Module manager: Cathy Johnson
Email: C.Johnson@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module explores the current employment landscape in the media industries. Students will explore how today’s media climate is shaped by platforms (from Netflix and TikTok to global news and streaming giants), analyse how these structures affect the kinds of jobs and opportunities available. Alongside this, students will actively develop your own professional profile – researching organisations, identifying placement opportunities, and learning how to present yourself to employers. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module aims to introduce students to the structure and operation of contemporary media industries, with a particular focus on platformisation and the shifting dynamics of power within global media systems. Through lectures, students will gain an understanding of how media organisations are shaped by ownership, platform economics, and evolving modes of production and distribution. Seminars will encourage students to critically interrogate these structures, applying concepts to real world case studies and comparing different sectors across the media landscape. Alongside this, employability workshops will support students in identifying and preparing for work placement opportunities, developing the professional skills, confidence and knowledge required to navigate entry routes into media employment.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
Explain and apply key concepts related to media industries, including platformisation, ownership, convergence, labour and power structures.
Analyse how platform-based media organisations operate and evaluate how their structures shape content production, distribution and audience engagement
Critically evaluate their evolving employability strengths and development needs, creating a coherent professional profile.
Critically reflect on the implications of platformisation for media work, including precarity, freelancing, diversity, algorithmic influence and emerging forms of labour
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
Research and identify suitable work placement or professional experience opportunities, demonstrating an understanding of different organisational models and entry pathways.
Develop employability skills relevant to the media industries including CV/Portfolio development, writing professional emails, networking and articulating personal strengths
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Practical | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Seminar | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Private study hours | 185 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 15 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will receive formative feedback on their understanding, and on their written assignment during seminar tasks and discussions during the first half of the module and feedback on their portfolios on a weekly basis during the employability workshops in the second half of the module.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | assignment | 50 |
| Coursework | portfolio | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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