This core module is designed to give students a comprehensive introduction to the range of concepts, technologies and theories that you will need to be familiar with to fully appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of the mass media and the impact of ever evolving media technologies on communication and cultural industries in the 21st Century.
Students will gain overall knowledge of both the historical development of media theory as well as developing knowledge into how the audience and media industries inter-act.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Identify the historical development of media theory
- Understand and evaluate the role of media theory on contemporary media production
- Critically assess a number of contemporary theories and apply through case studies
- Complete case study assignments as well as an essay on a topic covered in this module, the area of investigation of which will be agreed with the Course Programme Leader.
The research methodologies module will introduce the history of research theory and explain various modes of research into both the media industries and the audience. The module also explains how central research methods are to the media industries across advertising and marketing but also considers research into audience behaviours in the Film, TV and News Industries.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Identify key concepts in Audience reception theory
- Evaluate the impact of contemporary media platforms on the consumer
- Critically assess models of audience research and behaviour
- Evaluate the role of the audience, focus groups and pressure groups on media output, through undertaking a case study and creating their own presentation from a piece of original research carried out into audience behaviour
Media Audiences: Understanding Audience and their Behaviour
Media Audiences are the focus of all media outlets and products, and of central importance to the Media and Cultural Industries. Understanding who the audience are, how they relate to and respond to media products and the ways in which the audience are evolving into active ‘prosumers’ rather than passive consumers are central concerns to today’s media producers.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Identify key concepts in Audience reception theory
- Evaluate the impact of contemporary media platforms on the consumer
- Critically assess models of audience research and behaviour
- Evaluate the role of the audience, focus groups and pressure groups on media output, through undertaking a case study and creating their own presentation from a piece of original research carried out into audience behaviour
The aim of this module is to engage students with critical thinking as regards Media output, in particular journalism, news reporting and representation in the media. Key aspects of ‘discourse’ will be explored and investigated in particular Critical Discourse Analysis.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Critically reflect on media representation and use of languages
- Evaluate the models of critical media discourse theory
- Engage critical awareness of media products through applying methods of critical media discourse, through a case study assignment and a 20 minutes presentation which will explain the meaning and process of ‘discourse’
This module addresses important social and communicative issues of how ethnicity and nationalities are reflected, represented and discussed via media products.
Students will be studying the scope of representational modes and other key concepts in depth such as audience reception and impact of media language and genre on the portrayal of ethnicity and nationality within the mass media industries.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Evaluate the process of globalization and the debates around identity in the 21st Century
- Critically review the effects of new media technologies on language and communication
- Evaluate the concepts of ethnicity and nationality as regards media representation and media products
The module addresses the important concepts of gender and identity exploring the impact of new media technologies and the mass media on the individual as well as the impact of advertising and marketing and inter-active technologies on self-expression and identification.
It covers the shifting notions of identity in the 21st Century and considers the impact on those on the study, research and production of media products.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Identify shifting representations of identity and gender via new media
- Understanding the impact of globalization on the individual
- Critically evaluate impact of mass media products and cultural industries on notions of self
- Analyse how the global audience have influenced the development of media products
The aim of this module is to introduce and consider the significance of the representation of religion via the media and to study the impact of Pope Francis’ model of communication.
This module will assess the ways that religion has been represented via various media and news outlets. It will also provide an analysis of the impact that new technologies play in the communication strategies of belief systems. It will consider representation of Pope Francis via the media and how Pope Francis has utilized the media to reach global audiences.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Engage critical knowledge to Identify effective strategies of communication
- Critically evaluate the importance of Pope Francis’ impact on media outlets
- Evaluate critical the impact of the media in disseminating influential beliefs and social critique
- Critically evaluate the application of new technologies and its impact to supply chain
This module will introduce students to the importance of an ethical approach in the production of media content considering legal as well as moral frameworks.
Students will analyse a selection of approaches to journalism considering the importance of journalistic freedom in democracies and weigh considerations of journalistic freedom against consideration of national security, individual privacy, studying the media and news frameworks for disseminating and reportage in variety of national contexts.
Students will also consider journalist styles and writing techniques and the impact of these on the media audience.
On completion of this Module you should be able to:
- Understand the values of ethical journalism and public accountability
- Evaluate a range of media and journalistic reporting frameworks internationally
- Critically evaluate use of language and media language in journalistic reports
Master’s students are required to complete a dissertation on a topic of their choice in the area of media and communication. This exercise provides students with the opportunity to examine in depth a topic of particular relevance to their interests and career aims and to practice skills in
project management, data analysis, original research and research presentation. By this stage of the course you will be able to produce a well written and argued dissertation exploring a topic of your choice that will be contemporary and original in outlook and rigorous in presentation and writing style.
The subject of your dissertation will be discussed with and agreed with your Programme leader and here are some of the subject areas you could choose from and also add to - to create your final dissertation topic:
- The Study of Mass Media Audiences
- Global Affairs, Communications, Culture and Power
- Managing and Communicating Research
- Film as Mass Communication
- Transnational Relations and Communications
- Theories of Globalization and New Media
- Identities and Boundaries
- News Management, Communication, and Social Problems
- Technology, Culture and Power: Global Perspectives
- The Digital Economy
- International Political Communication
- Media and Democracy
- Globalization of Sexuality: Culture and Media