role with Australia as a place for new beginnings and gain new found respect for all people, diversity which also reflected in contemporary australian society, resonating/contrast the beginnings of Australian migration history-ish

 

[CommunityFan]

This is amazing (I was considering doing Community as a related text as well, but went with something more generic).

Have you seen the finale of season 3? You could talk about the motif of "mitosis" as an allegory for their collective identity/sense of belonging.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitosis

Mitosis is the process by which a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets, in two separate nuclei. It is generally followed immediately by cytokinesis, which divides the nuclei, cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane into two cells containing roughly equal shares of these cellular components

simply clever, *SPOILERS* (highlight to read it)

Remember how the show's uncertain future becomes one of the main dilemma at the time before the series was renewed? and the fact that the fights of the rights between Shirley and Pierce in claiming the rights of the sandwich shop, and the darkest timeline occurring tearing up Abed's life especially since Troy was gone. The "Uncertain" future of the study group and Jeff's career goal was unprecedentedly concluded with Jeff's maturation from being a shallow ex-lawyer who disposes sense of connection with others who he sees as a weakness, into something quite the opposite, a beautiful metamorphosis that was occurring only rapidly in season 3.

in a way, the last season was a perfect way to summed up the status of the show for the time being and for sure this is the best damn thing, ironically as usual, great shows like these go relatively unnoticed in mainstream public. I would hope that this would be a classic and worth more studies by more critics and literatures one day, because the thing about this show is that after you study it, you come to love it much more!!