module specification

The module explores the cultural and ideological connections between media and global migration in the context of national transformations. It examines transnational migration, diasporas, and migrant cultures through a media and communications lens, looking at their intersections with media technologies in diverse national contexts. A variety of media outputs such as music, documentary film and news reporting provide a platform to emphasise the crucial role of media in shaping, reflecting and challenging discourses related to identity formation and representations of migrants and diasporic journeys.

Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives from across theoretical frameworks including postcolonialism, subalternity, transnationalism, media studies and post-migration theory, the module engages with contemporary themes like racialisation, intersectionality, human mobility, national borders, ethno-nationalisms vis-à-vis media representations, migration narratives and cultural citizenship.

This module aims to:
• Provide a range of critical and theoretical perspectives to discuss, analyse and critique media narratives and representations.
• Encourage students to engage in textual and critical analyses exploring how media reflects and shapes socio-cultural perceptions of transnational mobility and nationhood.
• Provide a supportive environment to enable students to develop critical insights into how media contributes to an understanding of migration and diasporic cultures and their interplay with the concept of nation.

Migration, identity and national borders
• The migrant category: identification, oppression, and the use of race-ethnic classifications
• Key reflections on migration and cultural manifestations
• Configuring the national and transnational through migration and the media
• Audio-visual narratives of ‘Homeland’ and belonging: place, space, and identity
• Spectacles of national identity, race and citizenship(s) across borders

Migrant journeys and transnational connectivity
• Roots and routes: Mobility and identity boundaries
• Diasporas in the digital age: Social media and migrant networks
• Border-crossing subjects and media practices
• (De)territorialisation / Reterritorialisation: cultural, political and social symbolism
• Communication technologies in (dis)connecting migrants and refugees

Teaching methods include formal lectures, seminar discussion, screenings, library sessions and tutorials.  Students are expected to attend lectures and seminars: in the seminars they will at times work in small groups and be given practice in listening to each other’s contributions and offering constructive criticism, and in chairing and reporting discussion to the plenary seminar group. The teaching and learning strategy aims to encourage an inclusive and supportive learning environment that respects and values the contributions of individual students, and provides opportunities for individual intellectual development through a variety of learning opportunities.

The module booklet will be available online, as will lecture outlines and some readings. Weblearn or its equivalent will also be used for communication with students individually and as a cohort. In addition to guided reading, students are expected to read and to use variety of sources (primary and secondary) and use seminars and tutorials to raise issues, questions and seek feedback.

A blended learning strategy will be employed to enhance the learning experience, facilitate communication between students and tutors and develop collaboration among students. The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will be used as a platform to support online activities including on-line discussions, evaluation of online resources, and access to electronic reading packs. The VLE will also be 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.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and a critical understanding of migration in its intersection with media and communication;
2. Comprehend the ways migration and nationalisms have been expressed across various disciplines and in the media;
3. Critically analyse migrant narratives and media representations of key moments in recent global migration;
4. Effectively articulate informed ideas and arguments in practical and written coursework
5. Demonstrate the application of theories and concepts in the evaluation of media responses to nation and migration.

Reading list:

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/D1E02094-7F01-D9EE-9436-E6313636B547.html?lang=en