Module manager: Allison Cavanagh
Email: A.E.Cavanagh@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module offers students an introductory survey of media and communication studies. It examines the social, cultural, technological, political, and economic forces that shape the media. It does so by engaging with critical scholarship on media industries, texts, audiences, and histories. Key concepts and debates are explored in relation to various media institutions and forms, including news media, television, advertising, film, popular music, digital gaming, and the internet.
The purpose of this module is to:
- Introduce students to a range of media and communication studies approaches, drawing on scholarship on media industries, texts, audiences, and histories;
- Examine critical perspectives on and debates regarding the production, circulation, and reception of media;
- Facilitate the development of independent research skills; and
- Familiarise students with the fundamentals of academic argumentation and critical analysis.
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Identify how key concepts, critical perspectives, and methodological approaches are used in contemporary media and communication scholarship
2. Critically evaluate scholarly arguments and research methods
3. Apply media and communication theory to the analysis of a chosen media text, industry, or audience
4. Use theory and media analysis to present an argument about media texts, industries, audiences, histories, and/or the importance of internationalising media studies
5. Present research findings in the form of an academic essay
Skills learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Academic writing: the ability to write in a clear, concise focused and structured manner, supported by relevant evidence from the field of media and communication
6. Critical thinking: the ability to weigh up different arguments and perspectives from media and communication scholarship, using supporting evidence to form opinions
7. Research skills: the ability to locate a range of scholarship from the field of media and communication and evaluate its importance
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Private study hours | 181 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 19 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will receive ongoing formative feedback via participation in seminar discussions and activities and peer feedback on their precis assignments.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Critical Review 200-300 words per precis x 5 (1000-1500 words). | 40 |
| Assignment | Essay 2500 Words | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Resit available via original assessment method.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 6/4/2024
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team