Rationale

The course introduces students to a number of media and communication theories and provides an examination of their relationship to society, culture and identity. It aims to investigate how both media and communication shape and are shaped by global social and cultural developments. It also presents students to the emergence of modern media theory and analyses contemporary media culture, drawing upon social, scientific and humanistic perspectives.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:
(i)    Explain the evolution of various media theories and perspectives.
(ii)   Define the various communication theories.
(iii)  Interpret theories of media and communication in their social and cultural settings.
(iv)  Recognise the role of media in changing sociopolitical dynamics.
(v)   Discuss the ways the global and local environments are shaped and linked to media and communication practices.
(vi)  Describe the relation between media, culture and identity.
(vii) Evaluate recent research and modern media theories.
(viii) Describe key concepts such as: social construction, framing, social problems, objectivity.