BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures

Content

The focus of BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Cultures is to examine the role media, cultural and creative processes play in the shaping of all aspects of contemporary social life.

You will learn about media and cultural theory in an art and design university that emphasises creativity, innovation, exploration, discovery and collaboration.

The course guides you through a series of case study units that will help you understand the links between the academic concepts and discussions explored in the degree and how these ideas can be applied using a range of media.

This course is different from others because the practical elements are designed specifically to help you develop your critical thinking – by putting your ideas into practice. You don’t just learn what to do and how to do it, you also learn why you’re doing it.

This course prepares you for a successful career in whatever area of the media you choose to go into, from photography to marketing, journalism to filmmaking, curation to web design.

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Monday 24 September – Friday 7 December 2018

Monday 7 January – Friday 15 March 2019

Monday 15 April – Friday 21 June 2019

Course units Year One

Units summary:

• Introduction to Contemporary Media Cultures (20 credits)
• Key Concepts in Media and Culture (20 credits)
• Theory and Analysis in Media Culture (20 credits)
• Global Media Cultures (20 credits)
• Identity and Difference (40 credits)

Your first year introduces you to the concepts, theories and language of the degree; it prepares you for your future study.

The units are specifically designed to introduce you to major media and cultural theories and analysis: how social status is organised around socio-economic systems of taste and value, media effects – the contemporary and the modern, and ideas about the globalisation of the contemporary media landscape.

We look at how media and culture are produced and consumed for and by the global market and how this shapes contemporary audiences and patterns of consumption. The programme also introduces textual analysis and media production.

Global Media Cultures looks at the changes to media production and consumption and their implications for national and cultural identities. You are given an opportunity to explore these issues through the creation of web-based materials.

In Identity and Difference, we study the formation of cultural identity and think about how theories of the 'self' and subjectivity help shape the way we represent identity through the making of a film and the practice of writing.

Units summary:

• Contemporary Cinema: Theories and Practice (40 credits)
• Television and Its Futures (20 credits)
• Audiences, Publics, and Networks (20 credits)
• Working in the Media and Creative Industries (20 credits)
• Collaborative Project (20 credits)

In your second year the theoretical approach shifts. Units are more tailored to very specific case studies. For example, we examine how audiences are shaped by the multi-platform delivery of television and how cinema has been transformed into the contemporary landscape of international media distribution and exhibition.

We teach through the study of relevant academic materials alongside close readings of television and film texts. You also have the opportunity to explore these ideas through collaboratively producing short films.

In this year we more directly address the question of what it means to work in the media and how the 'nature of work' is changing.

You will meet a range of people working in different areas of the media and cultural industries in our Industry Speakers series, which we run throughout the second and third terms of the year. Many of the participants will be course graduates returning to the College to explain how their degree helped them get the job they wanted and learn about what it means to work in the media.

We also prepare you for work placement opportunities through the Collaborative Project unit, which is structured around students working closely alongside an external organisation. This provides invaluable personal and professional development and the chance for you to enhance your organisational and collaborative skills, as well as applying your knowledge to a live case study.

Units summary:

• Interventions: Contemporary Media Activism (20 credits)
• Digital Screen Cultures (20 credits)
• The Critical Practitioner (20 credits)
• Major Project (60 credits)

In year three you will focus in the first term on units that bring together key themes, concepts, debates and ideas from the degree; allowing you to explore them in more detail. The course includes The Critical Practitioner unit, which is your opportunity to produce a portfolio of work, which is either shown for public exhibition or produced for publication.

We also analyse post-cinematic screen cultures, thinking about how film, for example, has been transformed by digital platforms. The programme also examines the relationship between media, social change and 'critical consciousness'. We ask: What is the role of alternative and social media in the shaping of today's world?

Your final Major Project is a crucial part of your degree and you will be given extensive training in research methods to help you develop your skills and research focus. This unit gives you the opportunity to focus on a piece of research developed around an area of study that you are particularly interested in.

Students produce either a written dissertation or a project that puts into practice the ideas of the course through the production of one or more media texts, created alongside a written critical reflection and analysis. The Major Project not only prepares a number of students for research at postgraduate level but also provides many with an opportunity to work out their first step in their graduate career.

The information outlined is an indicative structure of the course. Whilst we will aim to deliver the course as described on this page, there may be situations where it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, for example, because of regulatory requirements or operational efficiencies, before or after enrolment. If this occurs, we will communicate all major changes to all applicants and students who have either applied or enrolled on the course.

Please note that due to staff research agreements or availability, not all of the optional modules listed may be available every year.

In addition, the provision of course options which depend upon the availability of specialist teaching, or on a placement at another institution, cannot be guaranteed. Please check this element of the course with the course team before making a decision to apply.

We will update this webpage from time to time with new information as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, use our online course enquiry form.

BA Contemporary Media Cultures Programme Specification 2017/18 (PDF - 352KB)

Staff Course Leader

Dr. Jonathan Wright

Adrian Crookes

Mary Lee-Woolf

Lab Ky Mo, Dr Sarah Cefai

Nicola Baird, Dr. Martina Caruso, VJ Choolun, Dr. Susan Flynn, Peter D Osborne, Dr. Charlie Oughton, Dr. Corinne Silva, Chris Sams, Dr. Adrian Sledmere