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Media and Society

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)

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)

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

Key words search

Sociology,  Contemporary Society, Media