Science, Environment & Risk Communication

From global warming, nuclear waste, and chemical pollution to 'pill scares', genetically modified animals and the safety of our everyday diet, the media are a major source of public information about health, medicine, science, technology, environmental issues and everyday risks. The module examines the role of the mass media in the communication of scientific and specialised knowledge and information. Factors and pressures influencing the media agenda and the communication of (often) controversial knowledge and issues are studied, as is the extent to which different media formats and genres impact on the communication and inflection of sensitive, complex, and/or controversial information. The contribution of the mass media to public 'scares', to the construction of social problems and to public understanding of health, medicine, science and the environment are also explored.

Global Affairs: Communications, Culture, Power

Often described as ‘time-space compression’, ‘accelerated interdependence’ or even ‘sameness’, globalization remains a problematic notion. Understanding the development and dynamics of the so-called ‘global village’ is impossible without an examination of the media and communications systems. But, how global these media systems really are? And how is their influence understood in the interactions and interdependencies of the global world?
During this module, we will try to unfold the process of globalization through an examination of a) its economic, political and cultural underpinnings and b) the embedded role of international communications. We will also address issues of democracy, inequality and human rights in the global world and we will question the role of new media technologies in making the world a more transparent place.

Music as Communication

Music is a central part of people's daily lives and is of great importance to us in both a local and global context. Over the last twenty years or so we have seen a significant growth in academic discourse surrounding the subject of popular music and this module attempts to map some of the aspects of this work. Throughout the module, students explore and analyse particular themes and associated issues relating to contemporary popular music, thus promoting scholarly debate and discussion. The module takes a sociological approach and encourages a social, economic and cultural understanding of some of the key theoretical issues and debates relating to the dynamics involved in the production and consumption of popular music.

The Media on Film

The module focuses on how film represents other media such as film itself, television, radio, newspapers, the internet, music or other forms of writing. It centres on an examination of self-reflexivity and postmodernism. Consequently, we shall engage in some philosophical concepts of repetition and replication as well as situating all of the films within their socio-historical contexts. Students shall also develop further textual analysis skills through working on films like This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984), The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998), The Boat that Rocked (Richard Curtis, 2009), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004) and All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976).

Technology, Culture and Power: Global Perspectives

The impact of the Internet has stimulated new thinking about mass communications and the social and cultural significance of technological developments. The module looks at this and other issues associated with understanding the linkages between technology, culture and power in the context of contemporary processes of globalisation. It also addresses the importance of technological considerations in analyses of global and local patterns of inequality in the new information era, and explores the cultural force of technological forms of social organisation. It investigates questions surrounding 'technology as culture' and their various meanings.

Media and the Body

This module examines the ways in which our experience of bodies (our own and those of others) are mediated by culture and communication. We begin the module with theoretical perspectives on the intersections of the individual and social body before turning to the ways in which bodily representations and body projects are involved in the social production of boundaries, meanings, and identities. By the end of the module, students will have acquired an understanding of: various theoretical perspectives on the body and embodiment; the body as central to identity production and as a primary site of 'work' in post-traditional societies; the implications of media and other technologies for bodies and their boundaries; and the ways in which essentialist binaries both shape and are undermined by bodily representations and practices. Students will also be expected to critically analyse both mainstream and alternative representations of bodies.

Advertising and Cultural Communication

This module examines advertising as a social institution, looking at its place within the larger promotional culture. Module readings include sociological, anthropological, and cultural studies of advertising and consumption, as well as relevant media and marketing research. Over the course of the module, we will explore: the interrelations between advertising, promotionalism and consumer culture; methodological approaches to analysing advertising and consumption; the logics and practices that lie behind advertising and promotional technologies on both local and global scales; and the role of advertising, commodities, and consumption in the construction of identities, lifestyles, and expressions of resistance. Students will also be expected to critically analyse examples from advertising and other promotional technologies.

The Media, Celebrity and Fan Culture

In recent years, celebrity culture appears to have invaded every aspect of daily life, dominating domains such as the showbiz industry, sports, marketing (e.g. celebrity endorsement) and increasingly also the field of politics. Some believe that this celebrification process is present in most Western societies, and is a recent phenomenon. But is this true? Are celebrities more present than ever? Is this process as strong in every culture? And, hasn’t human mankind always looked up at the stars of their society? These are a few of the questions that will be answered during this course, where we will look at the emergence and evolution of celebrity culture, focusing both on the production and consumption side of this phenomenon.