Media Content and Communications BA (Hons)

30 credits

This module aims to acquaint you with historical and contemporary digital media practices and design principles as a basis for developing media communication skills.  You will develop visual thinking, software skills and an understanding of the range of digital media production by selectively experimenting with digital form and content. The module also provides you with the opportunity to bring knowledge from other modules and apply it to your digital artefact.

30 credits

This module will introduce you to Future Skills through engagement with the Navigate programme. This module will also help you to develop professionally through Future Skills which will include, but is not limited to, creative problem solving, questioning, self-awareness, digital skills, adaptability, and resilience. These skills are enabled through Design Thinking methodology which is a collaborative, user-centred approach for creativity and innovation. You will develop your personal development plan (PDP) which is specifically geared towards a researched job role in the media industry for which you will articulate your transferrable and Future Skills. This development is underpinned by active engagement with the Navigate programme which is embedded into this module. This programme takes a reflective approach and encourages your engagement with media and communication in order to develop your professional identity.

This module enables you to explore how the Media and Communications industries generate, circulate, and promote information by drawing on different media and their interconnectedness. You will be introduced to aspects of the media industry, including its structure and organisations, production processes, content, and audiences. You will consider your potential role within the media industry.

30 credits

This module introduces students to the academic strand of the degree, focusing on key theories and current debates in the media industry. It is about the 'idea' of media what it means to be a media professional, the ways in which media professionals select and shape material and the role of audiences.

The module will focus on developing core academic skills such as research, critical thinking and reading, Harvard referencing, oral discussion and debate alongside skills involved in creating and producing a video essay and group podcast such as multimedia communication, problem solving, working as part of a team, and practical audio production.

30 credits

This module will introduce you to the skills needed to originate, research and write effective content for a range of digital media including: social media posts, blogs, news articles, web content and SEO. You will gain experience in creating, gathering and putting together clear, accurate and engaging text and stories directed at specific audiences. You will also consider the impact of your written content decisions and develop your own writing and editing skills.

Hands-on workshops will allow you to practise writing in different styles, respond to live briefs, and to get feedback from lecturers. You will build up a portfolio of original work both for assessment purposes and to show to prospective employers as well as producing a group website and associated social media in which to showcase your content.

30 credits

This module will give students hands-on experience of telling stories using video and audio and will provide them with the tools to deliver compelling content across multiple platforms. The course will be taught through weekly lectures and practical workshops. Ideas always hold creative currency and so students will be required to generate and pitch two original audio and video ideas with particular audiences in mind. Students will produce a digital portfolio containing a video package and audio report or short podcast by the end of the module.

Students will learn how to capture and record quality content using industry standard equipment. They will learn to write to pictures and how to use sound for storytelling. They will receive voice coaching, read a radio bulletin and will produce their own television programme in a studio setting.

Technological advances constantly change the way people digest news. Therefore, students will be introduced to podcasts and storytelling on social media. They will discover what the ever-evolving digital world means for broadcasting and the modern news environment. They will also learn the language of the broadcast newsroom and understand its different roles.

30 credits

Digitisation has upended the magazine industry, including the magazine sector. What existed as a simple print container has evolved into a world of content empires. But, despite economic changes, magazines dedicated to trends and interests endure, while others have evolved into all-encompassing media brands. 

This module explores how contemporary publications are ideated and positioned, and their cooperation to create cross-platform editorial content. You will learn about the contexts in which the sector operates: past, present and future, and reflect on these developments by researching, originating and developing a magazine concept. 

You will build effective editorial and team-working skills, adapting these to the needs of differing audiences and objectives through the production of your own media brand, and associated products such as print magazines, websites and apps.

The Future Skills Explore Learning Outcomes are also delivered, to enable you to engage with your personal development: activities which will strengthen your professional identity and global citizenship, and provide contexts to expand your knowledge of industrial and professional contexts. You will further develop professional skills such as interdisciplinary collaboration, to prepare you for future employment. You will also critically evaluate your personal development through reflection on your progress and goals and exploration of problems beyond your discipline.

30 credits

This module will give you the skills you need to find and produce content to reach any audience. You'll develop the tools to find and create interesting factual content to capture an audience's attention, such as advanced search and original research.

You'll develop your writing and production skills to learn how to package these stories for different audiences.

You'll learn how to extend the reach of your stories using social media, analytics and keywords. You'll publish these stories on a website and on social media, using a range of multi-media such as images, video and audio.

Finally, you'll explore the role AI is increasingly taking in communications.

30 credits

This module builds on the theoretical concepts introduced via prior learning, looking closely and in more depth at how these concepts emerged and developed in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and examines their utility in the understanding and analysis of contemporary media and communication cultures. It also introduces students to the research methodologies associated with the discipline of media and communication through a series of Research Methodology Workshops. These workshops will both re-cap on the relation between theory and practice explored in the module and prepare students for undertaking research using a methodology of their choice that address a particular topic or issue in the field of media and communication.

30 credits

This module gives final year students the opportunity to work on a major piece of independent work, which consolidates and further develops the skills and knowledge they have acquired through prior learning, in an area of media, communications or journalistic practice or dissertation research. Work carried out in each of these areas will lead to real and specific outputs. Practical projects could include, for example: a video documentary; a portfolio of long-form journalism; a podcast series; or a new media product such as a magazine or website. Students undertaking a practical project will situate and critique their practical work with reference to academic debates and concepts. Their practical output will be accompanied by a 3000-word critical rationale setting out the background to the project as well as its significance, novelty and objectives.

Students will agree the scope and aims of their project through discussion and agreement with an individual project supervisor. They will then write a proposal. Students will be expected to work independently, under supervision, to demonstrate effective self-management and decision-making when operating autonomously in the planning and execution of their dissertation or practical project.

15 credits

This module gives you a dedicated opportunity to develop your Future Skills Graduate Attributes. 

At the start of the module, you will be supported to self-assess your current skills profile. You will determine which attributes and skills you need to develop to support your career ambitions. In this process, you will be supported by a dedicated career coach, helping you explore a range of options that includes self-employment/freelancing, starting your own business, higher level study, and other professional graduate-level opportunities. Throughout the module, you will be given opportunities to engage with external mentors, to support reflection and to develop a professional network.

You will undertake a tailored series of activities and projects, aligned to your goals, from a menu of development options. This could include short courses, enrichment activities and experiential learning options such as micro-placements. You will also be able to reflect on activities outside the University that develop your graduate attributes, such as work or volunteering.

15 credits

This strand-based module builds on students’ awareness and experience of living in contemporary digital media environments. Strands vary each year to reflect current debates related to one area of practice and research. Each strand will look at how the selected issue is represented in public debates, or how it is treated in media policies and regulations. Strands are broadly focused on: AI and machine learning, social media and media ecologies, evolution of celebrity and influencer cultures, sustainability, environmentalism, ethics and journalism, and issues around identity and difference.

30 credits

This highly practical module allows students to explore in depth and actively engage with a range of specialisms in the media, communications and journalism industries which could include: sports journalism, fashion journalism, TV production, social media management, foreign correspondence, arts and entertainment journalism, social affairs journalism and media project management.

Students will further develop their researching, writing, and digital skills acquired through prior learning to produce professional outputs pertinent to each specialism such as social media, video and data visualisations. They will apply their newly-gained specialist knowledge using their acquired skills to the production of these.

The practices of each area of specialism will be placed in a context throughout the module. Through a series of lectures and in-class discussions students will gain insight into each specialism and how it works. They will acquire an appreciation of the historical, cultural, global and economic issues which media professionals must understand. The module prepares students to pursue jobs within specialist areas upon graduation.

30 credits

The module involves producing a campus publication, website, and social media accounts. Each student will take on an editorial or other contributing role such as advertising sales, social media marketing or publishing, as well as contributing content Roles may vary but will allow students to observe and participate in essential activities which contribute to producing real media. Teaching takes place in our dedicated newsroom, equipped with online content management system, and industry-standard software packages including Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. Students are encouraged to take part in at least two weeks work experience within a media organisation.