MA Media, Culture and Society

Course Code DNT1PL33102
Attendance Full Time
Award Degree of Master of Arts

Overview
Why Choose Us
Requirements
Course Profile
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Overview

This MA provides students with an opportunity to study contemporary media from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. The distinctive approach is best revealed in the compulsory module which brings together key aspects of modern media. It looks at the role of media in global citizenship, at media law and economics, and at different media systems. This module provides a foundation to explore in more detail a number of related issues on the rest of the course.

WHY STUDY MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY AT UEA?

This is a relatively new MA. It was launched in 2008-2009 and it draws on the University’s international reputation for teaching in media and culture. The MA is fully inter-disciplinary and you will be taught by experts in media law, economics, political communication and identity politics.

COURSES, CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

The MA lasts twelve months for full-time students and two years for those studying part-time. You will have seminars and lectures during the first two semesters and then over the summer you will work on your dissertation which is handed in at the start of September.

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Over the course of the MA, you will develop a variety of transferable skills. These include debating, giving oral presentations, team work, project work and essay writing. All students also take a module called Methods of Social Enquiry which is specifically designed to help you improve your research skills. This will enable you to write a better dissertation, but it will also be useful if you decide to take up a career in research.

DISSERTATION

The dissertation is a very important part of the MA. Students choose their own topic and are allocated an individual supervisor who gives advice on all aspects of writing and researching a dissertation. The School also organises a Postgraduate Day when all postgraduates, including MA and PhD students, meet together and discuss their research. There is a session set aside when MA students have a chance to discuss their dissertation proposals. You will also be able to meet a leading scholar who comes to the university to lecture on their current research.

COURSE ASSESSMENTS

Assessment is based on a mix of dissertation, essays, research papers and performance in seminars.

BRUSSELS TRIP

Most years, a trip to Brussels is organised for MA students. The trip includes two or three nights in a city centre hotel at a subsidised rate. We visit regional organisations, including the EU and NATO, and meet with their communications officers, we also meet journalists and other media specialists living in Brussels.

PRACTICAL MEDIA

We have recently introduced a new module, called Practical Media, which is designed to give you an opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art TV studio in Norwich. It is a chance to get advice from professionals and to make your own TV programme.

POST-GRADUATE ONLINE JOURNAL

At their own initiative, MA students recently set up an e-journal, called Irrational, which publishes the work of students. It can be found at the PSI website: www.irrationalmagazine.org

CAREERS

It is difficult at the moment to find good jobs, but it is always good to have an extra qualification, and an MA is a good way of making yourself look a bit different from the rest. The career centre at the University is an excellent resource, and it helps us put on special days for students studying our degrees in media, culture and politics. People working in the field come to the university and discuss their jobs and how they got into them. Recent graduates from our MA programmes have taken up jobs in a wide variety of fields, including: business, teaching, research, journalism, the UN and many other international organisations.

Course Organiser

Prof John Street

Course Brochure

View Course Brochure

Why Choose Us?

The School of Political, Social and International Studies offers a wide range of MA degrees. They all aim to combine an emphasis on student choice with professional training in research skills, but vary in the emphasis they place on the latter. Several of the MA programmes have Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC) recognition. This means that they meet national criteria for the training of social scientists. These skills are very valuable to a wide range of careers.

The MA degrees are led by a team of enthusiastic teachers. We offer a distinctive set of MA programmes that reflect UEA's long-standing tradition of research-led, interdisciplinary teaching.

Our MA students in Media and Cultural Politics were recently given the opportunity to attend a day long seminar with the leading critical theorist Stuart Hall. As part of the Issues in Media and Cultural Politics core module, we took our students to the 'Soundings' day long research seminar held at Marx House in London. Professor Stuart Hall provided the keynote address in which he described how modern capitalism has colonised public life, and provided a critical reflection upon the extent to which there was any opportunity for symbolic meaning to generate an alternative culture and politics. There was a lively discussion by many of the participants which gave our MA students the opportunity to engage with significant figures in the world of media and cultural politics at first hand.

Career Destinations for our MA and Diploma Students

The careers that our students follow after gaining one of our MAs or Diplomas vary greatly, but typical careers include: further postgraduate research in universities or other more policy-oriented domestic or international institutions, the media, diplomacy, international marketing and business. The 2005 EU Studies Guide featured the experience of two former MA students on "Why choosing the right degree could land you the perfect job".

Catch the latest debates and issues in the field of international relations at www.irrationalmagazine.wordpress.com/. Latest essays range from refugee repatriation to rape as a weapon in war. Irrational is edited by post-graduate students at UEA in PSI and Development Studies.

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

Year 1

Year 1

Compulsory Study (100 credits)

Students will select 100 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Media and Society This module is intended to provide all students studying media related postgraduate degrees with a broad, current and inter-disciplinary understanding of the media today. The guiding philosophy informing this module is the belief that in order properly to understand the media, whether as a lawyer, economist, development studies professional, media studies specialist or political scientist, it is essential to have a wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary understanding of the modern media. What we shall be doing over the year therefore is looking at the structure of the media industry today in the UK and globally. We will consider, from several different academic perspectives, how media content is constructed, what factors and influences go to shape content and how content may be controlled and even censored. We will also look at the media industry, examining how it is currently organised and managed, what factors influence its current organisation and consider how it might develop. We will also examine how media affects people and society and consider also the assumptions that are made about the impact of the media. Finally, we will seek to draw together key aspects of modern media. more...	DEV-M07Y	40	Year Period
Media, Culture and Society Dissertation For students taking the MA in Media, Culture and Society. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSIPM40X	60	Semester 2

Option A Study (80 credits)

Students will select 80 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Effects, Audiences and the Media The module is designed to explore the debates over media effects. In the process, it will challenge the effects tradition, which motivates many of the concerns with media censorship and regulation, and suggests alternative ways of understanding the ways in which audiences consume contemporary media. In the process, it will examine a range of approaches to the understanding of media consumption. more...	FTVFM046	20	Semester 2
English, Communication, Culture The module is intended to refine linguistic and academic competences (oral and or written communication, control of academic registers), and to explore how English operates in a variety of cultural contexts (including the media, critical debate). Skills covered include seminar and presentation skills, note-taking, academic writing, self-directed study and research skills, with application to the theme of communication and language and materials specifically relevant to MA students. An important aim of the module is to familiarise students with the conventions of English academic life and the environment of the university. more...	LCS-MC01	20	Semester 1
Analysing Media Discourses This module examines the relationship between language, images and social meaning. Media products from film and advertising to newspaper articles and even music are examined as `texts' that shape and are shaped by the socio-political reality. After discussing some of the main theories of textual analysis like semiotics, psychoanalysis and discourse analysis, we will adopt a hands on approach in order to demonstrate how the visual and linguistic techniques can advance our understanding of the processes of representation and communication of meaning. more...	PSIPM015	20	Semester 1
Conceptual and Discursive Metaphors Across Cultures This module focuses on the role of metaphor in intercultural communication. We look at the ways in which important political, economic and socio-cultural issues are framed in terms of conceptual and discursive metaphors, some of which are culture-specific, whereas others can be found across several cultures or are even universal. The aim is to explore issues involved in the linguistic transposition and dissemination of cognitive frames and scenarios into other languages and cultures. Receptive knowledge of at least one language other than the mother tongue is required. more...	LCS-MC04	20	Semester 2
Creativity and Development in Film and Television Production The module is designed to introduce students to key skills in film and television development practice. It will provide an understanding of the processes of creative script and project development, including film and TV business, the activities of the market and dealing with bodies responsible for commissioning films and television programmes. Priority for places on this module will be given to students taking the MA in Film Studies. more...	FTVFM058	20	Semester 2
Current Issues in Intellectual Property Law This is a core (required) module on the ITIPL LLM course, and will provide students with an in-depth look at a number of current issues in intellectual property and information technology law. The relevant issues will change each year, but issues will be drawn from a wide variety of topics. Students will have an opportmoduley to consider how intellectual property law is challenged by these current issues, and to analyse its responses and proposed responses. Students must have either taken Introduction to IP Law or Information Technology Law in the Autumn term, or have demonstrated knowledge in either area. For students not taking the ITIP LLM, admission to the module will be at the discretion of the module organiser, and significant previous knowledge of intellectual property law will required. This module is COMPULSORY for the ITIP LLM. more...	LAW-M622	20	Semester 2
Economics of the Mass Media This module is concerned with the economics of the mass media industries, with an emphasis on TV broadcasting and film, and with some coverage of the advertising, sports and 'new media' industries and the printed press. It covers the basic theory of the competitive process, focusing in particular on the conditions under which intervention is required, and the implications of technological change for the structure and conduct of the mass media industries. Any student without a background in economics, and who is NOT taking the module 'Economic Concepts' must consult the Postgraduate Teaching Director before enrolling on the module. more...	ECO-M013	20	Semester 1
European Media and the Eu: News and Documentary This module looks at media concepts, situations and policies in Europe and assesses the representation of contemporary topics important to the EU. Topics include history/role of European media, newsworthiness and representation - public opinion - press freedom and responsibility, press concentration, deregulation and globalisation, the media in EU countries (particularly press and TV), the EU and its audiovisual communications' policy, case studies on the EURO, EU enlargement, war and conflict, European identity and the EU, constitution, democracy and the potential of cybermedia. more...	PSIIM005	20	Semester 1
Film and Television Production The module is designed to introduce students to key skills in film and television practice. It will provide an understanding of the processes of screenwriting, camerawork, editing and direction. In the process, it will focus students less on the simple technical elements but also in ways of seeking creative solutions to practical problems. This module will focus the students on how to deliver within the normal constraints of media production, ie, students will have to think about working to a brief rather than simply imagining themselves as independent artists. Priority for places on this module will be given to students taking the MA in Film Studies. more...	FTVFM041	20	Semester 1
Globalisation of Intellectual Property Law This module will provide an introduction to intellectual property and the phenomenon of globalisation. It will concentrate on the international legal regime under the WTO TRIPs agreement, and specifically on how copyright law is governed by international conventions. The geographical focus will be Global. This module it open to all LAW PGT students and to interested students from other schools, subject to the module leader's discretion. It does not assume any previous knowledge of intellectual property law. more...	LAW-M641	20	Semester 1
Internet Law and Governance Legal issues relating to Internet use are increasingly important. Students are introduced to the key principles of Internet law, including competing views on its status and its relationship with other legal principles. The question of the relationship between law and technology is also considered. Case studies of alternative forms of governance are explored, including international co-operation and stakeholder-driven processes, in the context of issues such as domain names, social networking and the regulation of Internet service providers. Current issues in Internet law are included on the syllabus each year, as is a primer on relevant aspects of Internet technology and history. more...	LAW-M643	20	Semester 1
Issues in Media and Cultural Politics This module explores key issues within media and cultural politics. The module is divided into separate blocks and spread over two semesters. Each block deals with different aspects of media and cultural politics, including identity and power, communication and culture. more...	PSIPM03Y	20	Year Period
Japanese Film: National Cinema and Beyond This module explores the concept of Japanese cinema in relation to national, transnational and global discourses and seeks to reframe discussions of modern and past Japanese filmmaking. We will examine a variety of Japanese films and the ways in which they interact with the history, techniques and culture of Japan. We will also consider the social and commercial nature of Japanese filmmaking, including the ways in which Japanese films circulate the globe. more...	FTVFM032	20	Semester 2
Japanese Mass Media and Society This module will explore the function of visual mass media (manga and television) within the culture and society of contemporary Japan, and will compare their genres, styles, narratives and audiences to Western counterparts. We first offer an overview of theories of Japanese culture (Ruth Benedict, Doi Takeo, Joy Hendry, Nakane Chie). This includes an introduction to key categories of Japanese psyche, such as contextualism, groupism, Amae and Nihonjinron, and also the obvious societal changes in post-bubble Japan: rapid aging, otaku and hikikomori, fr't' and parasite people. We then look at the way different media depict these developments: manga (sh'jo and sh'nenai, gekiga and sarari'man manga) as well as television genres (TV-news, TV-serials and TV-advertisement). We also examine the audiences these genres are designed for, and unravel ratings by gender and age. Special sessions will be dedicated to film adaptations of Japanese (graphic) novels (MW, Distant Neighbourhood, Norwegian Wood) and to the way the media look at themselves. The aim of the module is to define and understand the national system of mass media in Japan and to underpin this finding with empirical data, observations, and theories. All readings will be in English. more...	HUMJM002	20	Semester 2
Media and International Development The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to the analysis of the different approaches to development communication and the wider relationships between media and development. more...	DEV-M082	20	Semester 2
Media Markets and Regulation This module compares the approach to regulation of communication markets in the EC to other jurisdictions, in particular the US. It also considers the application of competition law to media markets, including protecting the interests of media plurality. Content regulation being a matter principally of national law is considered from a comparative perspective. more...	LAW-M667	20	Semester 1
Music, Media, Society This module considers the changing role of music within social and cultural practices, its varied relationships with selfhood, media and technology, bodies, everyday lives and social power. In surveying the ways music is and has been bound up in social and cultural formations, the module engages with a range of theoretical issues about how music `works' as well as exploring some of the ways organised sound can be said to `mean' in differing contexts. The module also introduces students to an eclectic range of writings and questions about music in social life, considering questions about the materiality of sound, musical communities, performance, media and affect, positioning such issues in relation to music's production, circulation and consumption. more...	FTVFM062	20	Semester 2
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. more...	PSIPM007	20	Semester 1
Online Journalism This module provides students a grounding in core journalism skills, with a special application to new and emerging media. Topics covered include: new forms of journalism, news sources and rich content production. Students will write and produce content for an online news platform. more...	PSIPM027	20	Semester 1
Politics and Mass Media Working from the assumption that the mass media are an integral part of modern political life, this module examines the way in which politics is represented in the mass media and reviews critically the argument about 'bias'. It also explores the arguments around the ownership and control of mass media, the increasing use of the mass media by political parties and the changing relationship between citizens and politics engendered by new communication technologies. more...	PSIPM012	20	Semester 2
Practical Media The Practical Media module is taught at the EPIC (former Anglia) TV studios in Norwich. This is a state-of-the-art working TV studio (e.g making shows for BBC1). Students are given an introduction to all aspects of broadcast journalism, including camera and studio work, scripting, editing (using Apple's Final Cut Pro) and sound. Students produce short videos in small teams before creating this into a TV show (magazine format) in the main studio. The course is taught by leading experts in their field. Ian Masters presented BBC Look East for many years before moving into management including Director of BBC South. He was also Director of Broadcasting at the Thompson Foundation and has travelled all around the world training journalists. Mark Wells was a BBC journalist and producer for many years, before becoming a Director at Televirtual (making TV shows such as Knightmare). He is currently Director of the EPIC TV studios. Further information is available: www.ueamedia.wordpress.com, www.epic-tv.org. more...	PSIPM020	20	Semester 2
Practical Media The Practical Media module is taught at the EPIC (former Anglia) TV studios in Norwich. This is a state-of-the-art working TV studio (e.g making shows for BBC1). Students are given an introduction to all aspects of broadcast journalism, including camera and studio work, scripting, editing (using Apple's Final Cut Pro) and sound. Students produce short videos in small teams before creating this into a TV show (magazine format) in the main studio. The course is taught by leading experts in their field. Ian Masters presented BBC Look East for many years before moving into management including Director of BBC South. He was also Director of Broadcasting at the Thompson Foundation and has travelled all around the world training journalists. Mark Wells was a BBC journalist and producer for many years, before becoming a Director at Televirtual (making TV shows such as Knightmare). He is currently Director of the EPIC TV studios. Further information is available: www.ueamedia.wordpress.com, www.epic-tv.org. more...	PSIPM029	20	Semester 1
Science Fiction Science Fiction films and television series have provided a significant focus for addressing social/cultural and political issues. This module looks at the historical development of the genre, with an emphasis on locating the films/television programs within an historical and cultural context. An array of films and series episodes from both the US and UK will be screened and various clips will also be discussed in seminar. Films/television programs covered in the module will include: Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902), Things to Come (1936), Forbidden Planet (1956), Quatermass 2 (1957), Lost in Space (1965-1968), Doctor Who (1963-1989), Altered States (1980), Threads (1984), Robocop (1987), Independence Day (1996), The Matrix (1999). more...	FTVFM054	20	Semester 2
Spectacle in British Cinema Discussions around the structure and aesthetic nature of British cinema often rely on claims of "quality", emotional restraint, and documentary realism. The influence of the 1930s British documentry filmmaking movement is seen as infusing elements of national visual production, including (but not limited to) narrative, style, acting, genre and industrial promotion. Applied across the history of British cinema, this approach has privileged only one strand of production and ignored other (potentially more potent) visual alternatives, notably ideas around the spectacular. This module will challenge the primacy of realism in British cinema by examining the ways that spectacle has been at the forefront of the British film industry for over a hundred years, despite its neglect within the critical establishment. Individual films, directors and movements within British cinema history will form specific case studies that offer further exploration of these concepts. There will be a consideration of the close relationship of the British film and television industries, and how aspects of realism and fantasy have moved across these different screens. Crucially, the module will also investigate the often disregarded trend towards British technological innovation (specifically colour filmmaking, widescreen, 3-D, video and digital production), creating an alternative heritage of British film spectacle. more...	FTVFM051	20	Semester 1
Studying Media This module is intended to provide an introduction to the key study skills in media and cultural studies. It will be particularly useful for students unfamiliar with the British university system and its expectations. Students will apply theoretical and methodological approaches to contemporary media texts and discuss recent scholarship on changes in the global media and cultural landscape. In addition to introducing key study skills and debates in the discipline, the workshop sessions will provide a supportive environment for critical reflection and intercultural communication. MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY STUDENTS WITH A NON-UK FIRST DEGREE ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THIS MODULE UNLESS A WAIVER IS OBTAINED FROM THE COURSE DIRECTOR. THIS MODULE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO STUDENTS TAKING THE MA IN MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY AND THE MA IN MEDIA AND CULTURAL POLITICS. more...	PSIPM017	20	Semester 1
Television and Reality This module will examine the particular ways in which television - as a technology, as an institution, and as a social phenomenon - records, responds to, and contributes towards constructing our sense of reality. Taking recent developments within television and society - such as the growth of surveillance, genre hybrids, and the availability of media technology - as its starting point, it will explore ranges of genres - such as documentary, reality television, and comedy - from a predominantly British and public service broadcasting perspective. more...	FTVFM035	20	Semester 1
Television Genres The module will explore the study of television genres, and the concept of television genre. In the process, it will assess the various approaches to the study of television genre, looking at the specific nature of TV genre (as opposed to literary or film genres), aspects of the historical development of particular genres, and the relationship between genre and cultural power. It will also examine television genre through a series of case studies. The module will be taught through one three-hour seminar (which includes the screening). more...	FTVFM044	20	Semester 2
The Big Picture: Contemporary Hollywood Cinema Hollywood has remained a dominant force in film production, distribution and exhibition in recent decades, despite competition from other local and transnational cinemas. This module aims to explore the success of the Hollywood system through a focus on the industry itself, and the films it produces, particularly those that have been most successful at the domestic and international box office. The module will, therefore, cover a range of relevant topics that may include: what kind of films does Hollywood invest in? Is financial gain the best lens to judge issues of `popularity'? Who are the target audiences for those films? What is the role of the audience in receiving and popularising these hit movies? What is the relationship between domestic theatrical release, circulation in foreign markets and distribution in other media such as television, film, and DVD? more...	FTVFM015	20	Semester 1
The Power of Discourse: Representation and Interaction Language occurs in specific social situations, among specific social actors and for a variety of purposes. In turn particular uses of language have the power to shape social encounters and relationships and to help construct and maintain specific ideologies and perspectives. Discourse analysis aims to uncover the ways in which language in use is tied to its social context. This approach is thus at the heart of the analysis of human interaction in society. This module provides the students with analytical tools that can be fruitfully applied to the study of a variety of texts (e.g. media, advertising, politics, education, business, creative writing) and for a variety of purposes (e.g. developing critical understanding, uncovering ideological bias, reproducing texts successfully in translation and achieving the desired impact through one's own writing). Presentations of the main concepts and examples are followed by practice sessions in which students have the opportunity to analyze a variety of texts both for class discussion and for their final project. more...	LCS-ML13	20	Semester 1
The Protection and Management of Privacy and Reputation	LAW-M598	20	Semester 2
Theories of American Culture This Core Autumn module introduces students to key theories in American Studies. As American Studies is an interdisciplinary field, we require all MA students in our School, whether focusing upon American History, American Literature, Film and American Studies, or American Studies, to familiarize themselves with foundational concepts in the field. The reading list will vary, but will generally have a week of introduction followed by three weeks on literary and textual theory, three weeks on historiography, and three weeks on visual culture and film theory. The aim of the module is to ensure that all students are comfortable with the basic theoretical tools necessary to advanced study in American cultural studies of all varieties. more...	AMSAM009	20	Semester 1
Women and Film This module intends to explore and critically reflect upon the relationship between women and film whilst focusing on issues such as women's cinema as counter cinema; women's cinema as minor cinema; women filmmakers; international women's film festivals; the representation of women in film; female spectatorship, (fe)male gaze; sexuality; feminism and post-feminism in film; female subjectivity; female desire, feminist filmmaking. The module will focus on analysing contemporary films from a variety of national and transnational cinemas that may include Hollywood, British, Turkish, Japanese, Argentina, Palestine, India, Greece, Portugal, Africa and Brazil. more...	FTVFM060	20	Semester 2

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