MFC4022 - Analysing Media and Culture

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts, theories and theorists relevant to the field of study;
use these in the analysis of media/cultural texts and practices;
demonstrate skills in textual analysis and academic essay writing.

Content:

The module aims to make students aware of how the media are situated within culture, introduce them to key theoretical concepts and make use of these in analyses of a wide range of cultural texts and practices. Such concepts will include semiotics, structuralism, anti-essentialism, myth, signification, ideology, discourse, modernity, identity, multiculturalism and globalisation. Subjects for analysis could include advertising, websites, news, television, fashion, sport, identity, and everyday rituals.

Students will also be instructed in the skill of academic essay writing.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The scheme below assumes recruitment of 80.

Lectures
Contact hours: 20
Intended group size: 80

Seminars
Contact hours: 20

Intended Group size: 6 x 13

Guided independent study
Hours: 160

Further details relating to assessment
The Directed Activities consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be on a pass/ fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks successfully completed. A pass mark will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

In Semester 1 these tasks will form your Portfolio. The Portfolio is made up of a number of textual analyses designed to develop students’ ability to understand and be able to apply a range of theoretical concepts, perspectives and approaches. The detailed requirements of the Portfolio will be published in the module handbook.

The essay will provide the opportunity for the students to learn study and essay writing skills and to practice these in an exploration of a topic relevant to the field of study. The weekly directed activities are designed to develop these skills and enable such exploration.

Students permitted to take a half-module for the award of 10 credits will be assessed on the basis of the form(s) of work relevant to the semester of study.

Students must complete and submit the portfolio and essay to be eligible to pass the module.

Assessment:

001 Directed activities semester 1 & 2 10%
002 Portfolio 1 x 2000 words equiv during sem 1 45%
003 Essay 1 x 2000 words equiv end of sem 2 45%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Mr John R Poulter
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S14YL

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