Module description
To live in the twenty-first century is to live in a multimedia environment in which film is but one cultural form among many. We are surrounded by multiple screens and new technologies, immersed in data flows, subject to the incessant pings of real-time communication. This module will look at media cultures beyond the cinema. It does so by examining a wide array of media forms that shape our lives, as well as select concepts and debates relevant to their study. While the focus will be on the contemporary moment, we will situate the present in relation to a longer history, looking back at the past in light of the exigencies of today. Topics may include a range of concepts such as globalisation, distraction and attention, media ecologies, networks, platforms, surveillance and governmentality, gaming, and the trustworthiness of images. They may also include media forms such as advertising, broadcasting, streaming, drone vision, photography, radio, video, social media, user-generated content, videogames, and virtual reality.
Assessment details
- Participation 10%
- Group Work 20%
- 500 Word Response Paper 20%
- 2000 Word Essay 50%
Educational aims & objectives
- To introduce students to the most updated vocabularies, concepts, and debates relevant to the study of media cultures;
- To provide historical contextualization of the development and character of media cultures;
- To aid students in developing critical and analytical approaches to media cultures;
- To develop skills in writing and oral presentation that will be useful for the rest of the students' degree;
- To develop transferrable skills in group work and critical creative practices.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable, and practical skills appropriate to a level 4 module and in particular will be able to:
- demonstrate conceptual understanding of key concepts pertaining to the study of contemporary media cultures;
- show historical understanding concerning the genealogies that inform contemporary media cultures;
- demonstrate competence in the vocabularies and agendas attendant to the discourses studied;
- develop analytical reading skills of theoretical texts and media objects;
- perform readings of texts and media objects with awareness of their methodological underpinnings and/or historical determinations;
- research and present relevant work individually and in groups, in writing and/or audio-visually.