CK1S12 - Contemporary Popular Television 01 Sep 2023 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 2

Associated Module Information

Module Code: CK1S12
Module Title: Contemporary Popular Television
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Film and TV
Faculty Sub Group: Film and TV
Module Leader: James Rendell
Module Team: Gwyneth Moore
First Intended Intake: SEP 2020 Final Year of Intake: 2025
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes:
HECOS Code Weighting:

Document Version Information

Version 2
Valid From 01 Sep 2023
Valid To 31 Aug 2026

Module Aims

This module aims to introduce students to a range of critical approaches and theoretical perspectives in the study of contemporary popular television. It aims to provide students with the opportunity to interrogate specific television genres – including drama, reality TV, sit-coms, daytime television, lifestyle television, quiz shows, - and to engage critically in debates over television’s role in contemporary culture. The module aims to enable students to understand the factors influencing the current televisual landscape and to think critically about the future of broadcasting in a digital age.

Content Summary

This module introduces students to three key areas of study in the critical analysis of contemporary television across a range of genres. Firstly to television aesthetics considering the art and craft of television production and major conceptual tools commonly employed in analysing audio-visual texts; secondly to major issues in television as an industry and as a public service; and finally to the relationship between television and contemporary cultural identities. The module enables students to undertake critical textual analysis of a range of television genres and to develop their research skills as they assess the current trends impact on the TV industry in the digital age. Their skills in critical thinking will be developed through in-class debates regarding the civic and cultural role of television.
Finally, this module: a) will adhere to, and engage with, all ethical considerations (as laid out in this document – see ‘H. Ethical Issues’, above); b) when and where appropriate, it will make full use of Faculty-wide teaching expertise and technical support in its endeavour to fully integrate practice with theory.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Formative Assessment - Independent 2
Directed Study 72
Independent Study 90
Tutorial 2
Seminar 17
Lecture 17
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Situate television as a medium in its cultural and industrial context as appropriate to Level 4.
LO2 Demonstrate a critical understanding of key concepts in television studies by applying theoretical perspectives to the analysis of selected televisual texts as appropriate to Level 4.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Report 1 An industry report where students examine an industry case study in relation to the current media landscape 0 2000 50 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Poster 1 Academic conference-style poster presentation 15 N/A 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Report 1
Poster 1

Reading List

Lury, K. (2005) Interpreting Television, London IB Tauris
Mittell, Jason (2015) Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, New York: New York University Press.
Oren, T. (ed) (2012) Global Television Formats: Understanding Television Across Borders, Routledge: London.
Pierson, J. and Bauwens, J. (2015) Digital Broadcasting, Bloomsbury: London
Strangelove, Michael (2015) Post-TV: Piracy, Cord-Cutting and the Future of Television, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Turnbull, S. (2014) The TV Crime Drama, Edinburgh UP.
Wood, H. and Skeggs, B. (eds) (2011) Reality Television and Class, Routledge: London