CK1S14 - Rethinking Media Theory 12 Feb 2020 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 1
Associated Module Information
| Module Code: | CK1S14 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Title: | Rethinking Media Theory | ||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Business and Creative Industries | ||
| Faculty Group: | Film and TV | ||
| Faculty Sub Group: | Film and TV | ||
| Module Leader: | Peter Jachimiak | ||
| Module Team: | James Rendell, 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 | 1 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 12 Feb 2020 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2026 |
Module Aims
This module introduces you to some of the key theoretical approaches in the study of media as a distinct academic field of enquiry. It aims to enable you to assess critically the strengths and weaknesses of these different theories by applying them to selected media texts, industries and cultural practices.
Content Summary
The module will be organised into three thematic blocks through which critical theories will be introduced and applied to specific examples.
1) Textual Meanings – theorising media representation, to include Marxist and structuralist accounts via questions of ideology, semiotics, discourse, genre, narrative. Attention will be given to the formation of racial, gendered and classed difference through media representations.
2) Media Audiences – tracing the history and politics of audience research, looking comparatively at US mass media research, media effects, British cultural studies and the active audience, the gendered audience, and ethnography.
3) Production of Media – tracing debates over the formation, regulation and political operation of media institutions and media producers, to include political economy of the media, liberal pluralist approaches to media and democracy, theories of the public sphere, globalisation, cultures of media production
Learning and Teaching Methods
| Activity Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 16 |
| Seminar | 16 |
| Tutorial | 4 |
| Independent Study | 92 |
| Directed Study | 72 |
| Total Hours Selected | 200 |
Learning Outcomes
| # | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| LO1 | On successful completion of this module, students will be able to describe and evaluate the key theoretical approaches and debates in the study of media as appropriate to Level 4. |
| LO2 | On successful completion of this module, students will be able to apply theoretical perspectives to specific media case studies 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 | Essay 2 | Essay chosen from list of options. | 0 | 2000 | 50 | No | 40 |
| Asynchronous Assessment | Essay 1 | Critical Commentary, taking the work of one particular theorist, and applying it to a particular aspect of today’s media landscape. | 0 | 2000 | 50 | No | 40 |
Assessment Matrix
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| LO1 | LO2 | ||
| Essay 2 | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Essay 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |