Year 2 (national level 5):
Core modules:
Interrogating Factual Media (20 credits)
Develop a critical understanding of the role and importance of fact-based media output across multiple platforms, from broadcast content to diverse internet-based publishers. Gain analytical and evaluative skills through analyses of media discourses impacting upon public knowledge and the effective functioning of democracy while exploring a range of relevant contemporary topics and theories. Complete the module with a robust understanding of the interplay between the construction of media messaging, their communicative value and effectiveness, and the public’s response.
Film Theory and Criticism (20 credits)
Engage in an in-depth analysis of the major areas of film theory and criticism and gain a heightened capacity for critical thinking and an ability to analyse film ‘texts'. Focus on recent and contemporary film theories such as feminism, psychoanalysis, postmodernism, and post-structuralism.
Screening Nations (20 credits)
Explore geopolitical and geocultural identities and landscapes as they appear on global screens. Use a range of theoretical approaches to critically examine notions of nationhood, as well as more localised presentations of socio-political selfhood. Assess terms such as ‘world’, ‘global’ or ‘third’ cinema as critical categories. Explore topics that will encourage critical engagement with a culturally diverse range of production styles and topics as well theoretical perspectives.
Film and Society (20 credits)
Examine a range of different approaches to studying the social significance of films from the USA and Europe in the late 20th and into the 21st century. Watching screenings of films and learn about contextualising these with reference to such things as the conditions of production, historical and social factors pertaining at the time the film was made and released, critical reception and subsequent readings, interpretations and writings about the films by commentators and historians. Focus on the ways that films can be understood to carry significant social meanings and reveal key aspects of social history, such as the way in which societies have been demarcated by inequalities of class, race, gender, sexuality and ethnicity or how film has been used to articulate and, in some cases, challenge these inequalities.
Researching Media in Theory and Practice (20 credits)
Develop a critical understanding of the history and growth of media research and the importance of continuing to examine media use in contemporary life in the midst of rapid technological change. Gain knowledge of media research and ‘hands-on’ research skills through detailed case studies of past research into media use and a practical research project of your own or a placement should you wish to arrange one. Complete the module with a firm grasp of the complex relationships between ordinary media use and the formation of identities, beliefs and practices and gain useful, practical research and problem-solving skills.
Optional modules (choose one):
Screenwriting (20 credits)
Understand the concepts and techniques employed in writing drama or comedy suitable for television or steaming service such as Netflix or Amazon. Learn how to develop an idea through the treatment stage, and finally into a script.
Cultural Theory and Popular Culture (20 credits)
Examine different theoretical approaches and traditions involved in the study of popular culture and the analysis of texts and practices of popular culture. Learn about the most influential approaches to the study of popular culture including Marxism(s), psychoanalysis, postmodernism, and feminism, using relevant examples such as popular music, advertising, film, television, and consumption (shopping, football and fan culture).
Ready Player One: Operating within the Streaming Industry (20 credits)
Develop both a practical and critical understanding of one of the fastest growing media sectors in the 21st century: the livestreaming economy. Research the live streaming economy and create content for a unique product through a variety of pre-recorded and live stream videos. Complete the module with an understanding of the importance of the relationships between content creator and intended audience, effective branding and planning, as well as a critical awareness of ethical practices and broadcast regulations.
Documentary Production (20 credits)
Devise, develop and deliver a short documentary in groups. Analyse the documentary form and further develop production skills such as planning, organisation, production management, camera, lighting, sound, digital workflow, and post-production techniques.
