This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
This module examines the relationship between media, political power, social impact and institutions. It leads students to understand and critically assess the following questions: How can media exert political and social power? In what ways do media facilitate political communications? What roles do media play in the power relations among media corporations, regulators, politicians, journalists, advertisers and publicity professionals, celebrities, leakers and hackers, artists, and the general media-using public? In sum: What power can media exert? This module will also investigate issues such as surveillance, media impact and public voting, media representation, media frame, agenda setting, bias, celebrity politics, advertising, public relations, soft power, and how these issues involve and influence political communication through the media.
Contact hours: 33
Private Study Hours: 267
Total Study Hours: 300
Essay 1800 words (40%)
Individual research project (2750 words) (60%)
Curran, J. and Seaton, J. (2010) Power without Responsibility (7th ed), London: Routledge
Street, J. (2010) Mass media, politics and democracy, Palgrave Macmillan
Davis, A. (2007) The Mediation of Power: A Critical Introduction, London: Sage
McNair, B. (1995) An Introduction to Political Communication, London: Routledge
Negrine, R. and Stanyer, J. (2007) The Political Communication Reader, London: Routledge
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
- Engage in a range of critical debates surrounding the role of the media in society, in particular its relations with institutions, social structure and politics;
- Demonstrate understanding of different academic approaches to media power, and to analyse the role of media for political communication within different political systems
- Demonstrate critical understanding of key concepts such as media systems and regulation, media representation, media frame and bias, celebrity politics, ownership, advertisement, public relations, and how those issues involve in and influence political communication through the media.
- Examine the impact of media on individuals' social and political life;
- Reflect upon their own role and responsibilities as future media professionals.
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