The Television Academy Foundation today announced a first-of-its-kind college curriculum based on its celebrated online archive The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, offering an unprecedented academic experience for students directly from Hollywood’s greatest creative minds and history-making trailblazers.
The materials are now available to colleges and universities nationwide.
Recognizing the evolving learning preferences of today’s video- and digitally oriented students, the Foundation has adapted its unparalleled archive into a comprehensive, 16-week three-credit semester-long course. This innovative college-level program delves into the multifaceted world of television and integrates decades of first-person accounts from television’s most influential creators, talent and executives into structured, video-based academic coursework.
Developed in collaboration with the Television Academy Foundation over a two-year period by Joshua J. Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of public relations, Robertson School of Communication at Virginia Commonwealth University, the curriculum was first championed by legendary television executive Richard “Dick” T. Robertson, the former president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and VCU alumnus. Smith initially introduced the curriculum by incorporating select conversations from The Interviews into an already developed media class. Based on students’ favorable response to the video archive, the first full course will be offered in the fall 2025 semester at the Robertson School of Communication and the College of Humanities and Science at VCU. All VCU students can enroll in the course to fulfill various degree requirements or open elective requirements.
Built around the nonprofit Foundation’s acclaimed collection of over 950 in-depth video interviews, which continues to grow annually through philanthropic gifts and grants, the meticulously curated course materials were created to enhance and reinforce learning. The program focuses on the history, evolution and impact of television, covering major events, technological transitions and cultural influences and concludes with a thesis on television’s future amid emerging technologies and societal changes.
The Interviews feature thousands of hours of conversation with television’s most iconic and prolific pioneers from in front of and behind the camera capturing the evolution of an industry that continues to shape culture worldwide. Subjects in this priceless digital library include Debbie Allen, Steven Bocho, Anthony Bourdain, Bernie Brillstein, Carol Burnett, Mark Burnett, Ken Burns, George Carlin, Diahann Carroll, RuPaul Charles, Connie Chung, Walter Cronkite, Billy Crystal, Richard Donner, Edie Falco, Whoopi Goldberg, Ron Howard, Quincy Jones, Norman Lear, Bob Mackie, Rita Moreno, Edward James Olmos, Rob Reiner, Mister Rogers, Haim Saban, Ted Sarandos, William Shatner, John Singleton, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Betty White and Dick Wolf.
The curriculum integrates video interviews, study guides, lesson plans and discussion prompts as well as supplemental reading materials, enabling educators to explore the medium’s creative, technical and cultural impact over seven decades. It is designed to complement coursework in media studies, history, journalism, communications and film/television production. Students will explore how television broke boundaries, influenced politics, transformed pop culture and evolved into today’s multiplatform landscape.
“This archive captures the voices that shaped television history, and now it’s helping shape the next generation,” said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. “We're proud to bring this powerful resource into the classroom and give students the chance to learn directly from the creators and trailblazers who defined the medium.”
“This initiative bridges the gap between history and hands-on learning with a cutting-edge, multimedia format,” said Dick Robertson. “By transforming this vast archival collection into a dynamic, video-centric educational tool, the Foundation is meeting students where they are — on screens — and delivering lessons through the medium they consume most.”
Colleges and universities interested in bringing The Interviews course to students can contact mediaeducators@televisionacademy.com for more information.
A preview of the curriculum will also be available to professors attending the Foundation’s annual Media Educators Conference Oct. 22-24. To register for the conference, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/media-educators/register.
About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs, such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Project, Access: Behind the Screens, College Television Awards, Student Internship Program and the Media Educators Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.
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Press Contacts:
Jane Sparango
310-339-1214
jane@breakwhitelight.com
breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy Foundation)
Download the press release here.