YOUTH, CULTURE AND MEDIA - 2023/4

Module Overview

This module focuses upon the development,
characteristics and contemporary significance of a range
of different aspects of youth culture in the context of
mediated societies. Topics covered include the
construction and development of understandings of
adolescence as a distinct life course period, the
relationship between youth, media and new media,
questions of class, ethnicity and gender, the significance
of on and offline spaces, and debates relating to youth
communities and subcultures.

Module provider

Sociology

Module Leader

HODKINSON Paul (Sociology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• The construction and development of notions of youth and adolescent culture


• Youth culture and contemporary consumerism


• Media representations of youth culture


• Young people’s uses of media and new media


• The significance of off and online spaces for youth cultures


• Youth, space and identity


• Understandings of distinct youth communities and subcultures


• The significance of class, gender and ethnicity in relation to youth culture


• Notions of individualisation and the apparent expansion/blurring of youth culture

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

Assessment one encourages critical engagement with reading from an early point in the modules and assesses students’ ability to outline and critically reflect on one article or chapter from a list provided. It particularly pertains to l.o.5 but also incorporate the first three learning outcomes too.

Assessment two focuses on most of the learning outcomes, centred on assessing key issues covered in the module in relation to a critical discussion of academic literature.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• 1500 word article review (40%), requiring students to outline and critically reflect on one from a list of the readings related to the first part of the module.

 

• 2000 word essay (60%) requiring students to select a question from a list centred particularly on the second half of the module and to answer in relation to a critical discussion of relevant literature and research.

 



Formative assessment and feedback

Students gain formative feedback throughout the semester via the interaction of their ideas with peers and the lecturer. All students are encouraged to ask questions and test ideas in relation to the assignments during the weeks preceding their submission. Students will be offered the opportunity to discuss their plans for both assignments with the module leader.

Module aims

• To provide an overview of the developing characteristics of
  youth culture in contemporary mediated societies.
• To offer students a grounding in core debates and theories
  relating to the analysis of youth.
• To identify and relate to one another a range of theoretical
  and empirical studies relating to particular topics in the
  study of youth culture

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

Lectures provide a core background, enthusing students about the significance and importance of the topics and arguments, and enabling the understanding of core concepts and examples. Seminar discussions 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:

The teaching strategy consists of 11 lectures available on video and 22 seminar/workshop sessions. Students complete compulsory readings each week and watch captured content as preparation for the seminar discussions

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.

 

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: SOC3080

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 2023/4 academic year.