Module Information

Module Identifier
FM22620
Module Title
Media, Politics and Power
Academic Year
2022/2023
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Essay  2500 Words  50%
Semester Exam Essay  2500 Words  50%
Supplementary Assessment Essay  2500 Words  50%
Supplementary Assessment Essay  2500 Words  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1.Demonstrate an understanding of, and engagement with, some of the key theoretical approaches to political communication;

2. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the history of the relationship between media and the political sphere;

3. Write an essay which is informed by, and grounded in, some of the key scholarly work in the field;

4. Apply theoretical concepts to case study examples of political communication.

Brief description

This module explores the relationship between politics and the media, predominantly in the UK, but with reference to other nations and global trends. It considers a number of theoretical approaches to thinking about political communication and considers the mediated communication processes that take place between the political ‘actors’ and citizens. It also considers the role played by the media in war and in specific political events (which are studied in detail as case studies) before closing with a consideration of where real power lies.

Content

Lectures and seminars will cover the following:

What is political communication?: theoretical approaches

A history of political communication

Media ownership and control

The Media and the State

The impact of technology on political communication

The Media and War

Case Study 1: The Scottish Independence Referendum 2014

Case Study 2: Brexit, Trump and Cambridge Analytica

Case Study 3: UK General Elections 2017 and 2019

Where does real power lie?

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication
Improving own Learning and Performance Developed through a critical engagement with the mediatized political processes being studied.
Information Technology This will be developed through the use of electronic information sources used for research purposes in relation to the written assignment.
Personal Development and Career planning There will be a requirement for students to reflect on their own learning through the formative feedback. Given the nature of the module, this module will develop a sense of the real work and will allow them to engage with the real world through the assessment methods.
Problem solving This will be developed within seminar discussions and will be assessed through the essay and examination
Research skills Developed through reading and in seminar discussions and assessed in both the written assignment and examination
Subject Specific Skills The module will develop and assess skills related to political communication and will enhance students’ critical skills in relation to the way political ‘actors’ and the media interact on a local and global scale.
Team work There is no group work involved in this module and this skill is not developed beyond participation in seminar discussions.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5