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Study information

Social Media and Society

Module titleSocial Media and Society
Module codeCMM3004
Academic year2024/5
Credits30
Module staff

Dr Sanja Vico (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

11

Number students taking module (anticipated)

30

Module description

This module will assess and explore social and political implications of the proliferation of social and mobile media. You will consider how people from different backgrounds engage with social and mobile media in different contexts as well as the structure of social media. There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this module, and no specialist knowledge, skills, or experience are required to take it.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to provide you with a critical understanding of and the ability to critically analyse and research social and political consequences of social media. The module will introduce key theories, concepts and approaches in the field and discuss them in relation to specific contexts, including conflict, democracy, nationalism, migration, and social change. You will be asked to analyse and assess current pressing issues in the world associated with the proliferation of social media by drawing on existing evidence / empirical studies and theories. The module will also go beyond Western-centric contexts.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and critical understanding of key approaches, theories, concepts and relevant scholarly literature in the field of social media and society
  • 2. Develop a basic understanding of user experience (UX) research

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 3. Apply theories and concepts in the field to assess and analyse “real world” issues – social phenomena and current affairs in media industries, communications, and politics
  • 4. Exercise sound judgement in researching, collecting, and interpreting information from a range of appropriate primary and secondary sources

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 5. Conduct an independent literature search (beyond the reading list)
  • 6. Effectively develop and structure an argument backed up with evidence

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content of the module may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following themes: 

  • Social media affordances
  • Social media and nationalism
  • Social media and migration
  • Social media and conflict
  • Social media for social change

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
33267

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 11Lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 22Seminars
Guided Independent Study 103Seminar preparation
Guided Independent Study 164Reading, research and assessment preparation

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay plan (students are asked to choose one of the two assignments)500 words1-6Written feedback
Business project plan (students are asked to choose one of the two assignments)500 words1-6Written feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay603,500 words1,3,4,5,6Written feedback
Business project proposal (including UX research proposal and insight-driven business recommendations/solutions)402,000 words1-5Written feedback
0
0
0
0
0
0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Essay Essay (3,500 words)1,3,4,5,6Referral/Deferral period
Business project proposal (including UX research proposal and insight-driven business recommendations/ solutionsBusiness project proposal (including UX research proposal and insight-driven business recommendations/ solutions (2,000 words)1-5Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

  • Castells, M. (2009). Communication Power. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
  • Madianou, M. and Miller, D. (2012). Migration and New Media: Transnational Families and Polymedia. London: Routledge.
  • Miller, D. and Slater, D. (2000). The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach. London: Routledge.
  • Miller, D., Costa, E., Haynes, N., McDonald, T., Nicolescu, R., Sinanan, J., Spyer, J., Venkatraman, S., and Wang, Z. (2016). How the World Changed Social Media. London: UCL Press.
  • Papacharissi, Z. (2011). A Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites. New York, NY and London, UK: Routledge.
  • Papacharissi, Z. (2021). After Democracy Imagining Our Political Future. Yale University Press.

Key words search

Social media, society, politics, culture, communication

Credit value30
Module ECTS

15

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

6

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

29/10/2022

Last revision date

02/02/2023