SJ5090 - Contemporary Television Studies (2021/22)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2021/22 | ||||||||||
| Module title | Contemporary Television Studies | ||||||||||
| Module level | Intermediate (05) | ||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||
| School | School of Computing and Digital Media | ||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||
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| Assessment components |
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| Running in 2021/22(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
This module provides a thorough overview of institutions, economics, technologies, texts, audiences and production practices, relating to television broadcasting and its contemporary online successors.
The aims of this module are to:
1. Introduce students to a range of a range of debates about the role of television in everyday life.
2. Encourage students to deploy critical methods of analysis from previous modules to television and develop these skills through examination of specific case studies.
Syllabus
The module examines television, considering its importance as a cultural and technological form in relation to everyday life in specific national contexts. (LO3, LO5)
It provides an historical account of British and American television, the industries, institutions, texts, audiences and their study. (LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5)
It provides a general introduction to the histories and key theories of understanding broadcast media, before focusing on specific issues in television, such as its audiences, genres, gender, technological change, and public service broadcasting. (LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5)
The module examines the impact of convergence between television and computing technologies for the production, distribution, form, content and audience for television programming. (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5)
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
This module is delivered through a combination of modes of delivery, including formal lectures, seminars, film and television screenings, and individual tutorials. The mixed-mode module delivery is used to encourage a supportive environment for individual and peer-group learning.
A blended learning strategy is employed to enhance the learning experience, facilitate communication between students and tutors and develop collaboration among students. The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is used as a platform to support online activities including on-line discussions, evaluation of online resources, and access to electronic reading packs. The VLE is also used to facilitate formative assessment and related feedback, as well as a tool to integrate useful online learning materials provided by research institutions, academic publications, professional organisations and other relevant sources.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be equipped to
1. Explain and apply a number of different theoretical approaches to the understanding of television.
2. Explain the changing historical and institutional forms of television in the UK.
3. Summarise the place and purpose of television in everyday life, together with its economic, political and cultural importance.
4. Undertake research across academic and industry sources about TV practices and their relationship to the texts and/or audiences of television.
5. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.
Assessment strategy
This is an intermediate level module with an appropriate assessment strategy.
CWK 1: 3,000 word essay on television as institution, technology and cultural form. This tests the student’s ability to critically analyse the relevant secondary literature and to evaluate the changing historical and institutional forms of television, and assesses the student’s ability to undertake research across academic and industry sources and to analyse the purpose of television in everyday life and its political and cultural importance. [LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4]