Mediating Disaster
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| CULT3035 | Cultural, Media and Visual Studies | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- CULT3035
- School
- Cultural, Media and Visual Studies
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module will critically evaluate the variety of roles that media play in scenarios of disaster. From war and famine to train crashes and natural disasters, the media play a central role in our understanding of, and imaginative engagement with, disaster. From the disaster movie to documentary photography and news coverage, there are a variety of media which regularly link us to the real and imaginary landscapes of disaster, war, conflict and emergency. This is especially the case in the 21st century with the technological expansion of the means of image-making. The module will deal with the aesthetics and ethics of representation where disaster is concerned, introducing students to research in fields concerned with the mediatisation of disaster, conflict and emergency.
A single coursework assessment will replace all failed assessment components at the reassessment stage.
Target Students
Only available for International Media and Communication Studies students and Exchange students
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 11 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
Assessment
- 25% Coursework 1: Essay 1,000 words
- 25% Presentation: Powerpoint presentation 20 slides + 500 words
- 50% Coursework 2: Essay 2,000 words
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
• Question the media’s role in representing disaster• Question the way that disaster images are culturally mediated and dispersed across a broad range of forms and institutions• Appreciate the complex relationship between aesthetics and the disaster• Examine a range of different forms which link us to the real and imaginary landscapes of disaster, war, conflict and emergencyLearning Outcomes
a) Knowledge and Understanding: This module will provide students with:
• Comprehension of the historical dimension of crisis representation in a variety of media forms
• A working knowledge of theories of crisis representation and reporting in the media
• A working knowledge of the aesthetics and ethics of crisis representation
b) Intellectual Skills: This module will encourage:
• The ability to analyze narrative forms, images and spaces in the mediation of crisis
• The ability to appraise the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of crisis representations
• The ability to appreciate and synthesize the key co-ordinates for approaching difficult/traumatic images and narratives
c) Transferable (Key) Skills: This module will enhance transferable skills such as:
• Retrieving, presenting and communicating complex information and argument clearly in oral and written forms
• Planning and organization skills, including working to deadline, project management and managing resources