Student Learning Outcomes Assessed:
1. Competencies in foundational concepts in media theory;
2. The ability to critically analyse and interrogate the social and cultural dynamics of media technologies and their uses and impacts on everyday life;
3. Skills in scholarly inquiry, specifically: critical thinking, analytical reading and writing, independent learning and intellectual autonomy;
4. Preliminary skills in conducting research and information literacy.
Task Description:
One of the main aims of this course is to identify key concepts and theories that help us to understand the social and cultural implications of media. Concepts are theoretical tools that help us to think about and explain real world examples of media. The aim of this assessment is to develop skills in understanding what makes a theory or a concept important to a discipline and to trace how they develop and evolve over time. You will also develop skills in locating how theories of media are deployed in research and evaluating how well the concepts they generate meet the “reality test” in terms of being relevant to understanding contemporary media forms.
To complete this assignment you must select a media theorist from one of the first 5 weeks of the course. Stick to the main scholars we discuss (E.g. Paddy Scannell, Marshall McLuhan, Manuel Castells, Nicholas Couldry). If you are unsure as to who would make a good case study for this assignment, just ask your tutor. However, you may not choose Roger Silverstone (Week 2 Lecture), as he will be our example for discussing the assignment in lectures and tutorials.
The goal of your essay is to assess the relevance of your selected theorist for understanding contemporary media. Using the academic resources discussed in the lectures, you will need to research the impact of your selected scholar’s ideas by locating at least four recent research articles? from academic journals and books that apply them to understanding contemporary examples of media. By recent, we mean that the articles must be published from 2009 onwards. These sources should come from outside the course readings and be a product of your own research on the topic.
In your essay critically assess the theories that your scholar is associated with. What are the main ideas and concepts your scholar is associated with? How have transformations in media challenged the utility of these ideas? How valuable are they in helping us explain contemporary media forms?
While the structure of your essay may vary, it might be useful to think of your essay as including at least three distinct sections:
? Introduce the scholar and discuss their relevant ideas and concepts for understanding media. What aspects of media do they attempt to explain or focus on? Is the scholar closely associated with a particular approach or group of scholars? Can you describe the intellectual milieu they are working in?
? How have the theories and concepts been applied in current research? Review the four research articles you uncovered in terms of how they develop and apply the concept as well as how they advance our understanding of contemporary media.
? Lastly, critically assess the value of the scholar’s ideas and concepts. Identify what it helps us explain about contemporary media. How is it useful in understanding the relationship between contemporary media and everyday life? How might the concept need to develop to increase its utility?
Naturally, you must include a List of References with your essay and it must be formatted according to the ?Harvard Intext referencing system?. You can find information on how to format references for different types of sources on the Library website –
https://student.unsw.edu.au/harvardreferencing