Introduction to Media and Communication

Module code: MS1001 (double module)

This module aims to introduce you to key media concepts, forms, texts and systems and their importance for social life. It explores the breadth of the study of the media and asks: how significant are the media and their study, and why?

The module aims to answer this question by introducing you to debates and scholarly work in a range of fundamental study areas and themes such as: media representations of the world; production of media texts and services; media and the public sphere; media power and effects; media, public opinion and democracy; media audience and the consumption of media texts and services; technological developments in the media domain; media policies and regulations today.

Overall, the module aims to support you to build on your own experiences as media consumers and users. It encourages you to critically reflect on how the study of the media has historically been forged through argument and contestation across diverse scholarly approaches, with regard to a wide range of concepts and phenomena.

Topics covered

• Media Production and Content
• Media and Society
• Audiences and Media Consumption
• Media Trends Today