This module introduces you to the exploration of how media organisations and the texts that they produce entertain, persuade and communicate with us. Through key concepts in Media and Communication you will examine the relationship between media and society, and the role it has in shaping and reflecting society. You will examine a range of media from entertainment to advertising and develop critical and creative skills relevant to the study of, and working in, the media industries.

This module examines how media shapes cultural identities across gender, race, class, sexuality, age, ethnicity and ability. Through advertising, film, television and social media, you’ll explore who is represented, how, and by whom, while considering how new media challenge dominant portrayals. You will gain skills in analysis, communication, and critical engagement with debates on identity and representation.

This module gives you the opportunity to learn practical media making skills, as well as approaches to innovation and exploration, relevant to working in the creative industries. You’ll learn about contexts and theories of meaning production through gaining an understanding of graphic design, typography and visual communication, whilst also developing technical software skills to apply this understanding by responding creatively to a brief.

Over the last couple of decades, the media industries in Britain and beyond have been transformed by the growth of online distribution. This module examines how the rise of online delivery has provided both challenges and opportunities for the business models used in various media sectors, including the press, television, radio, music, video games and social media. It also considers how the rise of online media has prompted political debate over a host of controversial issues, ranging from the regulation of social media platforms to the future funding of the BBC. On this module you will learn how to critically analyse the commercial strategies of media organisations and develop an understanding of key concepts, such as media freedom and media globalisation.

Audience research and media psychology are cornerstones of media and communication research. This module critically considers the relationship between audience research and competing psychological models of audiences. Using research informed teaching, the module examines a diverse range of contemporary audiences and poses important questions concerning the status of economic, digital, user generated content (podcasting, TikTok, agentive AI content), and the interrelationship with alleged psychological effects/uses. You’ll also learn about the cultural ramifications and consequences of digital media consumption and communication across a range of multiplatform audience demographics such as race, gender, ethnicity, social class, geography, and subcultures/fandoms.

This module explores the changing patterns of communication brought by digital media, such as, social media, videogames and AI, examining the creative and commercial dimensions of contemporary digital cultures. You will examine social media and influencer cultures and new patterns of content and consumption and the social and economic significance of the videogame industry. This module focuses on the creative and persuasive patterns in the media spaces of entertainment, community and commerce. The module also explores the cultural relevance of Artificial Intelligence in relation to media and communications. This includes investigating what AI is, how it is utilised in a number of areas and what this might mean culturally, ethically and politically.

In this module you’ll learn about Public Relations and Strategic Communication as essential media and management functions, which enable organisations to connect with stakeholders. You’ll study fundamental PR, Media and Management theories, including reputation management, issues handling, stakeholder identification, message creation and campaign organisation while learning about ethical standards and the social effects of strategic communication in multicultural environments. You’ll also learn about digital content creation for social media platforms and online channels while analysing (data) markets and audience metrics through analytics tools to predict and create campaigns. You’ll also gain experience using industry-based AI tools for media tracking, trend detection, content generation and audience understanding whilst evaluating them for transparency, bias and professional standards. You’ll develop strategic communication campaigns through client-style briefs, case studies and simulation activities requiring you to research and design campaigns that support organisational targets.

This module gives you the opportunity to develop a digital communication project utilising and building on skills developed in the previous module, Creative Industries Practice 1. This module offers you the use of a range of media types, and methods of communication, for developing a digital communication project in response to a brief. This includes researching the topic related to the brief, developing creative project ideas, writing and presenting a project pitch as well as planning and executing project delivery by applying appropriate media skills.

Women Writers and Screen Fictions

This module explores women’s contributions to British television drama and sitcom from the 1960s to today. You’ll examine how gender, class, sexuality, race and age are represented, and how women’s creative roles have shifted across cultural and industrial change. Case studies and discussion will develop your skills in critical analysis, communication, and understanding of key debates.

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Media Discourse: Global Power

This module starts from the thesis that power in the social order is exercised at a number of levels, from the individual ability to express opinions through speech, to the structural power of State, Corporate, and Transnational systems. The use of power to achieve collective goals is everywhere in evidence, from the classroom to national parliaments. It can be exercised openly or in secret, but the central issue in analysing its effects is to ask who benefits from its application. You will study the global hierarchies of power as they appear in a number of mediated fields, encompassing case studies that highlight public and private authority, together with material on the irrepressible appearance of global protest movements.

Global Advertising Practices and Strategic Management

In this module you’ll study brand campaign planning, execution and assessment across worldwide markets. You’ll analyse sophisticated brand strategy elements, consumer culture dynamics, cross-cultural communication methods, and integrated marketing communications (IMC) to understand how global and local market forces influence message development, media selection and stakeholder interactions. You’ll also investigate worldwide advertising rules, moral guidelines and environmental stewardship methods while analysing how advertisements display personal identities, social power structures and cultural variations. You’ll acquire expert abilities to create and control advertising campaigns through digital platforms, which include social media platforms, search engines, programmatic advertising and influencer marketing networks. You’ll also learn to understand performance metrics through analytics tools enabling you to make real-time campaign optimizations for better engagement, conversion rates and return on investment (ROI). Additionally, you’ll learn to use AI tools for audience segmentation, trend forecasting and creative ideation. You’ll create and defend complete global communication and advertising plans through live industry briefs which follow organisational and brand target goals.

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Paranormal Media

In this module you will apply a range of existing, key debates and methodologies within media and communication to the growing, popular genre of Paranormal Media (E.g. TV shows, magazines & social media dedicated to the uncanny and paranormal).  You will critically examine a competing range of histories of production, policy, content and develop discussion/scholarship skills regarding key established theoretical debates around rational scepticism versus irrationality/ambiguity, and internet discourse/artificial intelligence representations of the paranormal. 

Writing for Screens

This module will equip you with critical and practical skills to craft compelling narratives for diverse screen-based media in a rapidly evolving global landscape. Analysing interactive and multimodal forms (e.g. games, vertical and horizontal fictions), you will learn narrative strategies while engaging complex theories of storytelling, sustainability, cultural diversity, equality, and social justice. Through workshops, pitching and extended projects, the module fosters independent authorship, collaboration, and professional industry competencies. Emphasising adaptability, originality and transmedia innovation, you’ll learn audience engagement techniques, interactive narrative design, and responses to technological change. You’ll emerge with a distinctive voice, an industry-ready portfolio, and essential skills in narrative design and creative problem-solving for film, television, gaming, and emerging digital platforms.

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Sport and the Media in the Age of Streaming

Sport is big business. Television and streaming services pay astronomical fees to acquire the rights to cover events, like the English Premier League, the NFL and Indian Premier League cricket. However, sport is also more than just business. The popularity of sport means that it is often at the forefront of contemporary debates about national identity, race and gender. This module provides the opportunity to examine both the economic and social-cultural relationship between the media and sport. Topics covered include: the buying and selling of sports rights; sports sponsorship; online sports piracy; media, sport and racism; the rise of women’s sport; and sports fans in the digital age. By examining the links between the media and sport in various countries, you’ll develop key research and analytical skills.

This module enables you to consolidate your skills and knowledge development through a significant piece of independent work. It places emphasis on the application of research methods and learning developed throughout your studies, enabling you to independently further your own knowledge and practice.

You will select either a written or creative industries practice-based project in a topic of your choosing, with one-to-one support from an allocated tutor. The project will examine in depth, and using appropriate methodologies, a specific area of study relevant to Media and Communications (theory or practice).