Researching Media, Culture and Society
Key Facts
| Module Code |
SOCI4064 |
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| Module Convenor |
Anne-Marie Kramer |
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| Teaching Pattern |
Intensive Block
Two-day workshop |
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| Semester Taught |
Spring Semester |
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| Method of Assessment |
Written assignment |
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| Pre Requisites |
SOCI4073 Foundations in Qualitative Methods or equivalent to be determined by the convenor |
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| Module Administrator |
Tarine Felix |
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This module will explore a selection of key debates and issues in the Anglo-American media in order to introduce students to a range of i) theories about popular media and ii) different approaches to studying a range of media genres. It problematises the role of the media in contemporary culture and society in the of context: Gender and identity and Technological Utopias/Dystopias.
Drawing on these contexts and case studies, it will equip students with appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to critically analyse a range of media texts and audienceship practices. Students will practice various research methods by experimenting with different methodological and analytical approaches.
The first part of the module, Gender and Identity, will explore feminist theories about popular media, with the emphasis on exploring research methods and methodologies appropriate for analysing gendered mediated representations as they intersect with other axes of difference such as race, class and sexuality.
The second part, Technological Utopias/Dystopias starts from an attempt to locate the current debates about social media and internet cultures in the context of capitalist realism. Drawing on historical and contemporary debates, we will examine a range of critical theorists in considering whether technology still offers a path to a more emancipated society beyond the present. We will consider contemporary media culture and questions related to automated futures to examine these critical and utopian possibilities.
Please note, this is an interdisciplinary module that is open to students from across the social sciences. If you have any doubts about whether the course is suitable for your needs or level of study, please contact the module convenor before registering.