Media and Society
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| INCM1031 | School of International Communications | 1 | 20 | Autumn China |
- Code
- INCM1031
- School
- School of International Communications
- Level
- 1
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn China
Summary
This module will critically evaluate the central role that the media play in an understanding of contemporary society. The course will guide you through a series of key debates around the development, composition and function of different kinds of media with a particular focus on newspapers, television and the internet. You will learn how to understand the relationship between media and society by analysing texts, audiences, media institutions and government regulations. The module will engage with the following key theoretical arguments: media and democracy, the public sphere, political communication, the watchdog function of the media, and alternative media.
Please note: This module is assessed at the end of Autumn semester. First sit/ Re-sit exams are scheduled normally in the summer and can take the same form as the missing/ failed component of the assessment (exam, essay etc.) or other form, as decided by the School.
Target Students
BA students in International Communications and related programmes at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. There is a limited number of places on this module. Students are reminded that enrolments which are not agreed by the Offering School in advance may be cancelled without notice.
Classes
- One 1-hour workshop each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour-30-minute seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour-30-minute lecture each week for 10 weeks
In addition to lectures and seminars, students will be required to undertake 1 hour of additional learning activities every week. A mixture of informational videos, online group blog discussions, quizzes, and group tasks will be provided to students on a weekly basis. Engagement with these learning activities is essential, as they will serve as an anchor for seminar activities and preparation for assessment. Participation/engagement will be monitored throughout the term.
Assessment
- 60% Coursework 1: 2,500 words
- 40% In-class exam 1 (not in the exam period) (1-hour): 1 hour Multiple Choice Questions
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
To provide a sound knowledge and critical understanding of the different factors underlying the development of the press, broadcasting and the internetTo develop analytical and conceptual skills in writing on theoretical and substantive issues concerned with the social and political role of the mass media.To advance students through theoretical debates on the relationship between the media and politics, economic aspect of the media industry, and media and consumer society.To impart the knowledge required to understand the social forces and processes underlying the production of media texts, images and signs.Learning Outcomes
- To understand the key social forces which have shaped the emergence of different media.
- To comprehend how media are embedded within different political, social and economic frameworks.
- To identify and assess the potential of new technologies such as the internet to widen democratic participation.
- To understand a broad range of arguments around the production, content and reception of media messages.
Conveners
- Dr Stephen Goulding