Media Cultures
The mass media are increasing a crucial part of our culture and, more than ever, adult media literacy is on both national and international agendas. Knowing how media artefacts are made, who owns media institutions, understanding the policy and regulatory frameworks of the media are all vital skills. This course, with its wide range of disciplinary approaches, will give you the ability to understand how the media mediate, locally and globally. The course is committed to exploring the interactions between theoretical analysis and practical work.
Starting with an Introduction to Media Communications. The course begins by introducing you to the theory of Media Communications included in which is semiotic and linguistic analysis. It is through this area that you will examine the impact that the modern media has on contemporary societies. Of particular interest is the construction of language in print, television, advertising etc. The underlying aim is to provide you, in your first year, with key analytical tools through which to mount a critique of the times in which you live, its politics, its cultural concerns and core values. The objective is to explore how and why changes come about in a culture and to identify what works and why, as well as what doesn't.
In essence, Media Cultures addresses how it is that we understand culture and how it may be defined and redefined. In your first year therefore you will be introduced to some of the key theorists who have contributed to the debates in this area. This will equip you with the terminology needed to engage in a scholarly analysis of the subject area. It will also provide you with the opportunity to work with others in class debates and discussions. You will learn how to create and defend a reasoned critical analysis.
As part of this process you will test the solidity of your own ideas as you test them against those of your peers. Bringing your individual cultural experiences, tastes and attitudes to seminars will mean that you will provide a valuable insight to class discussions. You will learn not just from those around you but also discover the value in looking for solutions and methods of debate developed by the theorists who have worked and are working in this area.
It is this combination of theory, practice and life experience that makes Media Cultures a stimulating, challenging and enjoyable area of study - for not only is it about the media, culture and the world in which we live; it is, more importantly, about you.
As part of a combined course Media Cultures would be particularly effective if taken alongside Business Communications, Digital Publishing, Journalism or Film — since it can inform and be informed by each of these areas.
