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Media and Communications: Theory and Concepts

Module description

This module explores current theoretical and conceptual frameworks that are shaping the field of media and communication studies. We will explore a range of theories that can be used to analyse the role that media texts and technologies play in our lives. The module will combine new ways of understanding media, whilst providing you with analytical skills and knowledge that will help you to conduct your dissertation research.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Explore the historical development of a range of communication theories.
• Encourage you to consider the potentials, limitations, and critiques of different forms of communications theory and situate these debates in their socio-historical contexts.
• Motivate you to critically analyse media genres, styles, and forms and understand them in relation to their production, consumption, dissemination, and engagement practices.
• Provide you with an advanced understanding of communications as a discipline and the various research-based approaches the discipline can offer.
• Help you begin the process of identifying a suitable idea that can be developed into a research topic for the final dissertation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate a broad and comprehensive knowledge of key developments in the history of media and communications theory.
• 2. Demonstrate an advanced proficiency in understanding and adapting a diverse set of communication theories and approaches to real world scenarios and contexts.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 3. Engage with a range of theoretical approaches and concepts pertaining to the analysis of communication practices and media texts.
• 4. Extend theoretical understandings of concepts to formulate suitable research questions that can be used to examine socio-cultural norms and practices.

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 5. Demonstrate advanced research and bibliographic skills, and an advanced and intellectually mature capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument

Syllabus plan

Key topics on this module will vary from year to year but may include:

• The historical development of a range of communication practices, theories, and approaches
• The power of mass media and new media to produce, reproduce and challenge dominant ideologies
• The rise of the network society, convergence
• The material ‘turn’ in media studies
• Environmental media studies
• Actor-Network theory
• Postcolonial theory
• Queer theory and intersectional approaches to media research
• Feminist approaches to media theory
• Media industries
• Understanding audiences

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

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

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

Basic reading:

Altheide, D. (2019). Media worlds in the postjournalism era. Routledge

Byerly, C. M., & Ross, K. (2008). Women and media: A critical introduction. John Wiley & Sons.

Couldry, N. (2012). Media, society, world: Social theory and digital media practice. Polity.

Gripsrud, J. (2017). Understanding media culture. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Hodkinson, P. (2016). Media, culture and society: An introduction. Media, Culture and Society, Sage.

Jenkins, H., & Ito, M. (2015). Participatory culture in a networked era: A conversation on youth, learning, commerce, and politics. John Wiley & Sons.

Lindgren, S. (2017), Digital Media and Society, Sage Publishing.

Turow, J. (2019). Media today: Mass communication in a converging world. Routledge.

Key words search

Media Studies; Communication Studies; Media Theory;