BA Media and Politics (PL32)
- Course Code UNU1PL32301
- Attendance Full Time
- Award Degree of Bachelor of Arts
- Overview
- Why Choose Us
- Requirements
- Course Profile
- Fees and Funding
- Apply
Please note that this course will replace the BA Politics with Media for 2012 entry.
Why study Media and Politics at University?
In contemporary politics, it can sometimes seem that spin doctors and celebrities are more important than prime ministers and presidents. Politics, critics complain, is now all presentation and no policy.
It certainly appears that the mass media are important to the way modern politics is communicated. Politicians have started to use social networking sites and appear on chat shows to connect with voters. Celebrities use rock concerts and television shows to advocate their social and political causes. Citizens are starting to take control of political communication by writing blogs and posting videos online. For some this is a worrying trend towards ‘infotainment’, for others this is evidence of a new and possibly more democratic way of ‘doing politics’.
Studying Media and Politics allows you to look in detail at the ways in which modern media are changing the nature of politics. You will be able to study the political, social and economic forces that shape the media industries and the ways in which they are used and may be abused for political gain.
Why study Media and Politics at UEA?
The School of Political, Social and International Studies is renowned for its interdisciplinary approach to the study of media and politics. You will be taught by experts in political science and media studies and will be able to choose from a range of modules that explore key debates in both subject areas.
Among the modules that can be combined are Politics and Mass Media; Media Regulation; The Media and Identity; Parties, Elections and Political Competition; Politics of the USA; European Media and the EU; Political Communication; Democratic Theory; Media Culture, Media Power; New Media and Society; Power and Society; News and Documentary; Television Genre and many more.
You will have the opportunity to do a parliamentary research placement, and also to learn some practical media production skills. Our Broadcast Journalism module is taught by professional journalists who will introduce you to production skills including camera work, sound and editing.
This degree is likely to be attractive to students who wish to work in the media (and UEA has an excellent, award-winning student newspaper, Concrete), but Media and Politics is also intended to prepare students for a variety of different careers.
The Student Experience Survey ranks UEA third in the country - two places higher than last year's result and overtaking both Oxford and Cambridge... Read More >
The School of Political Social and International Studies (PSI) specialises in teaching and research in politics, international relations, media and culture.
We offer a wide range of courses that allow you to explore the politics of different countries and regions – for example, Russia, South-east Asia, the United States, Europe and Australia and, of course, the United Kingdom. You can learn about the key power-holders, about how parties compete to influence the public and how policies are made. Some of our students experience life in the lobby at first hand through the parliamentary internship scheme.
In the international arena there are modules dealing with security, terrorism, American foreign policy, fundamentalism, environmental issues and international players such as the United Nations. A module on the history of world politics since 1945 helps you understand how we arrived at 21st-century global patterns of power.
We offer a distinctive range of degrees specialising in media, culture and politics where topics covered may include mass media, political blogs, popular culture, new media, political marketing and 'practical media’, which enables students to make their own news documentary.
All our degrees give you opportunities to take modules from other UEA Schools which are selected to fit in with our degree programmes. Each degree includes the option of a 'free choice’ module taken from another School.
- A Level ABB
- International Baccalaureate 32
- Scottish Advanced Highers ABB
- Irish Leaving Certificate AABBBB
- Access Course Please contact the University for further information
- HND Please contact the University for further information
- European Baccalaureate 77%
Minimum Grade C in UCLES Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
If you do not meet the academic and or English requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO University of East Anglia offers guaranteed progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree:
International Foundation in Humanities and Law
International Foundation in Computing with Business
Deferred Entry
We welcome applications for deferred entry, believing that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry and may wish to contact the appropriate Admissions Office directly to discuss this further.
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Year 1
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Analysing Film and Television
The module is designed to provide students with core study skills and techniques and methods of textual analysis. The module will cover the analysis of a range of formal features and frameworks such as narrative, mise-en-scene, camera work, editing and sound used in the analysis of film and television. The study skills covered will include use of the library and internet for research, as well as note taking, essay planning and the conventions of academic writing. In the process the module will cover issues such as referencing and plagiarism. It will be taught by lecture, seminar and screening.
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FTVF1F09 | 20 | Semester 1 |
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Introduction to Contemporary Politics
This module introduces students to some of the key contemporary debates and issues in the disciplines of Politics and International Relations. The central theme of the module is liberal democracy, its nature, scope and potential strengths and weaknesses. We consider forces which have had an impact upon western liberal democracy ' such as globalisation and the media ' and examine case studies which illustrate the success and failure of liberal democracy in practice. The case studies change from year to year, but currently include Weimar Germany, Northern Ireland, Britain and the Middle East.
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PSI-1A02 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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Media, Society and Power
This module introduces first year students to the main theories of mass communications and provides them with the key skills of academic reading and writing. Students will reflect on the importance of reading for academic research and learn how to assess and discuss the relevance and impact of milestones in mass communications theory from the nineteenth century to the present. The module explores theoretical approaches to media content, production, regulation and reception, including key themes such as freedom of speech, public sphere and political economy.
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PSI-1A09 | 20 | Semester 1 |
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Social and Political Theory
This module introduces students to the fundamentals of modern social and political thought by means of in-depth study of key texts by leading thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth century. An emphasis is placed on classical social theory and liberal political theory as well as more recent departures from those traditions. Students will have an opportunity to read and discuss major works of social theory by Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Pierre Bourdieu, and of political theory by J. S. Mill, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, and Iris Marion Young.
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PSI-1A01 | 20 | Semester 1 |
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Understanding Media Cultures
This module introduces first year students to the main theories of cultural studies and explores how they have been applied in empirical research. Students will discuss the relevance and impact of key thinkers, such as S Hall, R. Williams and P. Bourdieu and will learn how to apply the key principles of methodological tools, such as ethnography, semiotics and quantitative content analysis. The aim is to engage students with original, seminal texts which will allow them to understand the social and political importance of culture within society and to encourage them to engage actively in the academic research environment.
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PSI-1A08 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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Discourse and Power
This module focuses on the role of discourse in the structuring of social relations. Its aim is to show that the linguistic features that make up our texts and verbal exchanges reflect the purpose language is put to in a specific context. Particular consideration is given to the discourse of the media, advertising and politics and how it affects and is affected by ideology and socio-cultural assumptions and by the relationship between individuals and social groups. Students are introduced to the main concepts and essential analytical tools and are encouraged to select their own material for analysis (class practice and assessed exercises) on the basis of relevance to their studies and interests. This module equips students with the necessary skills to undertake their own critical analysis of any texts encountered in the course of their studies and beyond and is, therefore, suited to students majoring in political and social sciences, media and cultural studies, literature, philosophy and languages.
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LCS-1L20 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Media Regulation
This module provides an introduction to the key debates over the regulation of media. In addition to systems of censorship, the module will explore the economic systems through which media are organised and controlled, the legal systems through which they are managed and organised and the political processes through which they are mobilised. Rather than simply seeing such processes as repressive, the module will also seek to explore the ways in which they productively shape content.
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Modern Readings in Philosophy
This module introduces students to the history of modern philosophy by studying the work of a number of major philosophers, including Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Kant, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Russell and Wittgenstein. We look at the different answers they give to a common set of problems, beginning with problems in epistemology, i.e. problems about the nature and limits of human knowledge, about what we can know and how we can know it. These problems then connect with questions about what the world must be like in order for us to know it and what we (our minds) must be like in order to know the world. Close reading of texts is assessed by argument analysis exercises and there is also an examination. The module is taught annually.
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PHI-1A04 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year 2
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Building Blocks of Political Science
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the key theoretical issues and debates that underpin the discipline of political science so that students understand the main methodological and ideological approaches to political science. It will also be of relevance to international relations students. The module will provide important foundations for the remainder of the politics major degree. It will be one of two compulsory modules for single honours Politics students. The first half of the module will focus on meta-theoretical concerns such as how to compare political phenomena and systems, ideas and material explanation, structure and agency, epistemology and ontology. The second part of the module will be concerned with the way in which these issues inform empirical political analysis. It covers the key empirical debates in political science about power, representation, accountability and policy making in the western democracies.
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PSI-2A48 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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Methods of Social Research
Students acquire knowledge of the theory and practice of a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods. A variety of skills can be acquired - interviewing, observation, taking fieldwork notes, computerised data analysis, report writing, etc. Assessment is via an individual research report based on a dataset which is provided, and a visual display of the student's research findings.
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PSI-2A13 | 20 | Semester 1 |
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Politics and Mass Media
Mass media are an inescapable part of contemporary political life. This module examines the many dimensions of mass media's political involvement. We start with arguments about media power, and then go on to look at questions of media bias, before turning to the ways in which political communication has changed (and is changing). We look at the role of the state in using and controlling mass media and the new techniques of media management. This leads to a discussion about media effects. We end by asking what is meant by a democratic media and how new media are changing the relationship between politics and media. This module links closely to Level 3 modules such as Political Communication and Politics and Popular Culture.
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PSI-2A02 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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Democratic Theory
This module considers how the concept of democracy has changed since it originated in ancient Greece and looks at the critiques of democracy advanced by its opponents. The ideas and values underpinning democracy will be examined. The first part of the module focuses on texts by the major democratic thinkers including Locke, Rousseau and Mill. The second part concentrates on contemporary theories of democracy and examines the problems which democracy currently faces and evaluates the solutions proposed, including "electronic democracy" and "cosmopolitan democracy".
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PSI-2A24 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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New Media and Society
For better or worse, new digital technologies are hyped at having revolutionised society. This module will provide students with an introduction to the ways in which the internet and other digital technologies are (and are not) affecting society from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and how society shapes technology. Topics covered include: the evolution of the internet; the "network society"; regulating new media; the radical internet and terrorism; social networking, blogs and interactivity; culture and identity in the digital age; and how the internet affects politics and the media.
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PSI-2A27 | 20 | Semester 1 |
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The Media and Identity
Drawing on a range of theoretical approaches in the field of media and cultural studies, this module explores the relationship between media culture and social identities. Discussing the representation of identity in media content, as well as issues of media production, regulation and consumption, it critically reflects upon the relationship between media culture and social power and considers how social and technological changes impact on the ways in which identity is experienced in everyday life. On successful completion of this module, students should be able, at threshold level, to critically reflect upon the ways in which media texts construct social identity and should be able to discuss the relationship between media and identity with awareness for social, institutional and technological factors that shape both media production and consumption.
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PSI-2A26 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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Consumer Culture and Society
This module explores the significance of consumption as a major form of social life. Drawing on a variety of theoretical perspectives, including sociology and cultural studies, it examines how taste, style and identity are defined by consumption and explores how consumerism ties in with wider debates about globalisation and geo- politics. In your assignments you will be asked to apply your knowledge of different theoretical perspectives and critically analyse specific examples of consumerism.
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PSI-2A50 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic Theory
This module considers how the concept of democracy has changed since it originated in ancient Greece and looks at the critiques of democracy advanced by its opponents. The ideas and values underpinning democracy will be examined. The first part of the module focuses on texts by the major democratic thinkers including Locke, Rousseau and Mill. The second part concentrates on contemporary theories of democracy and examines the problems which democracy currently faces and evaluates the solutions proposed, including "electronic democracy" and "cosmopolitan democracy".
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PSI-2A24 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Language and Gender (Level 2)
This module explores a variety of matters relating to language and its relationship to questions of gender and sexuality. Do men and women use language differently? Are the genders represented differentially in language and what might this show about socio-cultural ideologies and power structures? Is linguistic behaviour used to create and construct gender and sexual identities? Consideration will include such issues as stereotypical ideas of gendered language, sexist language, how same-sex conversations differ from mixed-sex conversations, how children are linguistically socialised into their gender categories, whether men are from Mars and women from Venus, and so on. Discussion and reading will be informed by a wide variety of ideas from fields such as anthropology, psychology, biology, sociology, and politics (especially feminism).
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LCS-2L64 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Language and Politics (Level 2)
This module provides an opportunity for students to investigate a particular aspect of language - the use and control of a language in relation to power, both within formal political institutions and in the broader public sphere. The module looks at the linkage between language and nation, at censorship, propaganda, patriotism and xenophobia. It places particular emphasis on the acquisition of linguistic tools that will enhance students' ability to analyse varieties of political discourse in action, including parliamentary discourse, political speeches and the numerous forms of media involvement in political processes.
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LCS-2L28 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Language and Society (Level 2)
Different social groups and different speech situations give rise to a remarkable range of linguistic variety. In this module we will explore the kind of factors that govern such variety, the social meanings and ideologies with which it is associated, and some techniques of research. Issues covered include: language and social class, language and gender, language and education, code-switching, pidgins and creoles. Examples given are drawn from socio-linguistic practices in Britain and a variety of other cultural contexts. You are introduced to the main concepts and studies and given opportunities for class discussion. You are expected to make your own contribution by researching a particular area of interest. This module will be taught by a two hour lecture/seminar.
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LCS-2L44 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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New Media and Society
For better or worse, new digital technologies are hyped at having revolutionised society. This module will provide students with an introduction to the ways in which the internet and other digital technologies are (and are not) affecting society from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and how society shapes technology. Topics covered include: the evolution of the internet; the "network society"; regulating new media; the radical internet and terrorism; social networking, blogs and interactivity; culture and identity in the digital age; and how the internet affects politics and the media.
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PSI-2A27 | 20 | Semester 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Race and Racism in the USA
This seminar will explore the origins and continued role in American culture of the idea of race. Where did the concept of race come from? And to what uses has it been put by various groups within America's pluralistic society? Restricted to students on programmes in American History or Literature, or who have previously done modules on race. Not available to first year students.
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AMSA2H32 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reception and Audience Studies in Film and Television
This module seeks to understand the ways in which audiences engage with film and television. It will introduce students to some of the key research on, and theoretical debates about, audiences and the processes of reception, from work on encoding and decoding, through studies of the social activities of television consumption, to research on marketing, critical reception and exhibition. It will also introduce some of the methodological issues involved in the actual practice of doing audience studies. In this way, the module will not only encourage students to learn about the study of film and television audiences, but also equip them with the tools necessary to undertake their own studies. The module is taught by seminar.
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FTVF2F29 | 20 | Semester 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Study Abroad Module
The School of PSI has various arrangements with overseas Universities where it is possible to spend a semester studying abroad. For more information on this please contact Dr Marina Prentoulis (International exchanges), Dr V Koutrakou (ERASMUS exchanges) - or the Study Abroad Office. Assessment types may vary, depending on university abroad.
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PSI-2A18 | 60 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Business of Film and Television
The module provides an intensive introduction to the business of film and television; including the development, financing, production, distribution and exploitation of films and television programmes.
It is based around a detailed understanding of the film and television value chain, showing how different businesses and creative people work together to create and exploit programmes. It will also cover the process by which scripts or TV programme ideas are written and developed. Emphasis will be placed on UK, European and American Independent film models, as well as the US studio model.
It includes a wide range of recent case studies and real-life examples, with companies from Pixar to Working Title, and film-makers from Ken Loach to Terry Gilliam. Issues raised will include the impact of new technologies; changing business models; the conflict between commerce and art; entrepreneurship and managing creative people; and the complex and difficult relationships between writers, directors, producers, executives, financiers, and distributors.
It is a practical forward-looking course about current and future business practise, which will be a valuable foundation for anyone interested in working in the media, film or television sectors. It will also be valuable to anyone studying film and television programmes and culture, so that they can fully understand the financial and business context in which programmes are created.
By the end of the module you will know how films and TV programmes get dreamt up, how they get developed, and how they get financed and distributed. You will learn how the industry actually works.
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FTVF2F35 | 20 | Semester 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Media and Identity
Drawing on a range of theoretical approaches in the field of media and cultural studies, this module explores the relationship between media culture and social identities. Discussing the representation of identity in media content, as well as issues of media production, regulation and consumption, it critically reflects upon the relationship between media culture and social power and considers how social and technological changes impact on the ways in which identity is experienced in everyday life. On successful completion of this module, students should be able, at threshold level, to critically reflect upon the ways in which media texts construct social identity and should be able to discuss the relationship between media and identity with awareness for social, institutional and technological factors that shape both media production and consumption.
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PSI-2A26 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Translation Issues in the Media (Level 2)
This module is particularly relevant to language and translation students, but will appeal to students from across the University with an interest in language issues associated with the globalisation of communication and the media. It considers a range of materials (texts and their translations, multilingual publications and packaging, film subtitles, dubbed soundtracks, IT-mediated text) to explore issues involved in the transposition and translation of (spoken and written) text into other media and other languages across different genres, literary and non-literary. Taught in English. Receptive knowledge of one other main European language required. (Taught with LCS-3T26). Assessment commensurate with level.
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LCS-2T06 | 20 | Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year 3
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Analysing Media Discourses
The module will explore some of the main approaches to the analysis of media texts including structuralism, psychoanalysis and discourse analysis. These approaches will be discussed in relation to films like James Bond, advertising campaigns like the ones by the United Colors of Benetton, and newspaper articles on current affairs. The aim of the module is to bring together theory and hands-on analysis and research in media products.
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PSI-3A41 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Broadcast Journalism
Broadcast Journalism provides students with an overview of the practice of modern TV journalism, and related TV production processes. The module enables students to contextualise academic study and criticism of news gathering and presentation processes as well as gain first-hand experience of producing video news items using modern technology. There is a high level of practical class activity: students will take part in workshop exercises, develop an understanding of the use and importance of pictures, preparing and presenting well-written broadcast scripts and interviews. Students will collaborate in producing short, broadcast-style video news reports, which will be compiled into a magazine format TV programme. There will be an introduction to the 'art' of journalism, the techniques and practices that are used to shape news reports. Students will also be introduced to technical production skills including cameras, sound and editing. Students will be taught by experienced production and news journalists and use broadcast quality equipment. The practical teaching will be reinforced by instruction on the packaging and presentation of news and factual material for broadcasting purposes.
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PSI-3A51 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Dissertation Module
This dissertation module gives students the opportunity to undertake research on a project of their own choosing under the supervision of a member of staff. The goal is to produce an extended essay of between 7,000-8,000 words, which relates in-depth research on a specialist topic to wider issues in politics, sociology and international studies. A limited number of parliamentary internships and an advertising
internship are also available as part of this module. The only timetabled contact time is an introductory lecture from the module convenor. Thereafter, it is up to you to arrange meetings with your supervisor after s/he has been allocated.
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PSI-3A0Y | 30 | Year Period |
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Political Communication
This module looks behind the headlines about politics and analyses the processes by which those headlines are created. It encourages students to think about the way in which we engage with politics. Are we being persuaded about our politics or are we being subject to propaganda? Is war only what we see on our TV screens or read about in the newspaper? Do politicians have to be telegenic to be elected? Does it matter if our only source of news is via the internet? Can new media really been seen as the cause of revolution? These are just some of the questions which we might discuss.
This module also links together processes of politics and communication to ask some of the `big' political questions of the day: what is being communicated politically to us, by whom, and why? What methods do elites use to communicate to us? And how do we as citizens communicate politically to elites? And what impact does that communication have on our politics? Centred around issues of ideology and power, and combining theory and empirics, this module asks questions about the nature of politics and communication through a range of topics which may include: election campaigns; spin; war and foreign policy; the political economy of news production; common sense; politics beyond the nation state; and revolution.
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PSI-3A10 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Politics and Popular Culture
The module explores three issues: the role of popular culture in political thought and action, the political organisation of, and response to, popular culture, and the political meanings and interpretations placed upon popular culture.
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PSI-3A37 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Analysing Media Discourses
The module will explore some of the main approaches to the analysis of media texts including structuralism, psychoanalysis and discourse analysis. These approaches will be discussed in relation to films like James Bond, advertising campaigns like the ones by the United Colors of Benetton, and newspaper articles on current affairs. The aim of the module is to bring together theory and hands-on analysis and research in media products.
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PSI-3A41 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Australia: Politics, Culture, Society
This module examines the history, structures and key institutions of Australian government and their broader relationships with Australian society and culture. It has been argued Australia was manacled to its colonial past, and lacked innovation and proactivity. At the same time, the phrase, 'lucky country', has been used to project Australia as uniquely stable, politically, socially, and economically. Is this accurate? Some think so, attributing it to Australia's system of government: are they right? This module addresses such questions and, in its later stages, considers some of the challenges Australia faces, both internal such as multiculturalism and Aboriginality, and external, for example, regionalisation and globalisation.
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PSI-3A12 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Better Worlds? Utopias and Dystopias
Would an ideal society have no more crime? Who would be wealthy? Would politics be outlawed? Do utopians wish to impose their views on the rest of us? This module explores questions such as these, which are central to political and social theory, through the prism of selected utopian and dystopian novels and other utopian texts ranging from Thomas More's Utopia (1516) to the present. It focuses on themes such as property, social control, gender, work, the environment and politics. A major question which the module addresses is the political significance and effects of utopian ideas ' often derided as frivolous or impractical in their own time - and the historical role of utopian ideas in political theory and social reform.
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PSI-3A08 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Broadcast Journalism
Broadcast Journalism provides students with an overview of the practice of modern TV journalism, and related TV production processes. The module enables students to contextualise academic study and criticism of news gathering and presentation processes as well as gain first-hand experience of producing video news items using modern technology. There is a high level of practical class activity: students will take part in workshop exercises, develop an understanding of the use and importance of pictures, preparing and presenting well-written broadcast scripts and interviews. Students will collaborate in producing short, broadcast-style video news reports, which will be compiled into a magazine format TV programme. There will be an introduction to the 'art' of journalism, the techniques and practices that are used to shape news reports. Students will also be introduced to technical production skills including cameras, sound and editing. Students will be taught by experienced production and news journalists and use broadcast quality equipment. The practical teaching will be reinforced by instruction on the packaging and presentation of news and factual material for broadcasting purposes.
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PSI-3A51 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Capitalism and Its Critics
The aim of this module is to enable students to develop an understanding of capitalism and its political and social impact. Students graduating from the module will be able to demonstrate:
- critical understanding of the main theories, models and concepts applied in the analysis of capitalism
- critical understanding of normative debates about capitalism
- knowledge of the arguments made by advocates and critics of capitalism, with an awareness of their strengths and weaknesses
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PSI-3A52 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Celebrity
The module will explore the phenomenon of celebrity and fame from its origins to the present day, moving across a range of different media, including film, television, print media and the internet. In the process, it will examine key approaches to the study of celebrity, paying particular attention to the cultural formation of celebrity and how it is bound up with structures of power (e.g gender, class, ethnicity). It will feature a range of case studies that will include Classical Hollywood cinema, the coming of television, the supposed 'tabloidization' of print media, the birth of Reality TV, the growth of the celebrity scandal and the relationship between celebrity and the internet.
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FTVF3F64 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Crime Television
This module explores crime and investigation in recent US television, encompassing formal developments such as the use of group formats, specialist teams and genre hybrids. It considers theoretical/critical issues that may include the value and limits of approaching television via genre, representations of urban US life, the (lack of) engagement with questions of race, gender and the female investigator, gender and sex crimes, the statement and transgression of social/cultural taboos to do with sex, violence and identity and the increasing significance - post 9/11 - of paranoid narration, the investigation of terrorism as crime and the policing of US civil society. This module is taught by seminar and screening.
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FTVF3F92 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Dissertation Module
This dissertation module gives students the opportunity to undertake research on a project of their own choosing under the supervision of a member of staff. The goal is to produce an extended essay of between 7,000-8,000 words, which relates in-depth research on a specialist topic to wider issues in politics, sociology and international studies. A limited number of parliamentary internships and an advertising
internship are also available as part of this module. The only timetabled contact time is an introductory lecture from the module convenor. Thereafter, it is up to you to arrange meetings with your supervisor after s/he has been allocated.
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PSI-3A0Y | 30 | Year Period |
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European Studies (With Brussels Internship)
This is an intensive module for ambitious students who are a national of an EEA member state (i.e. UK and other EU countries, plus Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein ) who demonstrate drive, and commitment to wanting to work at the international level, have some prior knowledge of how the EU works, and a basic knowledge of another language of the EEA. It will provide insights into the operation of the EU, facilitiate e networking and the follow up of job opportunities. There will be 10 two hour seminars during the Spring Semester and a four week period in Brussels (or elsewhere if placements can be established). Currently, there are a number of placements available at the East of England office in Brussels, which represents the interests of the region. A substantial contribution will be made towards the costs of accommodation and travel.
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PSI-3A72 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Gender and Genre in Contemporary Cinema
This module offers an overview of critical and theoretical approaches to gender and genre in contemporary cinema, focusing particularly on North American cinema. Topics explored may include: new women and new men - the articulation of gender in popular and 'independent' American cinema since 2000; feminism and authorship; the response of mainstream and independent cinema to the political and cultural contexts of postfeminism; race and the limits of feminist representation; masculinity, homosociality and Hollywood genre. The module is taught by seminar, tutorial and screening.
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FTVF3F10 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Language and Society (Level 3)
Different social groups and different speech situations give rise to a remarkable range of linguistic variety. In this module we will explore the kind of factors that govern such variety, the social meanings and ideologies with which it is associated, and some approaches to research. Issues covered include: language and social class, language and gender, language and education, code-switching, multilingualism and politeness. Examples given are drawn from socio-linguistic practices in Britain and a variety of other cultural contexts. You are introduced to the main concepts and studies and given opportunities for class discussion. You are expected to make your own contribution by researching a particular area of interest for a class presentation and the project. The module does not assume knowledge of a second language and is relevant to students majoring in political, socio-cultural and media studies as well as to language students. In addition to the two hour lecture/seminar a further hour will be timetabled and dedicated particularly to the exploration of language and identity, leading to the development of the project.
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LCS-3L46 | 20 | Semester 2 |
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Mangamania and Japan
This module explores the world of Japanese manga, its history, genres, authors, audiences, and its global success including film and anime adaptations. Since the 1990s, this visual medium has opened up to the West. Famous artists like Tezuka Osamu, Urasawa Naoki, Ikeda Riyoko and Aoike Yasuko have been translated into many languages.
In this module we shall explore the function of manga in Japanese postwar history and society and analyse manga genres for different target groups (girls' and boys' manga, boys' love, rorikon and yaoi). Special consideration is given to traditional gender roles in Japan (sarar'man and OL) and their erosion, which entails new trends, topics and visual styles. We then scrutinise the depiction of recent economic and demographic changes in Japanese society (ageing, fr't', otaku), the popularity of robotic heroes, as well as the development of time travel narratives and the attitudes towards death.
The aim of the module is to understand the core elements of Japanese manga addiction and the reasons for the current mangamania in the West. All sources and texts will be in English. No Japanese language proficiency is required.
The module will have a three hour seminar and a separate screening
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HUM-3J01 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Multiculturalism
This module looks at the political implications of the rise of multicultural societies in Europe and North America since the end of World War II. (Canada is given consideration because of its importance to these debates both as a practical model as well as a source of influential theorists.) The aim is to introduce students to a range of contemporary theoretical perspectives on multiculturalism and facilitate critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of such approaches in the face of competing political discourses such as nationalism and alternative forms of liberalism. Theorists under examination will include; Parekh, Kymlicka, Levy, Taylor and Modood as well as major liberal alternative views; Barry, Rawls and Raz. Among the module themes the following will be addressed; group differentiated rights; institutional racism, Islamophobia, recognition vs toleration and cultural offense. The module will also look at divergent policies adopted within European states (eg: France and Germany) and give attention to the attempts to operationalize multiculturalism in the UK in particular via the Parekh Report.
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PSI-3A38 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Political Communication
This module looks behind the headlines about politics and analyses the processes by which those headlines are created. It encourages students to think about the way in which we engage with politics. Are we being persuaded about our politics or are we being subject to propaganda? Is war only what we see on our TV screens or read about in the newspaper? Do politicians have to be telegenic to be elected? Does it matter if our only source of news is via the internet? Can new media really been seen as the cause of revolution? These are just some of the questions which we might discuss.
This module also links together processes of politics and communication to ask some of the `big' political questions of the day: what is being communicated politically to us, by whom, and why? What methods do elites use to communicate to us? And how do we as citizens communicate politically to elites? And what impact does that communication have on our politics? Centred around issues of ideology and power, and combining theory and empirics, this module asks questions about the nature of politics and communication through a range of topics which may include: election campaigns; spin; war and foreign policy; the political economy of news production; common sense; politics beyond the nation state; and revolution.
more...
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PSI-3A10 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Political Economy of the Environment
In an attempt to better understand the environmental dilemmas that confront us in the contemporary world, this module tries to move beyond the limitations of mainstream political and economic analyses. In coming to terms with the threats of environmental degradation and climate change, it tries to reawaken a broader type of ethical, natural and social theorisation that defined an earlier political economy. This is not a module on environmental or resource economics, nor are students expected to have an economics background. Rather, this module tries to understand social production as much more than a series of market relations. It tries to develop a broader socio-cultural understanding of production that "de-naturalises" the way we view and exploit the natural world.
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PSI-3A44 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Politics and Governance With Internship (Work Based Experience/employability Training Programme)
The module aims to provide a sound understanding of the `nuts and bolts' of the different levels of government - local, regional, and national, and through the third sector ' and how each contributes to democratic pluralism. It will relate public policy and administration taught in other modules to the organisation and structures of governance and also focus on career and job opportunities, and developing specific skills to enhance employability. Field trips and study visits will complement class-based teaching and `real world' experience will be available through a short internship, other work based learning or an employability training programme to enable students to build a network of contacts, increase confidence, experience and the skills necessary to secure graduate employment.
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PSI-3A80 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Politics and Popular Culture
The module explores three issues: the role of popular culture in political thought and action, the political organisation of, and response to, popular culture, and the political meanings and interpretations placed upon popular culture.
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PSI-3A37 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Public Affairs and Politics: Influencing the Political Process
This module enables students to understand the theory and practice of public affairs, interest intermediation, and the strategies used by interest and advocacy groups to influence the political process. As well as covering the main debates in the academic literature, it draws directly on the experience of practitioners and offers unique insights into this under-studied area of politics.
Students graduating from this module will:
' be able to demonstrate understanding of the theories, models and concepts of public affairs
' be able to demonstrate understanding of the theories, models and concepts applied in the study of interest intermediation and lobbying
' be able to demonstrate knowledge of public affairs and lobbying in a variety of political settings
' have developed important key skills, including making oral presentations, that will be of use in employment.
Indicative outline
1. Introduction. Public affairs: influencing the political process
2. Making policy: processes and decision points
3. Lobbyists, interest and advocacy groups
4. The art of public relations
5. Communications and marketing
6. Public affairs and the media
7. Influencing the political process I: Whitehall
8. Influencing the political process II: Westminster
9. Influencing the political process III: Brussels
10. Influencing the political process IV: Washington
11. Influencing the political process V: local government
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PSI-3A78 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Rhetoric: Democracy and the Politics of Persuasion
Political activity involves a lot of talking, discussing and debating, speechifying, speaking and listening. In Parliaments, from public platforms and through many forms of media people try to persuade others to see things their way, to take their side and to adopt their proposals. Naturally, therefore, the form, function and implications of different forms of public argument are an important concern of political theorists and scientists. This course will explore some contemporary theorists who, in different ways, help us think through the politics of public speech and persuasion (Arendt, Dryzek, Laclau, Ranciere and others). It will also introduce you to the rhetorical tradition. Rhetoric, according to Aristotle, is 'the ability to identify in any given case the available means of persuasion". In studying political rhetoric we learn about the different ways in which political arguments may be made and about how we might try to persuade particular people, about particular things at particular times.
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PSI-3A59 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Selling Spectacle
Spectacle is the cornerstone of the modern film industry, in Hollywood and in other national cinemas around the world. Blockbusters and other films are produced, marketed and exhibited using epic language, hyperbolic visuals and overblown promotional materials. Yet despite these excessive claims, the world of selling spectacle and epic marketing techniques are often overlooked in academic or critical discussions.
This module will explore the history of spectacle within the global film industries, the cinematic technologies that have been created to enhance that spectacle, and the advertising and promotional techniques that were utilised to emphasise and display it. Following the work of theorists such as Tom Gunning, Geoff King, Janet Staiger and Barbara Klinger, the module will demonstrate the historical development of spectacle and selling that lies behind the modern system of film production, distribution and exhibition.
Understanding the theory and methodologically distinct approaches needed to analyse posters, press books, trailers, websites, interviews, and critical reviews will be an essential component to this module. Students will be expected to engage with both theories of film advertising and analysis of marketing materials and other related epiphenomena.
While the module will consider some films that may be described as belonging to the `epic' genre ('The Ten Commandments', 1956; or 'Gladiator', 2000) this module is not concerned with generic traits so much as spectacular production practices throughout film history, and the industrial practices that were invented to educate audiences in such new, spectacular, images and concepts.
Using specific case studies, the module will trace the historical development of spectacle within filmmaking, and its role in redefining the function of film advertising and promotion.
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FTVF3F45 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Teenage Kicks: Media, Youth and Subculture
This module will address the historical development of the commercial youth market and introduce key debates relating to young people and their uses of mainstream and underground media. It will examine a range of theoretical approaches to youth culture, subculture and post-subculture, employing case studies of popular and alternative music, club culture, film, television, subcultural style and new digital technologies. It will address questions of ideology, identity and representation, most significantly issues of class, gender, race and ethnicity, and encourage students to discuss how cultural interests and practices are used to construct individual and group identities.
It will focus primarily on the British post-war context ' highlighting the influence of American popular culture, Black Diaspora and technological transformation on British youth ' but will also examine young people's media use and subcultures in other national and transnational contexts. The emphasis will be on analysing the extent to which cultural power is negotiated and resisted through shared media consumption and subculture formation
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FTVF3F61 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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We the People? Publics, Crowds and Democracy
This module examines the position of mass publics and collectives in democratic society, taking into consideration models of collective behaviour and some of the available empirical evidence. The module is all about the relationship between the individual and the group: how does that relationship work in different contexts, and what are the consequences for the democratic character of governance and the rationality or otherwise of collective decisions? Liberal theory has an ambiguous attitude to the `public', portraying it as a source of legitimacy but also as a threatening and unreasoning force. We explore these issues in a variety of contexts: mass political movements, public opinion surveys, un-coordinated mass action such as moral panics and health scares, arts prize juries and political executives. We also look at whether mass publics can be manipulated and steered by the rhetoric of `leaders' and by biases in the information environment.
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PSI-3A84 | 30 | Semester 2 |
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Western Political Thought
This Level 3 module examines in depth the works of selected thinkers who are seminal to the Western tradition of political thought, including Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Marx. Their work will also be compared thematically, with a focus on ideas such as political obligation, authority, the state and freedom. The module will be based on the study and interpretation of key texts and will enable students to develop skills of textual analysis and critique.
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PSI-3A01 | 30 | Semester 1 |
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Women, Islam and Media
BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE EITHER FTVF1F09 OR TAKE PSI-1A05 OR TAKE PSI-1A06
This module intends to explore the relationship between women and Islam in contemporary media; particularly in film and television. The module is interdisciplinary in scope with readings and theoretical underpinnings from film and television studies as well as media, cultural and gender studies. The module is arranged thematically and focuses on different aspects of the relationship between women and Islam. Some of the themes and topics that will be studied in the module are: the political and religious resonance of the veil; Orientalism and Occidentalism's significance to media studies; representations of consequences of arranged marriage in television; honour killings; trauma, terror and Islam and the representation of women as terrorists in films; the representation of silence, women and Islam in television adverts; international women's film festivals.
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FTVF3F83 | 30 | Semester 1 |
Further information on fees and funding for 2012 can be found here
University Fees and Financial Support: International Students
The University will be charging International students £11,700.00 for all full time School of Political, Social and International Studies undergraduate programmes which start in 2012.
Please click to access further information about fees and funding for International students
Applications need to be made via the Universities Colleges and Admissions Services (UCAS), using the UCAS Apply option.
UCAS Apply is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time Undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom. It is made up of different sections that you need to complete. Your application does not have to be completed all at once. The system allows you to leave a section partially completed so you can return to it later and add to or edit any information you have entered. Once your application is complete, it must be sent to UCAS so that they can process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The UCAS code name and number for the University of East Anglia is EANGL E14.
Further Information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances with the Admissions Office prior to applying please do contact us:
Undergraduate Admissions Office (Political, Social and International Studies)
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
Please click here to download the School of Political, Social and International Studies Undergraduate Prospectus or register your details online via our Online Enquiry Form.
International candidates are also actively encouraged to access the University's International section of our website.

