Communication and Media Studies – (B.Sc.)

Contents

You will learn, both theoretically and via hands-on experience, how the communication and information media actually work. This course enjoys a very close relationship with Sociology at Brunel, and particular attention is paid to the social and cultural dimensions of the media, and especially to the social and cultural consequences of the new technologies of communication and information.

Throughout the degree you will be encouraged to link together the theoretical and practical parts of the course as you engage in a broad-ranging sociological study of the contemporary media.

Level 1

This level combines a foundation in the theories and methods of the social sciences together with hands-on experience in video production.

Typical modules:

* Introduction to Media Studies
* Media, Culture and Society
* Introduction to Video Production
* Introduction to Social and Cultural Research
* Introduction to Social Enquiry
* Individual and Social Processes

Level 2

This provides more sophisticated modules in the sociology of culture, communications and media.

Typical modules:

* Video Production
* Research in Practice
* Media, Culture and Representation
* Global Communication
* Sociology of Everyday Life: Issues in contemporary culture

Plus 20 credits from:

* Ethnography of the Contemporary World
* Sex and Gender
* Social Divisions: Difference and Resistance
* Work and Society

Level 3

You choose between a wide range of options in leading-edge aspects of communications and media studies, most of them based on the research interests of teaching staff. Your final project may be based on practical video production.

Typical modules:

* Advanced Video Production: film, horror and the imagination
* Understanding Audiences
* The Age of New Media
* City Lives: bodies, spaces and social interactions
* Television Studies
* Comedy, Culture and the Media
* Crime, Deviance and Addiction.
* Health and the New Politics of Protest

Teaching and LearningOur approach

We pursue excellence in both teaching and research. Our aim is to produce degree programmes which combine innovative and classical teaching methods with leading-edge research, and which recognise the value of practical work experience in the learning process. We take great pride in both the quality of teaching and the extensive pastoral care of our students.

Staff expertise

All members of the academic staff are actively engaged in research and many have international reputations in their field. Their innovative findings feed into your courses to help ensure that teaching is lively and up-to-date. Research interests of members of the course team centre around three principal areas: media policy and regulation; media discourse; and the social impacts of new communications technologies. There is also a significant stream of interest in childhood, culture and technology.

How will I be taught?

The course is taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical laboratory sessions and small group projects.

Lectures - Most modules involve one or two hours of lectures a week. These provide a broad overview of key concepts and ideas relating to your course and provide you with a framework from which to carry out more in-depth study.

Seminars - These relatively small groups (3-15 students) are used to discuss the content of lectures and issues arising from the modules. Seminars are often student-led. You can use seminars to clarify you own ideas in an atmosphere of discussion and debate.

Practicals - You will undertake practical work in video production.

Laboratory/research work - All students take part in practical modules. In the first year you will experience the similarities and contrasts between methods of enquiry used in psychology, sociology and social anthropology. The investigative methods used in projects include observation, interviewing, questionnaire design, psychological testing, experimentation and more specific research techniques. As you progress through the course, direction by staff over the design and implementation of projects is reduced.

One-to-one - You will get one-to-one supervision on your final year dissertation and at all levels you will have a personal tutor who is available to discuss personal and academic problems. When you go on placement, you will also be allocated a work placement tutor who will monitor your progress and provide further support if you need it. Lecturers are usually available to answer particular queries outside of scheduled hours - either in one-to-one tutorials or by e-mail.

Other - Guest speakers from prominent organisations, research seminars and external site visits.

AssessmentStudents are assessed using a range of methods, including coursework assignments, poster presentations, and seen and unseen examinations.