Media and Society
Module title | Media and Society |
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Module code | SOC1028 |
Academic year | 2024/5 |
Credits | 15 |
Module staff | Professor Mike Michael (Convenor) |
Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Number students taking module (anticipated) | 70 |
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Module description
This module introduces you to the social scientific study of the media. Media are forms of communication. They range from hieroglyphs on walls to text messages. The media of communication are central to every society, as they make social life possible. They also can have profound, and often unnoticed, influences on how a particular society works. From people’s everyday lives to the major social institutions like religion and government, media are essential, not just because they carry messages and meanings but because they have the capacity to shape those messages and meanings. The course allows you to develop a broad understanding of the media, both historically and in the present day. The course presents the main different types of analysis of the media, and their roles in society, that have been developed by a broad range of social scientists. In particular, two themes are highlighted: how media have both shaped and been shaped by modern societies, and how the “power” of the media can be understood from a range of perspectives. Central substantive topics include: media as manipulators; the changing nature of media technologies and industries; the social construction of reality by media; the nature of media audiences; the media’s relations to politics and the public sphere; and the postmodernization and globalization of media landscapes. The course encourages you to reflect upon the strengths and limitations of different approaches to media analysis in relation to the contents of media products, and modes of media production, distribution, consumption and use.
No prior knowledge of social science perspectives is necessary. This module is suitable for both specialist and non-specialist students, and its wide-ranging outlook will appeal to students in social sciences and humanities.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module is intended to introduce students to the social scientific study of the media, considered in light of forms of media production, distribution and consumption. It reviews and evaluates the major ways of understanding the media in social scientific ways. In so doing, it also introduces students to how social scientists - including sociologists, anthropologists and political economists - conceptualise and research cultural and social issues more generally.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter of the social scientific study of media, together with an analytical understanding of the subject matter, which takes into account diverse social scientific perspectives
- 2. demonstrate competence in describing and applying a variety of means of conceptualising and investigating a range of media forms, and diverse modes of media production, distribution and consumption
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. relate a body of knowledge to a specific context within inter-disciplinary media studies;
- 4. think clearly and argue logically about the social roles and locations of media;
- 5. express social scientific ideas both in writing and verbally;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. undertake independent study concerning the subject matter of the course
- 7. select appropriately from a range of suggested material and present key arguments clearly;
- 8. demonstrate the capacity to reflect critically on the various analytic perspectives presented in the course
Syllabus plan
Introduction: Media in Society, Society in Media
Media Forms and Technologies
Media as Manipulation
Media Industries
Media Content: Messages and Meanings
Constructing “News”
Media and Gender
Media and Politics: The Public Sphere
Media Audiences
Media Communities: Subcultures, Fans, Identities
From Modern to Postmodern Media Landscapes
Media Globalization
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 22 | 2 hour lectures x 11 weeks |
Guided Independent study | 48 | Preparing for the lectures and tutorials |
Guided Independent study | 80 | Reading/research/writing the essays |
Formative assessment
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Essay plan | 250 words | 1-8 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
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100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Essay 1 | 50 | 1,700 words | 1-8 | Written |
Essay 2 | 50 | 1,700 words | 1-8 | Written |
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Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
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Essay 1 | Essay (1,700 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Essay 2 | Essay (1,700 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Graeme Burton, Media and Society, Open University Press, 2010
Paul Hodkinson, Media, Culture and Society: an Introduction, Sage, 2010
David R. Croteau et al, Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, Sage, 2011
Asa Briggs and Peter Burke, Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet, Polity, 2010
John B. Thompson, Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media, Polity, 1995
Credit value | 15 |
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Module ECTS | 7.5 |
Module pre-requisites | None |
Module co-requisites | None |
NQF level (module) | 4 |
Available as distance learning? | No |
Origin date | 02/02/2013 |
Last revision date | 07/03/2022 |