module specification

SM5093 - Social Media Strategies (2025/26)

Module specification Module approved to run in 2025/26
Module title Social Media Strategies
Module level Intermediate (05)
Credit rating for module 15
School School of Computing and Digital Media
Total study hours 150
 
30 hours Assessment Preparation / Delivery
75 hours Guided independent study
45 hours Scheduled learning & teaching activities
Assessment components
Type Weighting Qualifying mark Description
Individual Presentation 40%   An in-class presentation
Coursework 60%   Campaign Prototype Content Designed for a predefined client brief.
Running in 2025/26

(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change)
Period Campus Day Time Module Leader
Autumn semester North Thursday Morning

Module summary

There has never been a more exciting time to study social media strategies. Social media strategies now play out in every aspect of business, government and society today. This module offers a critical eye on social media strategies, identifying those that worked as intended and those that didn’t. Through looking at current examples of social media and social media strategies, you will learn what a strategy is and how best to deploy it for the agenda and goals of an organisation. Teaching methods include formal lectures, seminar discussion, student presentations and online material. Students will be expected to attend formal lecturers and take notes, read from primary and secondary source material and comment on their readings. They are expected to creatively engage with social media content creation as it embeds within an overall strategy of a particular industry.  This module aims to:
● Enable students to evaluate key approaches to understanding current social media and strategy.
● Encourage students to develop critical awareness of their everyday experience of social media.
● Establish links between theoretical, technological, social and ethical aspects of social media.

Syllabus

An indicative programme of study covers:
● Analysis and discussion of research, debates and techniques relating to social media strategies of organisations, industry, government and individuals
● Visualisation – communicating social media strategies ideas through visualisation, text and presentation.
● Critical theory and social media strategies.
● Social Media Strategies for maximising exposure.
● Branding and the role of social media in maintaining a brand
● Content and messaging for your Social Media Strategy
● Reputation Management
● Social Listening
● Crisis Management and Social Media Strategies
● Impact of prosumers and Trolls on Social Media Strategy
● Dark Social and social media
● Social Media Advertising and Dark posts
● Social Media and Fundraising
● Development of employability skills in the context of social media jobs

Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity

This module will be delivered through a combination of modes of delivery, including formal lectures, seminars, workshops, and individual coursework. The mixed-mode module delivery will be used to encourage a supportive environment for individual and peer-group learning. 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: Weblearn) will be used as a platform to support online activities including evaluation of online resources, access to materials and electronic reading packs. The VLE will also be used to facilitate 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

The learning outcomes for this module include:
- apply social media terminology to an assessed client brief (LO1)
- to creatively engage with social media content creation with the appropriate software as it embeds within an overall strategy of a particular industry. (LO2)
- describe a social media plan tied to a particular industry as part of an assessed client brief. (LO3)
- construct and critically assess a social media campaign for a particular industry (LO4)
- analyse the most appropriate social media platforms according to a particular industry for the dissemination of a social media strategy.(LO5)

Bibliography