The module will set out the relationship between techniques of representation that have developed through the mass media and the emergence of a new public sphere in which political debate is led by the manipulation of images. The first semester will concentrate on theorizing the ways in which the relationship between text, image and visual technologies has evolved in the twentieth century, and will give a comprehensive account of the classical tradition of media and communications theory (Gramsci, McLuhan, Hall, Berger, Bourdieu, Bauman etc). The second semester will apply the theoretical material covered in semester one to ways in which issues such as disability, welfare, race, immigration, religious fundamentalism, and drug use are represented in the public sphere.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Give a critical account of the development of media and communications networks in the twentieth century
Give a critical account of the evolution of the sociology of the media
Engage critically with the social and political effects virtual, aesthetic and information technologies
Apply the insights of media theory to the representation of contemporary issues
Assessment
30174-01 : Summative 5000 Word Essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
3500 word essay for both main and reassessment (100%)