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2011/2 Provisional Module Catalogue - UNDER CONSTRUCTION & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
 Module Code: SOC2055 Module Title: MEDIA: KEY THEORIES AND WRITINGS
Module Provider: Sociology Short Name: SOC2055
Level: HE2 Module Co-ordinator: ORTEGA BRETON H Dr (Sociology)
Number of credits: 15 Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
 
Module Availability
Semester 2
Assessment Pattern

Unit(s) of Assessment

 
Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)

 

1 hour exam

 

50

 

Group presentation

 

40

 

Weekly participation

 

10

 

Qualifying Condition(s) 

 

A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module.

 
Module Overview
This module focuses on the close reading and analysis of a selection of the most important contributions to the study of media from the past and present. The aim is to understand and closely examine the work of some of the most exciting and influential theorists of media, culture and society and to develop students’ abilities to think critically and apply the insights of these theorists to contemporary mediatised practices.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None
Module Aims

·         to introduce students to a range of key contributions to the study of media from the past and present

·        to develop students’ critical reading skills and their ability to discuss theory and research in seminars and written work

 
Learning Outcomes

Having completed this module, students should be able to:

 

·         Recognise the contribution to the study of media made by a selection of key thinkers and schools

 

·         Compare and contrast the ideas and approaches of key thinkers

 

·         Apply theories and writings to contemporary examples

 

·         Identify potential difficulties with the ideas examined and articulate reasoned criticisms

 

·         Place the work of different key thinkers within the overall context of broader debates about the role of media in society

 

·         Read original texts critically and discuss ideas orally and in writing

 
Module Content

·         Weekly critical reading, writing and discussion of primary texts

·         The module will also cover a range of contrasting perspectives and central debates in order to facilitate comparison and criticism

 
Methods of Teaching/Learning

11 x 2 hour sessions consisting of primarily of reading-led discussion but also elements of lecture and other exercises.

Reading, reflections and critical discussion
Selected Texts/Journals

Clow, K.E. andReadings will vary each year but may include:

Ang, I. (1996) Living Room Wars: Rethinking Media Audiences for a Postmodern World, Routledge

 

Baudrillard, J. (1983), ‘The Ecstasy of Communication’, in Foster, H. (ed.), Postmodern Culture. Pluto Press

 

Barthes, R. (2009) [1972] Myth Today in Mythologies. Vintage

 

Dyer R. (2002) Entertainment and Utopia (Chap. 5) in Only Entertainment. Routledge

 

Hall, S. (1980), 'Encoding/decoding', in CCCS (Ed.): Culture, Media, Language: Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 1972-79. Hutchinson

 

McLuhan, M. (1964) Understanding Media, MIT Press

 

Silverstone, R. (1994). Television and Everyday Life. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.

 

Van Zoonen L. (1994) Media Production and the Encoding of Gender (Chap. 4) in Feminist Media Studies. Sage

 

Williams, R. (2003) Television and Cultural Form. Routledge Classics

 
Last Updated
April 2011