Australia's Media: Sociological Perspectives - SOCA1005
 
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
 
 
School:  School of Social Sciences and International Studies
 
 
Course Outline: http://sociology.arts.unsw.edu.au/
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 6
 
 
EFTSL: 0.125 (more info)
 
 
Contact Hours per Week: 3
 
 
Excluded: GENT0803, MEFT2201, FILM2002
 
 
Fee Band: 1 (more info)
 
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 

Description


Introduces students to theoretically informed examination and analysis of the mass media based upon sociological intellectual traditions which address the mediation of social relations, the social construction of everyday life and the formation of socially constructed and culturally inflected personal and collective identities. Explorations of newspapers, television, film and electronic communciations set in the context of patterns of ownership and control produce new understandings of culture, ideology and social processes.

Learning Outcomes


On completion of this course, students should:
  • Be able to explore and examine sociologically the role of the mass media, and how representations of the world in advertisements, television, films, photographs and newspapers impact upon Australian society
  • Be confident in the application of sociological theories and conceptual frameworks to issues, media examples and key critical terms used in studies of the mass media
  • Gain some understanding of how semiotic analyses can facilitate exploration of how language and images of reality are constructed in and by the mass media
  • Be aware of the diversity of theoretical approaches to studies of the mass media.

Assessment


  • Media text analysis (750 words) - 20%
  • Tutorial presentation - 20%
  • Final essay (2000 words) - 50%
  • Tutorial participation - 10%