Classroom Pass is an Iowa Now project that sent teams of writers, photographers, and videographers to 15 classes on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to showcase the breadth and strength of the University of Iowa's academic offerings for undergraduates as well as its dynamic faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. See what other classes they visited.
Class: Black TV Drama: "The Wire"
Instructor: Timothy Havens, professor of communication studies
FADE IN
EXT. – Room 128W in the Chemistry Building
INT. – About 40 students watching "The Wire"
Stringer Bell meets Bunny Colvin in a cemetery. Bell’s motive during their conversation in the dead of night—trying to sell out Avon Barksdale.
It’s the first scene of a segment from season 3, episode 11, of the acclaimed HBO television series "The Wire," set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland.
Learn more about the communication studies and African American studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The class’ next assignment: Identify a segment from the show, like the one they just watched, and analyze its characters, story, theme, and production techniques.
“Segments are larger than a scene, but shorter than an episode, and usually five to 15 minutes long,” says professor Timothy Havens. “Typically a single segment has multiple scenes, which are linked by a common thread.”
"The Wire" focuses on complex intersections between urban poverty, education, the political system, crime, and mediation in Western society. Havens’ course is designed to introduce students to urban inequality in America today, especially among African Americans, and takes a look at how "The Wire" as a series represents social issues related to inequality.
Teaching students how to analyze segments helps them understand the deliberate techniques the show’s producers and editors use to make the show a social commentary, commercial, and aesthetic force.
“The best way to get a good grade is to watch the segment until you’re sick of it—and then watch it 10 more times,” says Havens. “Then you’ll really be able focus on the themes and characters, and they’ll become clearer.”
One more reminder that sometimes it takes a little time to get to the real story behind the story—and many times it can be one worth waiting for.
FADE OUT