CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION - 2020/1

Module Overview

The module will examine different case studies of new
media developments in relation to media technologies,
media organisations, media participation and the
relationship between media production and consumption.
The module will critically evaluate different approaches to
contemporary issues in media and communication, and
examine the strengths and weaknesses of these different
approaches.

Module provider

Sociology

Module Leader

WEIDHASE Nathalie (Sociology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Key approaches to convergence, participation, interactivity and identity


• The relationship between production and consumption in the convergences of mass and new media


• The reconfiguration of technologies, organisations and users/participants in empirical case studies of emerging mediated practices.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Alternative resits are available for both components

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

Their subject specific knowledge and cognitive/ analytic skills (lo 1-5).

Assessment one is focused particularly on students’ ability to acquire and develop essay writing skills. Students need to employ knowledge of the subject area in relation to the development of media over time, and use key concepts and readings to critically analyse media research (lo1-4).

Assessment two focuses directly on learning outcomes with respect to subject knowledge and analytic skills (lo1-4), and tests awareness, understanding, ability to deploy appropriate vocabulary and relating areas of media sociology to wider debates.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of: ·

• Group Presentation (40%) ·


• 1 hour Examination (60%)

Formative assessment and feedback

Students gain formative feedback throughout the semester via the interaction of their ideas with peers and the tutor. There are also limited discussions in the lecture whereby ideas are exchanged and the lecturer provides feedback. All students are encouraged to ask questions and test ideas in relation to the assignments during the weeks preceding their submission. 

Module aims

• Provide a broad overview of key debates about the relationships between mass media, new media, their convergences and
  emerging practices
• Introduce theoretical approaches to recent developments in media culture, including notions of convergence, developing
  understandings of the relationship between production and consumption, questions of participation and interactivity
• Apply theoretical and analytical approaches to empirical examples of contemporary media practice including, for
  example, online participatory cultures, social networking, and transformations in the development and use of established
  forms of media such as television and newspapers
  

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

combine lectures and tutorials to foster understanding of key developments in contemporary media and Media Studies. Lectures focus upon providing a core background, enthusing students about the significance and importance of the topics and arguments, and enabling the understanding of core concepts and examples. Seminars enable students to develop greater depth of understanding through practical exercises and discussions centred on reading and connecting to key concepts from the lecture.

The learning and teaching methods include:

12 Lectures, 11 Tutorials, weekly reading and tutorial preparation, tutorial exercises.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: SOC1045

Other information

None

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.