BSc Communications, Media and Society (P910 BSc/CS)

Course Aims

The BSc Communications, Media and Society is a three year, full-time, campus-based degree programme which provides you with a broad social scientific understanding of the role of media and communication nationally and internationally. Across issues like advertising, journalism, politics and new media, audiences and film, the course will focuses on a wide range of theoretical and contemporary issues related to the study of mass communications.

The first two years of the course consist of core modules. These provide the foundation for the third year, where you can choose from a range of specialist modules. In Year 2, you have the chance to participate in an international exchange programme which incorporates a wide range of universities abroad. Please contact erasmus@le.ac.uk for more information.

Course Structure and Content

Year 1

The first year assumes no previous knowledge of communications, media studies or sociology. It is an introductory year that lays the foundation for the next two years of the degree.

First year modules are designed to enable you to develop a sound understanding of key theories and concepts relating to the study of Mass Communication as well as providing you with an understanding of the historical development of the mass media. By the end of your first year you will have a good grasp of key aspects of the media-audience relationship from a social, political and cultural perspective.

Passing Year One qualifies you to progress to Year Two.

Core and Optional Modules: Year One

Year 1 - full module descriptions

• Introduction to Cinema
• The Media in Britain
• The Study of Media Audiences
• The Media in the International Context

In Year 1 you will also study the following two modules from the Department of Sociology:

• Social Change, Identity & Behaviour
• The Sociological Imagination

Year 2

The second year builds upon the knowledge that you will have gained in your first year by providing an opportunity to study more specialised modules. Emphasis is placed on the democratic and political dimension of the mass media and the role of new technologies and popular culture.

During year 2, you will be introduced to research methods and approaches used for the analysis of media content and study of media organisations and audiences. You will also gain practical experience of television production.

Core and Optional Modules: Year Two

Year 2 - Full Module Descriptions

• The Production of News
• The Communication of Politics
• Media, Identity and the Popular
• Analysing Communication Processes
• New Media and the Wired World
• Television Studies:  Genre, History and Theory
• Television Production

Year 3

The third year will provide you with an opportunity to specialise in areas of particular interest. You will study four optional modules from a selection of modules that explore different aspects of contemporary media culture. Subjects offered include the study of science reporting, film, advertising and consumption culture, celebrity culture and international affairs. Modules can change subject to staffing and student requirements.

Alongside your taught modules, you will produce a 12,000 - 15,000 word dissertation focusing on an area of media and communications that particularly interests you.

Core and Optional Modules Year Three

You will choose four from the following modules:

Year 3 - full module descriptions

 Science, Environment & Risk Communication

 The Media, Celebrity and Fan Culture 

 Media and Communication in Practice

 The Media on Film

 Advertising and Cultural Communication

 Media Law

 Technology, Culture and Power: Global Perspectives

 Music as Communication

 Global Affairs: Communications, Culture, Power

 Media and the Body

 Activism and Protest in the Information Age

 Broadcasting of Crisis

How you will study

Our modules are taught using a combination of lectures, seminars, screenings, various practical activities and assessments, and one-to-one supervision. All lectures are taught by subject specialist lecturers and teaching approaches are adapted to suit the individual aims and objectives of modules (such as the occasional use of computer laboratories and the use of the TV studio for Television Production). Most modules throughout the degree utilise presentations as type of assessment.

In year one, students are supported in different ways. Teaching during the first year of the degree is by a combination of lectures and small group seminars. All first year students also attend study skills sessions and presentation workshops during the first weeks of the degree. These sessions are organised to develop presentation and essay writing skills.

A variety of teaching approaches are employed in the second and third year modules, depending on the subject matter. For example, incorporating film screenings, group work, or student presentations of  original research. One-to-one teaching is also a feature of the course: for their dissertation students are allocated a personal supervisor who supports the development and production of their dissertation work.

Assessment

Most modules are assessed by a combination of a class presentation, written assignments and examinations. In addition, third year students are required to complete a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation on a topic within the field of media and communication. To progress through the degree students need to pass all the relevant elements of assessment.                           

Why study Media at Leicester?
Entry requirements and how to apply
Career Opportunities