BA (Hons) Media (as a Joint Honours Programme)

Summary 2012/13

• Combine media with another subject and enhance your academic experience;
• Academic staff are active researchers and bring a range of industry experience;
• Gain an insight into a variety of media that will support your future career aspirations.

The rapidly changing nature of the media, the impact of new technologies and a focus on contemporary thinking and practices are reflected in the modules of our degrees. Our joint honours media programmes combine a thorough grounding in media theory with another subject specialism of your own choice. You will gain theoretical knowledge and understanding of the media and acquire a set of transferable and versatile skills such as teamwork and creative thinking.

2012 Entry Requirements

280 UCAS tariff points overall.

BA (Hons) Drama and Media: Performing Arts or a related subject at grade C at A level or equivalent preferred. The selection process normally includes an audition.

BA (Hons) English and Media: Preferably to Include A level English.

Details

Who is this course for?

Anyone who wants a broad-based, industry relevant media studies education with the option to study a complementary subject in a joint honours programme.

What will I gain from this programme?

This programme provides you with a theoretical knowledge and understanding of the media. It also gives you a number of generic transferable skills such as teamwork and creative thinking as well as allowing you to develop the knowledge and skills important to media practitioners.

What will I study?

In Year 1 you will explore the relationship between media, culture and society which will put your studies into a wider context and give you plenty of opportunity to bring your own personal experience to discussions. You will also get an introduction to visual cultures which encourages you to explore and critically examine a range of contemporary visual media.

These ideas are developed in Year 2 through a detailed study of narrative and genre. You will look at the relationship between producers and audiences, and examine the impact of new and emerging media technologies on audience creation and evolution. You can then choose between a range of options which will further your knowledge in fictional and factual content, television, animation and film or music. During Year 3 you will study contemporary media policy and political communication, and explore future developments of media. You can then also choose between focusing on identities and creative citizenship, (post)feminist media cultures, developments in film and television and media futures.

How will I study?

Teaching on the course will include lectures, tutorials, seminars, demonstrations, individual supervision, directed reading/study and student-directed study. There is an emphasis on the acquisition of individual transferable skills and the combined skills of joint honours degrees.

Who will be teaching me?

You will be taught by an experienced team with a wide range of interests reflecting all areas of media theory. Team members are active in the research of contemporary developments in the media and offer experience of working in industry.

How will I be assessed?

In the first year you will be assessed to ensure you have reached a standard to allow you to continue on an honours degree. Assessment in Years 2 and 3 contributes to the final honours degree award. Modules are assessed by coursework, either at the end of the module or distributed throughout the course. Coursework includes essays, case studies, individual and group presentations, practical projects and dissertation.

What are my career prospects?

Typical career paths include broadcasting, the press and new media, advertising, marketing and public relations, community and youth work, librarianship, and political and/or academic research.

A Great Study Environment

Based in 160 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the Ormskirk Campus is a unique and inspirational place to study. Industry standard resources and cutting edge technology combine to make an interactive and highly advanced teaching and learning environment. Everything you could want is on one site with 25 acres of sport and leisure facilities, more than 1,000 rooms in halls of residence and fantastic modern spaces in which you can study and socialise.

The University library gives you access to thousands of books, journals, online resources and extensive PC and media provision. You'll get all the support you need to succeed, reflected in Edge Hill University being ranked in the top two in England for students' personal development, and the top three in the country for assessment and feedback, in the 2011 National Student Survey. The University is also featured in the top four in England for graduate employment.

The Media Department runs its own annual film festival, Tinnes, each year and publishes 'The Deal', a weekly entertainment guide produced by Media students. Edge Hill also has its own student film review magazine, Iris, waiting for your contributions.

How do I apply?

Apply online through UCAS at www.ucas.ac.uk.

See our How to Apply pages for more information on the application process and our Admissions criteria.

Fees and Finance

For academic year 2012/13, Edge Hill University will charge £9,000 for full-time BA, BSc and LLB degrees. Eligible students will not have to pay upfront for their tuition. The cost of tuition will be paid by a loan which you will only start to repay once you have finished the course and are earning over £21,000.

Eligible full-time students can also apply for a maintenance grant, subject to household income, and a non-means-tested loan to help with living costs.

Edge Hill University offers a range of scholarships for prospective full-time students. These include £2,000 Entrance Scholarships rewarding determination, commitment and achievement in creative arts, performing arts, sport and volunteering. Eligible entrants with outstanding grades are recognised through the £1,000 High Achievers Scholarship.

The University will also be offering awards, worth £3,000 in cash benefits and fee/accommodation waivers for academic year 2012/13, to eligible prospective full-time students through the National Scholarship Programme.

For more information on scholarships, including eligibility criteria for each award, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/scholarships.

To find out more about fees, grants and loans for academic year 2012/13, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/undergradfees2012.

Please note, the above information is for UK and eligible EU students only. International students should check the fees and finance information at www.edgehill.ac.uk/internationalfees2012.

Not got the entry requirements?

Students returning to education may present their previous experience in work (paid or unpaid) to support their application.

Students with relevant study through either a professional body or appropriate academic course can apply to join the programme at an advanced stage.

For personalised advice based on your circumstances, please contact us or come to an event.

Where can I find out more?

If you would like to receive a copy of our prospectus or be kept updated about forthcoming events, contact the Course Information, Advice and Guidance Team by emailing study@edgehill.ac.uk or calling 01695 657000.

If you want to attend one of our open events held throughout the year, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/opendays to book your place.

You will also find Edge Hill University staff at many national careers fairs and UCAS events.

Still want more?

If you have any questions you would like to ask the programme leader about this course, please contact:

• Carole Poole, Media Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP
• Tel: 01695 584064
• Email: poolec@edgehill.ac.uk

Overseas students should visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/international or email international@edgehill.ac.uk for further information.

Combinations

Joint

• BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Media (PW38)
• BA (Hons) Drama and Media (PW34)
• BA (Hons) English and Media (PQ33)
• BA (Hons) Film Studies and Media (WP69)

Modules

Year 1

MED1204 Understanding Visual Cultures introduces you to a variety of approaches to analysing a range of media. It engages with media histories, technologies, narrative, genre and aesthetics and will introduce you to a range of different media and how they relate to each other. On completion, you will be able to provide a detailed analysis of any media text and critically engage with some core approaches to media such as semiotics, structuralism, convergence theory, auteurism and visual persuasion.

MED1207 Media and Society studies the complexity of factors that shape the relationship between media, culture and society. You become aware of media representations of reality, identity constructions and the relationship between media producers and users. You will analyse media organisations, the way media content is produced, distributed and received by audiences, as well as its contribution to culture and social progress.

MUS1001 Music Genres and Sound Systems analyses the ways in which music is categorised and formally recognised. It will develop your knowledge of a variety of music styles and consider the social, cultural, economic and political influences that order our musical expectations. In addition, you will examine the technological developments that have influenced the sonic landscape of music and sound production.

Year 2

MED2214 Media Genres and Narrative Theory will investigate – through a variety of topical examples – how genres are formed and reworked and how narratives are constructed within the complex interrelations among texts, industries, audiences and historical contexts. It seeks to give you an opportunity to study a number of genres and their narrative construction in contemporary media. It will also enable you to do in-depth work on genre and narrative theories – from structuralist approaches to postmodern analyses – and apply them to the media texts studied on the module.

MED2215 Analysing Audiences is designed to allow you to engage with key media theories in relation to audiences, critically evaluate them in their historic context and design and develop their own approach.

You will also choose from the following optional modules:

MED2217 Fact to Fiction: Key Debates engages with key ideas regarding film and television in relation to the factual and fictional representation of the world. The module emphasises that fact and fiction are part of a scale of representations which include documentary formats, reality television, drama documentaries, dramatisations of factual content, and fiction films and television drama.

MED2227 Spectacles, Bodies and Other Pleasures: Concepts in Television, Animation and Film offers a range of approaches to the analysis of media. Focus here is on contemporary media theories, which will inevitably change as time progresses but currently revolve around issues of spectacle, the embodied experience of viewing film and television, notions of the uncanny valley and the spectacle of new technologies, convergence, aesthetics, the global, and viewing pleasures. The module is designed to reflect changes in direction of media theory, by emphasising new developments in media technologies and the effect this has on our thinking.

MUS2004 Music and Media will broaden your appreciation and knowledge of the ways in which popular music is mediated. It is important that you understand the organisational and cultural influences that affect the production, distribution and consumption of popular music. By studying the synergistic relationships between the music industry and media industries you will be able to demonstrate detailed knowledge of the business side of creative industries (such as the music industry) and better understand the organisational complexities in music and sound production.

Year 3

MED3058 Media Policy and Political Communication provides a critical excursion into the role of media within modern democratic politics. You will receive a good grounding in political theory, the role of power and counter-power at national, European and global levels, the communication strategies deployed by political actors, and the outcomes of the consultation and decision-making processes in the creative industries.

MED3208 Media Futures will allow you to study contemporary media practices, the impact of technology on creative industries, developments in global and local media, and changing paradigms of media production and audience consumption. You will be fully engaged with the contemporary, dominant themes which are present within media and culture industries.

You will also choose from the following optional modules:

MED3001 Music Ethnographies will allow you to study contemporary media practices, the impact of technology on creative industries, developments in global and local media, and changing paradigms of media production and audience consumption. The module will engage you with the dominant themes which are present within media and culture industries. It is designed to be flexible in order to accommodate contemporary developments.

MED3207 Global Convergence: Film and Television Drama in the 21st Century critically analyses some key developments in media in relation to film and television fictions. It will examine how convergence, new distribution technologies, multi-platform environments and aspects of global / glocalisation impact on film and television drama. You will have a chance to analyse the impact these environments have on the design and production of content and production, the planning of marketing strategies, the relevance of global and diasporic audiences, and the way serial forms communicate with their audiences.

MED3205 Identities and Creative Citizenship. How are identities formed? To what extent can we shape our identities? What is the relationship between public / national identity and private / personal identity? How do changes in social, cultural and political life affect contemporary constructions of identity and citizenship? What effect does cultural and media production have on conceptions of identity? These are some of the questions that you will have the opportunity to explore on this module.

MED3206 (Post)feminist Media Culture. Postfeminism is a concept fraught with contradictions. Loathed by some and celebrated by others, it has emerged in the late twentieth century in a number of media and cultural contexts. This module will introduce you to a range of postfeminist interpretations - from anti-feminist backlash to ‘raunch culture’ and cyber-postfeminism – and its filmic and televisual manifestations.