Media and english literature ba(hons)

Year 1

In year 1, you will study the principal concepts and approaches to the study of the media in both theoretical and practical ways. These core media modules illustrate the complexities around representation, narrative and communication. The core literature modules will enable you to engage with a variety of genres and approaches, and to unravel meaning with a variety of critical and theoretical tools and approaches.

• Digital Storytelling: Theory and Practice

  This module will introduce you to the practice of digital storytelling contextualised through a wider examination of amateur media.

  Through exploring the histories and cultures of such practices and an investigation of autobiographical storytelling, you will explore the ways in which self-representation can be given expression through digital storytelling.

• Representation: Understanding Media Works

  In this module you will focus on representation as a key concept and approach for contemporary media studies. Coupling a study of representation with the media’s relations with forms of individual and collective identity, the module will introduce you to the several roles the media play in the twenty-first century.

  • Theories of representation.
  • Modes of representation of identity (forms to be considered include gender, sexuality, ‘race’, national and class identities).
  • Key analytic concepts for understanding how representations work (discourse, ideology, hegemony, political economy and media industries).

• Narrative and Narratives

  This module acts as a bridge from your earlier experiences of reading narrative texts and will encourage you to reflect on those early experiences. You will be introduced to a variety of narrative texts and genres (including early forms such as fairy-tales and myths) and to key issues in narrative theory. The module offers you an awareness of narrative as central to being human and allows you scope to explore narratives in creative and personal as well as critic always in a journal.

• Narrative and Screen Media

  This module will introduces you to narrative theory as applied to screen media texts. You will examine competing narrative theories as a way of understanding systematically and critically a range of different screen media genres across fact and fiction. By examining and deploying archetypal plot theory, you will gain insights into the ways in which screen media tell familiar stories in sometimes unfamiliar ways.

• Drama in Society

  This module will introduce you to drama as both performative and literary texts. The module approaches drama through practical, textual and theoretical readings, as well as through placing drama in its social and political contexts. How do plays engage with the world we live in today? The module focuses on twentieth century dramatic texts in order to explore the role and function of drama in society. You will look at, for example, naturalist drama, Brechtian drama, theatre of the absurd, feminist theatre, postcolonial theatre, and in yer face theatre.

• Literature and Theory

  This module will introduce you to the key philosophical and theoretical approaches to the reading of literary texts, and situates that knowledge within a historical overview of literary criticism. By the end of the module you will be able to apply theoretical vocabulary and knowledge of critical concepts in the interpretation of literary works.

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through our applicant portal.