HULU Becomes Homework In New Reality Television Course

By: Elizabeth Fernandez

 

For the second time, The Real Housewives will be coming to Miami.

Starting this Fall, the Department of Communication will offer a special topics class on the hit Bravo television show, The Real Housewives. The class will analyze the franchise and provide students the opportunity to practice public relations and advertising skills.

“The class is real, even if the drama is not,” said Jessica Delgado, one of three instructors for COM4930.

The Real Housewives is a reality television series following the lives of wealthy women from different parts of the U.S. The course will focus on three of the nine franchises–New York, Atlanta and Beverly Hills.

Gaby Portella, program manager and an instructor for the course, said it will bring together communication arts, advertising and public relations.  

Students will breakdown housewives’ conflicts, interpersonal communication and relationships.

Covered topics will also include product placement, marketing and branding and applied communication theory.

“We’re using [The Real Housewives] as a tool to showcase all of these communication theories because reality television is here to stay,” said Portella. “You will never view reality television the same after this course.”

Other than watching episodes of the show, students will create public relations strategies and press conferences for housewives from previous seasons.

Students in the course are only required to have access to a Hulu account–no textbooks needed. As an added bonus, there are no tests for the class.

“This class is a sneaky way of learning,” said Delgado.

There are no prerequisites and you don’t even have to be a fan of the show to enroll, according to Portella.

“As long as you have an open mind, want to have some fun, and like communication and TV, you will have a good time,” she said.

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