| Module Code: SOC2032 |
Module Title: MEDIA, POWER AND CONTROL |
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Module Provider: Sociology
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Short Name: SOC2032
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Level: HE2
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Module Co-ordinator: HODKINSON PE Dr (Sociology)
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Number of credits: 15
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Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
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| Module Availability |
| Semester 1 |
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| Assessment Pattern |
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Unit(s) of Assessment
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Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
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1 hour examination
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50
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2000 word essay
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40
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ULearn participation
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10
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Qualifying Condition(s)
A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module.
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| Module Overview |
| This module focuses on the role of media in contemporary societies, placing particular emphasis on questions of domination, influence, regulation, control and inequality. We examine contrasting perspectives on the ways in which societies should regulate and manage media, covering public service broadcasting, neo-liberalism, ownership and control and questions of censorship. We then go on to examine the relationship between media, social cohesion and different forms of social division, including those relating to gender and ethnicity. |
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
| None |
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| Module Aims |
· To outline different approaches to the purpose, significance and impact of media in contemporary societies
· To identify and scrutinise different perspectives with respect to questions of media regulation and control
- To engage with theory and research which relates to broader questions of media, power and inequalities
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| Learning Outcomes |
Having completed this module, students should be able to:
· Demonstrate a familiarity with key terms and concepts relating to the study of media, power and control
· Recognise the distinction between different theoretical and practical approaches to the question of media regulation
· Apply existing theories relating to the relationships between media and power to case studies relating to content, industry, technologies or audiences
· Discuss a series of topics relating to media, power and control in relation to contemporary examples – both in class and online
- Draw on the range of material covered on the module in order to construct arguments and explanations under exam conditions
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| Module Content |
· The distinction between public service and neo-liberal approaches to media
· Marxist and other theoretical critiques of the role of media in contemporary societies
· Constrasting approaches to censorship of ‘harmful’ or ‘offensive’ forms of content
· The historical development and contemporary fragmentation of the national media audience
· The relationship between media and social divisions, including ethnicity and gender
· The implications of recent developments – including digitalisation and deregulation – for questions of media, power and control
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
11 x 2 hour sessions consisting of both lecture and seminar discussion.
Weekly reading and seminar preparation.
ULearn discussions |
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Hodkinson, P. (2010), Media, Culture and Society, London: Sage.
Curran, J. & Seaton, J. (2002), Power Without Responsibility, London: Routledge
Dahlgren, P. (1996), Television and the Public Sphere, London: Sage.
Dines, G. and Humez, J. (eds.) (1995), Gender, Race and Class in Media, London: Sage. (chapters 27-34)
McQuail, D. (ed) (2002) McQuail's Reader in Mass Communication Theory, London: Sage.
Tracey, M. (1998), The Decline and Fall of Public Service Broadcasting, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Stevenson, N. (2002), Understanding Media Cultures, 2nd Edition, London: Sage.
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| Last Updated |
| April 2011 |
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