1. To provide students with an introduction to various historical and contemporary theoretical approaches within the field of media communications. 2. To examine the social and political impact of the media on contemporary society. 3. To examine the media as a significant site of the production and negotiation of power. 4. To explore the role of language and discourse in the media.
Introduction to the field of Media Communications
Key issues and approaches: Media history, classic theorists and debates.
Media and Ideology
Media and power, approaches to ideology (Marx, Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault,Thompson),discourse and ideology, advertising and ideology.
Media Ownership Trends
Corporate Media and PSB, Media Diversity, Conglomeration and Globalization, Horizontal and Vertical Integration.
Making News
Introduction to News Media:selecting and editing news content,news values and concepts of objectivity, the language of news, news as information; tabloidization of the news, infotainment, social media and the news, censorship, PR, propaganda, spin and 'fake' news.
New Media: Digital, Social, Online
Introduction to and development of a critical awareness of key issues, debates and theories in regard to new media, technological development and society: accessibility and citizenship, mediated identities, social media and celebrity, new media and advertising and marketing, new media audiences, new media and changing journalistic practices.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 50 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 50 |