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Understanding media and communication – from creator to consumer.

This BA (Hons) Media and Communication degree takes you through the intricacies, history, and future of the media and communications that we create and receive every day.

With a broad range of modules, the course combines theory and practice to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed for employment in an extensive variety of industries. Examples include the creative and cultural industries, marketing, journalism, management, public relations, press offices, and more.

Carefully curated by Northumbria’s leading media practitioners, theoreticians and historians, the BA (Hons) Media and Communication unpacks all the elements of media and communication – how it’s made and how it’s received. Every module draws on active research which is expertly brought to life in your lectures and seminars.

This degree is dynamic, interdisciplinary, and addresses real world challenges, which you can tailor to ensure you will have the best possible foundation for future study and continued success.

 

Your Learning Experience

This course is delivered through a mix of classroom and studio-based learning, with engagement with the cultural centres in the region available to further enhance your learning.

Your modules will be taught through lectures, seminars, practical sessions, workshops, and fieldtrips. Meanwhile, you’ll be assessed using a range of methods including practice-based submissions, essays, and presentations.

In your third year, you can extend your studies, either taking an additional placement year or even taking a year to study abroad in the likes of mainland Europe or North America.

In your final year, you will embark on a Dissertation or Practical Media Research Project which is an opportunity to focus on what interests you most while developing your portfolio and academic skills.

 

 

How does this course enhance my employability?

From the very start of your studies, you are supported as you begin to develop transferable skills, such as critical thinking, communication, team working, and confidence.

As your studies progress, you’ll then hone these skills to more industry-specific proficiencies. On the course, you’ll learn how to use industry-standard video/sound editing software, identify the key elements of media writing, and understand the planning and production required in research, design, storytelling, presentation, content production, and the application of theory.

An invaluable opportunity for first-hand employability skills is the chance to embark on an industry placement during your third year. Here you will be immersed in the industry, getting to grips with exactly how your knowledge can be applied, and gaining confidence, professionalism, and skills which will stay with you for life.

Many modules have been specifically designed to enhance your employability and encourage you to consider how your interests align with potential future career routes after graduation. As well as this, in the final year module, ‘Employability Portfolio’, you will generate a digital portfolio that you can take to interviews after graduation, and a ‘location’ statement explaining how your portfolio illustrates the knowledge and skills you can offer employers.

 

 

Why choose Northumbria to study Media and Communication?

Student Rated - Communication & Media Studies at Northumbria is ranked 9th in the UK for overall Student Experience (Times Good University Guide, 2024). 100% of students studying Media Studies at Northumbria felt free to express their ideas, opinions, and beliefs (NSS, 2023).

Taking on Tomorrow – This course is contemporary, future-facing, and critically rigorous, preparing you to make positive impact in the world.

Research Powerhouse –Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014. 


See other similar courses you may be interested in: BA Film or BA Theatre and Performance

Understanding media and communication – from creator to consumer.

This BA (Hons) Media and Communication degree takes you through the intricacies, history, and future of the media and communications that we create and receive every day.

With a broad range of modules, the course combines theory and practice to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed for employment in an extensive variety of industries. Examples include the creative and cultural industries, marketing, journalism, management, public relations, press offices, and more.

Carefully curated by Northumbria’s leading media practitioners, theoreticians and historians, the BA (Hons) Media and Communication unpacks all the elements of media and communication – how it’s made and how it’s received. Every module draws on active research which is expertly brought to life in your lectures and seminars.

This degree is dynamic, interdisciplinary, and addresses real world challenges, which you can tailor to ensure you will have the best possible foundation for future study and continued success.

 

Your Learning Experience

This course is delivered through a mix of classroom and studio-based learning, with engagement with the cultural centres in the region available to further enhance your learning.

Your modules will be taught through lectures, seminars, practical sessions, workshops, and fieldtrips. Meanwhile, you’ll be assessed using a range of methods including practice-based submissions, essays, and presentations.

In your third year, you can extend your studies, either taking an additional placement year or even taking a year to study abroad in the likes of mainland Europe or North America.

In your final year, you will embark on a Dissertation or Practical Media Research Project which is an opportunity to focus on what interests you most while developing your portfolio and academic skills.

 

 

How does this course enhance my employability?

From the very start of your studies, you are supported as you begin to develop transferable skills, such as critical thinking, communication, team working, and confidence.

As your studies progress, you’ll then hone these skills to more industry-specific proficiencies. On the course, you’ll learn how to use industry-standard video/sound editing software, identify the key elements of media writing, and understand the planning and production required in research, design, storytelling, presentation, content production, and the application of theory.

An invaluable opportunity for first-hand employability skills is the chance to embark on an industry placement during your third year. Here you will be immersed in the industry, getting to grips with exactly how your knowledge can be applied, and gaining confidence, professionalism, and skills which will stay with you for life.

Many modules have been specifically designed to enhance your employability and encourage you to consider how your interests align with potential future career routes after graduation. As well as this, in the final year module, ‘Employability Portfolio’, you will generate a digital portfolio that you can take to interviews after graduation, and a ‘location’ statement explaining how your portfolio illustrates the knowledge and skills you can offer employers.

 

 

Why choose Northumbria to study Media and Communication?

Student Rated - Communication & Media Studies at Northumbria is ranked 9th in the UK for overall Student Experience (Times Good University Guide, 2024). 100% of students studying Media Studies at Northumbria felt free to express their ideas, opinions, and beliefs (NSS, 2023).

Taking on Tomorrow – This course is contemporary, future-facing, and critically rigorous, preparing you to make positive impact in the world.

Research Powerhouse –Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014. 


See other similar courses you may be interested in: BA Film or BA Theatre and Performance

Course Information

UCAS Code
P305

Level of Study
Undergraduate

Mode of Study
3 years full-time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad

Department
Arts

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2024 or September 2025

Fee Information

Module Information

Delve Deeper / Discover more about life at Northumbria

Entry Requirements 2024/25

Standard Entry

112 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

There are no specific subject requirements for this course.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

There are no additional requirements for this course.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

112 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

There are no specific subject requirements for this course.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

There are no additional requirements for this course.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2024/25 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1: £9,250

* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.


EU Fee in Year 1: £18,250

International Fee in Year 1: £18,250


Please see the main Funding Pages for 24/25 scholarship information.

 


ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1*: TBC

* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.



EU Fee in Year 1: **TBC


International Fee in Year 1: TBC

ADDITIONAL COSTS

TBC

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

MP4023 -

Media, Communication and History (Core,20 Credits)

This module sketches the evolution of the modern media from its early origins through to the development of modern ‘mass’ media communications, and considers the significance each innovation has for its contemporaneous society. Topics for coverage might include pre-renaissance methods of communication and the importance of inscriptions to public communication; the nature and function of early manuscripts and the significance of these to society; the practice and social consequences of, for example, printing in the fifteenth century, and the print news media in the nineteenth; radio, cinema, television and advertising in the twentieth century; the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and video games.

More information

MP4026 -

Analysing Media and Film (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to analysing media texts critically, in order to provide them with an understanding of some of the key ways in which media texts are constructed and how they communicate information and express ideas. Through learning about a variety of critical approaches to media analysis, students will develop analytical techniques that will deepen their critical skills and understanding of their own creative practice. Topics covered will include, for example, image composition, signs and symbols, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, and narrative, as well as an exploration of terms such as intertextuality, genre and authorship. The module will look at a variety of examples that range across different types of media, including film, television, advertising and so forth, and students will develop a range of skills in order to critically analyse media texts in relation to institutional, technological, aesthetic and cultural contexts.

More information

MP4028 -

Approaches to Media, Culture and Communication (Core,20 Credits)

This module examines the relationship between media, communication and culture (broadly defined). Each week you will explore a different cultural issue or debate and assess its significance to the contemporary mediascape. Issues that may be addressed include feminism, gender, class, race – all which will be explored alongside examples from screen media and their associated industries. Approaches to Media, Communication and Culture will introduce you to how to analyse media objects in relation to significant cultural concerns and developments at undergraduate level. Throughout the module you will explore key issues in the study of media and communication alongside influential concepts and social movements. Together, we will explore what knowledge is required to contextualise and analyse “media objects”, how one selects and integrates theory into analysis, what primary and secondary sources are considered “legitimate” in academic analysis, and how these decisions are made

More information

MP4029 -

Consuming Media (Core,20 Credits)

In this module we will challenge taken-for-granted ideas about media consumption, examining our own and other people’s engagements with different media, exploring how we make sense of, for example, advertising, how we create meaning and identities from the products we purchase, use or discard, and how power might be implicated in those choices. Engaging with research and experiences of a wide range of communication technologies from the shopping centre through to the TikTok platform we will explore how media, consumption and everyday life are entangled; we will examine cultural artifacts, such as music, films, books, art, and other forms of media, in order to experience and understand the culture(s) they represent. Through media we can explore and experience culture (our own and others), we also interpret the media or culture we consume. What kinds of evaluation do we make and on what basis? According to class, gender, race, nationality, heritage? How do we then integrate our media or cultural experiences into our personal lives, how are our beliefs, attitudes and behaviour affected by our choices? What kinds of reinterpretations and recreations might we engage in - what creative expressions might we employ: through shopping, technologies, remixing music, creating fan fiction, creating art, videos, snapchats etc?

Your understanding of different cultures of consumption and exploration of social and economic power will be developed through the study of key theorists, themes and case studies. You will consider real-world contemporary examples alongside your own experiences with media and cultural forms, to explore how recent social change from a 'production' to a 'consumption' society has implications for social relations and your own reflexive identity.

Study visits to, for example, a cinema, shopping centre, theatre and museums will enable evaluation and application of theoretical approaches through critical reflection on your own experiences and the presentation of those experiences according to academic conventions. The module also aims to develop your ability to work with theoretical concepts of consumption, communication, applicable to journalists, digital marketers, social media influencers, and beyond

More information

MP4030 -

Digital Media - Audio and Video (Core,20 Credits)

In this module you are introduced to core practical skills and issues in digital media production. You will learn to employ a critical understanding of audio and video storytelling through an informed editorial, analytical and creative approach to professional practice. You will be expected to exercise the appropriate degree of planning, initiative and autonomy in your professional practice. The assessment consists of a 2mins 30 secs documentary-style film about a topic of your choosing. You will be taught basic skills and be given guidance on how to write, research, plan, shoot, and edit. The film will tell an interesting and individual story about your subject, using narrative and character to engage the viewer. This will be supplemented by a reflective commentary.

More information

MP4031 -

Digital Media - Writing (Core,20 Credits)

The purpose of the module is to learn the basics of how to identify stories, source information, interview and write for a range of digital media. As such, building on skills learnt in Semester 1, the importance of social media—where brevity is essential—will be emphasised, and you will develop a sense of the best means to narrativize a story in the contemporary mediasphere. You will also be taught how to write clearly and concisely, which is the heart of any good written communication. You will be taught how to identify and write for your intended audience (rather than for yourself), and how to avoid the use of meaningless jargon and generic content. These skills are fundamental for any career in media and communications, including public relations, journalism, advertising, social media management, and so forth. Thus, the module will also provide a bedrock for your future employability by helping you to understand how to communicate in a professional manner.

More information

YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

AD5003 -

Arts Study Abroad (60 credit) (Optional,60 Credits)

The Study Abroad module is a semester based 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which facilitate study abroad within the programme. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be constructed to meet the learning outcomes for the programme for the semester in question, dependent on suitable modules from the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.

Learning outcomes on the year-long modules on which the student is unable to attend the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.

More information

MP5032 -

The Creative Industries (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the creative industries in the UK and consider them in an international context. As a part of this module, you will examine the contemporary creative industries in light of contemporary practices, trends, developments, and trajectories. The module takes a distinctive pedagogic approach in that the core of the module consists of team-taught and research-led ‘symposiums’ that address a specific debate, development or controversy within the cultural industries and enable you to acquire a critical, multi-perspective, and evaluative grounding in the issues shaping such industries. Complementing and reinforcing the Media staff-led symposiums will be a series of lectures provided by industry guest speakers (from the creative industries) that will provide practical and state-of-the-art insights into key issues underpinning creative industries’ operations and developments. You will acquire the skills, knowledge, and foresight that employers and investors are seeking.

More information

MP5033 -

Media and Society Special Topic (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will critically examine a specific cultural institution with a pronounced media presence and its social significance. The institution under scrutiny can vary from year-to-year. The module might address, for example, one of the Creative and Cultural Industries (such as film, news, advertising, sport), and said industry’s engagement with prominent social issues including, for example, issues pertaining to identity, war and other crises, policy decisions and their social impact. You will be required to read and reflect on specific theoretical and empirical academic work by leading scholars and commentators and, using your analytical and interpretive skills, relate this work to the issues raised in class and by any accompanying activities, such as, for example screenings and (where appropriate) demonstrations. The module is assessed by a 3000-word essay which is designed to test your knowledge of the cultural institution and its role in society, to evidence a sophisticated understanding of the issues under scrutiny, and your ability to work to a deadline.

More information

MP5034 -

Media, Ethics and Current Affairs (Core,20 Credits)

This module considers the legal and ethical expectations and obligations of digital communicators in the modern environment. Examples from news, media and popular culture will be drawn upon in order to a) illustrate the continuing relevance of moral concerns, b) demonstrate the ubiquity of moral concerns in contemporary culture and c) illustrate how journalists operate legally and ethically across a range of media. The module aims to evince the ways in which moral theory can deepen our understanding of contentious issues that impact on our lives and rights as citizens. The module also aims to develop your ability to work with theoretical concepts and the practicalities of legal and ethical digital communication, applicable to journalists, digital marketers, social media influencers, and beyond.

More information

MP5035 -

Media, Power and Identity (Optional,20 Credits)

The module explores the interrelationship between the media, power and identity. Students will be introduced to key academic writing from the fields of media and cultural studies on the link between the media, power and identity, and will then apply these concepts and approaches to a series of case studies analysed in class. The case studies stem from different media types (ranging from filmic examples, contemporary social media, streaming television and other media industries), as well as different historical and cultural contexts. The examples are deliberately chosen to resonate explicitly with the lives of young people, and to enable them to analyse and reflect on how identity categories such as social class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and nationality are presented in the media. Moving from the contemporary to the historical gives the opportunity to reflect on the current historical moment and how this is linked to longer trajectories in the development of media cultures, as well as to the social inequities and unequal distributions of power still marking the present.

More information

MP5036 -

Researching Audiences (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to several key aspects of media audience studies. Firstly, you will be introduced to the main recent traditions for studying media audiences, including the European cultural studies approach, the American mass communications approach, the reception studies tradition, and the interdisciplinary field of fan studies. These traditions all focus on the contexts that shape how audiences engage with and respond to different media and cultural products.
Additionally, you will gain experience in reading and evaluating original audience and reception research. This will involve reading actual empirical work in depth to understand the research process and to differentiate between strong and weak research.
Finally, the module will provide you with a unique opportunity to conduct your own small-scale audience research. Working in a small group, you will design, conduct, and compare different methods for understanding audience responses. This experience will help you to understand the challenges and processes involved in audience research.

More information

MP5037 -

Reviews and Features (Core,20 Credits)

Reviews and Features aims to further your understanding of the the media industry and its place in society. The module will encourage independent learning and production of original work. You will develop a variety of research skills for example, but not limited to, synthesising academic research for a generalist and/or specialist audience, primary researching using digital archives and interview techniques. You will also learn to analyse and critique contemporary writing styles in order to develop your writing across a long-form features. You will be able to gather and write feature articles in addition to shorter reviews akin to those found in contemporary media outlets.

More information

MP5038 -

Media Communication Planning (Core,20 Credits)

In this module you will be introduced to the theory and practice of media communication strategy and planning. You will be instructed in the workings of modern communications including public relations, advertising, media, and digital communications and the interaction of these. You will undertake applied research and analysis to deliver your own original media communication campaign including content creation following instruction and feedback given during workshops. You will also apply your creativity to explore contemporary issues in media communication practice such as issues and crisis management and the application of media communication to specific communication disciplines and industry sectors. While this module gives you the opportunity to hone a variety of skills which are transferrable across a range of career paths it is particularly valuable for students wishing to gain future employment within the media communication field.

More information

MP5039 -

Methodologies (Media and Film) (Core,20 Credits)

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to key methods and approaches employed when researching a variety of media and provide you with the practical skills needed to undertake a major independent research project. As such, it critically engages with a number of research methods, outlining their key characteristics and demonstrating how they are most effectively mobilised. Academic experts will provide sessions on a number of methodological approaches, such as analysing media texts, archival research and practice-based creative methods. During the module, you will engage with the key processes involved in designing an academic research project, undertaking the research work and analysis, and presenting the results. In the process, you will be shown how to critically position your work in relation to an intellectual context, construct research questions that are practical and realistic, implement appropriate methodologies, write research proposals and structure longer written projects (such as dissertations or practice-based research).

More information

YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

AD5001 -

Arts Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a 120 credit year-long module available on degree courses which include a work placement year, taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6 (the length of the placement(s) will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks). You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the work placement agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the University.

Specific learning will depend on the nature of the employer and the placement secured. In general terms, this module is an opportunity to gain significant experience of industry practice, and to learn professional, role-specific skills ‘on the job’. It’s also a great opportunity to improve transferable skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, personal organisation, time management, presentation, commercial awareness, entrepreneurial skills, branding, and professional conduct generally; and to enhance your CV and personal portfolio. Students who have carried out placements in previous years often describe it as a transformative experience; they report greatly increased personal confidence both in terms of launching their future careers, and in returning to their final year of study. Your employer will agree in advance what your learning is likely to include, and will help you reflect on this learning at the end of your placement.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

AD5002 -

Arts Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

More information

MP6046 -

Digital Media and Society (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will encourage you to develop critical understanding of current debates about new media and their centrality in contemporary societies. You will be introduced to the key theories, issues and debates regarding the production, use and distribution of digital media. You will become familiar with key issues and ideas in new media theory and in the interrelationships between digital media, technologies, and societies. You will develop critical skills in analysing digital media and understanding their roles in the information society. The module will look at how these developments are related to social tensions by asking crucial questions about the rise and persistence of the digital divide. In this context, especial attention will be given to the issues of inequalities in accessing, using and getting advantages from new media. The module will also analyse how social media are changing and reshaping our social world. Such analytical thrust will rely on the use of case studies and examples as means to understand how new media are permeating our society and everyday life, transforming the way in which we think and act in a digital society, affecting the decision-making processes of the cultural and creative industries, the way key societal actors communicate, and our perception of crucial social issues such as surveillance/privacy, online identities and activism.

More information

MP6047 -

Employability Portfolio (Core,40 Credits)

In this module you will consider where your strengths lie in the field of media (or your chosen post-graduation career path) and thus what profession, activity or further study would suit you. Research and investigation of current practice is at the core of the module. Your work will reflect current contemporary practice in the media (or your chosen profession) while taking an approach of curiosity, creativity and experimentation, showing understanding of both the requirements of roles and responsibilities in your chosen field and your own skills set.
This module guides you in the identification and successful completion of a work experience placement. The work placement or portfolio of visits totals a minimum of four weeks (20 days). The intention is that every student will gain experience of work placement in the media industry using skills taught on the course, learn to become part of the placement organisation team, thereby making a meaningful contribution wherever possible to the output. Via a series of workshops, you will also gain insight into a variety of employability skills, for example but not limited to, the writing of CVs and cover letters, the development of LinkedIn profiles and job interview techniques.
Your in-depth research skills will translate into polished final outputs, equipping you with knowledge of your chosen industry and a professional and employable skill set. You will realise a comprehensive and dynamic exit portfolio of work that demonstrates to a potential employer your employability and flexibility.

More information

MP6048 -

Media and Society Case Studies (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide a space to familiarize yourself with the case study as a tool for the investigation of social, economic, cultural, and technological phenomena connected with phenomena that reflect on the role of media in contemporary societies.

Whether your interests lie in how people from ethnic minorities or standards of beauty are represented in advertising, videogames or film, on how companies tap on influencers to market their products, or how Twitter is used by journalists to cover breaking news or by television viewers to discuss their favourite shows on TV, this module will offer you a mix of knowledge, reference materials and guidance to choose, plan, conduct, and write a case study for your assessment.

A key component of the module will involve the study of iconic case studies, such as The Disney Company’s evolution from a national animation workshop to a global media conglomerate, to Russia’s use of information agencies such as Sputnik International to deliver propaganda to audiences all over the world, and the BBC’s problematic use of the journalistic principle of balance. Lecturers delivering this module may vary their selection of case studies to reflect on the latest developments, ensuring they will be of interest to students enrolled.

The module will be a valuable experience to learn aspects of the research process you could apply for writing essays, under- and postgraduate dissertations, whilst providing you with skills you could apply in a variety of professions such as journalism, marketing, public relations, and policymaking. Part of the core knowledge and skills that you will be expected to develop for this module will involve you in familiarising yourself with the extensive array of Northumbria University’s digital resources. You will then be expected to use electronic repositories of data, reference, archive, and multimedia materials, such as LexisNexis, WaybackMachine, Box of Broadcasts, and EBSCO, among others, to research the original content required to develop your own case study.

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MP6049 -

Media and Communications Project (Optional,40 Credits)

The Media and Communication Project will develop and hone practical skills developed at Levels 4 and 5. Through practice and support from your allocated supervisor you will build upon the skills that you have learnt so far, as well as develop transferable skills that are industry facing and transferable to other career paths. The project involves engaging in project design, considering ethical issues, researching, organising one’s time, planning, synthesising ideas, analysing current media trends, expressing your ideas and findings in a professional fashion, and producing a final practical output in a medium of your choice that adheres to both academic and industry standards.

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MP6050 -

Event Cultures (Optional,20 Credits)

Following a case study approach, you will investigate the idea of event cultures in historical, conceptual and organisational terms. The module will explore how particular events (e.g. media festivals and award ceremonies) are developed, structured and organised. The aim is to consider how we, as scholars of film, media and culture, might conceptualise events and in so doing gain a clearer understanding of their dynamics, practices and their impact upon industry and society. In this way, the module will illustrate the key ways in which specific events have been framed in scholarship and how these ideas might begin to be applied in the real world. As such, the module encourages you to develop a critical response to filmic events and, in so doing, reflect upon their broader historical, cultural and socio-political significance. The lectures will introduce key concepts that will be explored in the seminars. The main part of each seminar will focus upon group tasks and discussion of the theme, specific event or set texts. Seminar discussions are also intended to develop your communication skills and your ability to develop and respond to ideas in a collaborative environment. You are expected to prepare for the sessions by studying the set text(s) for each week, and also by carrying out additional recommended reading/viewing (which will be indicated in the module guide and on the e–Learning Portal).

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MP6051 -

Dissertation (Media & Film) (Optional,40 Credits)

This module involves researching and writing an 8,000-10,000 word dissertation on a topic of your own choosing. The module offers you the opportunity to engage with a contemporary topic and a set of case studies that you are personally invested in. The learning materials for this module will guide you through the fundamental requirements of preparing and researching a dissertation. Our supervisory team will also share their research experiences and tips on overcoming research problems. You will also be assigned to a supervisor who will offer guidance on how to shape your particular idea into a sustained argument. As the culmination of your degree programme, the dissertation allows you demonstrate your individual engagement with your subject area, and to display the critical skills that you have developed while studying within the Media & Film subject group.

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MP6052 -

Media, Gender and Sexualities (Optional,20 Credits)

Through critical and theoretical study of gender, sex and sexualities across a wide range of media this module untangles the relationships of community, entertainment, identity, pleasure and media technologies. It explores key theoretical approaches to gender and sexuality and engages with the heated social, cultural and political debates over how gender, sex and sexuality ‘should be’ represented. We examine framings of masculinity and femininity, and explore gender beyond the binary, building on both developments in queer and transgender studies, as well as on the long history of different understandings of gender in cultures around the world. This module thus takes a broad and transnational approach to questions of gender, sexuality, media and human rights, and works to decolonise understandings of these concepts. Similarly, questions of sex and sexuality – recognised as more than effects or questions of biology – will be interrogated. Exploring ideas about, and attitudes to, gender and sexuality and the role(s) that media of various kinds have played in making meanings about intimate life students will examine contemporary media texts and the conceptual framings of ‘the sexualisation of culture’, alongside social media practices and experiences in order to investigate identity politics, sexual subcultures and theories of mediated representations and practices. Our analyses will trace the ways dominant discourses of sexuality from the past jostle for position in contemporary media particularly about gendered and 'normal' vs 'transgressive' sexualities. Gendered relations within media industries themselves are also explored. As we engage with the ways people have moved beyond ‘simple’ consumption of media, to become producers of their own representations via social media platforms, digital technologies and other media artefacts we also explore the possibilities for subverting traditional understandings of what it means to gendered and/or sexed in the 21st Century.

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YA6001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

MP4023 -

Media, Communication and History (Core,20 Credits)

This module sketches the evolution of the modern media from its early origins through to the development of modern ‘mass’ media communications, and considers the significance each innovation has for its contemporaneous society. Topics for coverage might include pre-renaissance methods of communication and the importance of inscriptions to public communication; the nature and function of early manuscripts and the significance of these to society; the practice and social consequences of, for example, printing in the fifteenth century, and the print news media in the nineteenth; radio, cinema, television and advertising in the twentieth century; the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and video games.

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MP4026 -

Analysing Media and Film (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce students to analysing media texts critically, in order to provide them with an understanding of some of the key ways in which media texts are constructed and how they communicate information and express ideas. Through learning about a variety of critical approaches to media analysis, students will develop analytical techniques that will deepen their critical skills and understanding of their own creative practice. Topics covered will include, for example, image composition, signs and symbols, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, and narrative, as well as an exploration of terms such as intertextuality, genre and authorship. The module will look at a variety of examples that range across different types of media, including film, television, advertising and so forth, and students will develop a range of skills in order to critically analyse media texts in relation to institutional, technological, aesthetic and cultural contexts.

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MP4028 -

Approaches to Media, Culture and Communication (Core,20 Credits)

This module examines the relationship between media, communication and culture (broadly defined). Each week you will explore a different cultural issue or debate and assess its significance to the contemporary mediascape. Issues that may be addressed include feminism, gender, class, race – all which will be explored alongside examples from screen media and their associated industries. Approaches to Media, Communication and Culture will introduce you to how to analyse media objects in relation to significant cultural concerns and developments at undergraduate level. Throughout the module you will explore key issues in the study of media and communication alongside influential concepts and social movements. Together, we will explore what knowledge is required to contextualise and analyse “media objects”, how one selects and integrates theory into analysis, what primary and secondary sources are considered “legitimate” in academic analysis, and how these decisions are made

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MP4029 -

Consuming Media (Core,20 Credits)

In this module we will challenge taken-for-granted ideas about media consumption, examining our own and other people’s engagements with different media, exploring how we make sense of, for example, advertising, how we create meaning and identities from the products we purchase, use or discard, and how power might be implicated in those choices. Engaging with research and experiences of a wide range of communication technologies from the shopping centre through to the TikTok platform we will explore how media, consumption and everyday life are entangled; we will examine cultural artifacts, such as music, films, books, art, and other forms of media, in order to experience and understand the culture(s) they represent. Through media we can explore and experience culture (our own and others), we also interpret the media or culture we consume. What kinds of evaluation do we make and on what basis? According to class, gender, race, nationality, heritage? How do we then integrate our media or cultural experiences into our personal lives, how are our beliefs, attitudes and behaviour affected by our choices? What kinds of reinterpretations and recreations might we engage in - what creative expressions might we employ: through shopping, technologies, remixing music, creating fan fiction, creating art, videos, snapchats etc?

Your understanding of different cultures of consumption and exploration of social and economic power will be developed through the study of key theorists, themes and case studies. You will consider real-world contemporary examples alongside your own experiences with media and cultural forms, to explore how recent social change from a 'production' to a 'consumption' society has implications for social relations and your own reflexive identity.

Study visits to, for example, a cinema, shopping centre, theatre and museums will enable evaluation and application of theoretical approaches through critical reflection on your own experiences and the presentation of those experiences according to academic conventions. The module also aims to develop your ability to work with theoretical concepts of consumption, communication, applicable to journalists, digital marketers, social media influencers, and beyond

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MP4030 -

Digital Media - Audio and Video (Core,20 Credits)

In this module you are introduced to core practical skills and issues in digital media production. You will learn to employ a critical understanding of audio and video storytelling through an informed editorial, analytical and creative approach to professional practice. You will be expected to exercise the appropriate degree of planning, initiative and autonomy in your professional practice. The assessment consists of a 2mins 30 secs documentary-style film about a topic of your choosing. You will be taught basic skills and be given guidance on how to write, research, plan, shoot, and edit. The film will tell an interesting and individual story about your subject, using narrative and character to engage the viewer. This will be supplemented by a reflective commentary.

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MP4031 -

Digital Media - Writing (Core,20 Credits)

The purpose of the module is to learn the basics of how to identify stories, source information, interview and write for a range of digital media. As such, building on skills learnt in Semester 1, the importance of social media—where brevity is essential—will be emphasised, and you will develop a sense of the best means to narrativize a story in the contemporary mediasphere. You will also be taught how to write clearly and concisely, which is the heart of any good written communication. You will be taught how to identify and write for your intended audience (rather than for yourself), and how to avoid the use of meaningless jargon and generic content. These skills are fundamental for any career in media and communications, including public relations, journalism, advertising, social media management, and so forth. Thus, the module will also provide a bedrock for your future employability by helping you to understand how to communicate in a professional manner.

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YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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AD5003 -

Arts Study Abroad (60 credit) (Optional,60 Credits)

The Study Abroad module is a semester based 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which facilitate study abroad within the programme. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be constructed to meet the learning outcomes for the programme for the semester in question, dependent on suitable modules from the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.

Learning outcomes on the year-long modules on which the student is unable to attend the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.

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MP5032 -

The Creative Industries (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the creative industries in the UK and consider them in an international context. As a part of this module, you will examine the contemporary creative industries in light of contemporary practices, trends, developments, and trajectories. The module takes a distinctive pedagogic approach in that the core of the module consists of team-taught and research-led ‘symposiums’ that address a specific debate, development or controversy within the cultural industries and enable you to acquire a critical, multi-perspective, and evaluative grounding in the issues shaping such industries. Complementing and reinforcing the Media staff-led symposiums will be a series of lectures provided by industry guest speakers (from the creative industries) that will provide practical and state-of-the-art insights into key issues underpinning creative industries’ operations and developments. You will acquire the skills, knowledge, and foresight that employers and investors are seeking.

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MP5033 -

Media and Society Special Topic (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will critically examine a specific cultural institution with a pronounced media presence and its social significance. The institution under scrutiny can vary from year-to-year. The module might address, for example, one of the Creative and Cultural Industries (such as film, news, advertising, sport), and said industry’s engagement with prominent social issues including, for example, issues pertaining to identity, war and other crises, policy decisions and their social impact. You will be required to read and reflect on specific theoretical and empirical academic work by leading scholars and commentators and, using your analytical and interpretive skills, relate this work to the issues raised in class and by any accompanying activities, such as, for example screenings and (where appropriate) demonstrations. The module is assessed by a 3000-word essay which is designed to test your knowledge of the cultural institution and its role in society, to evidence a sophisticated understanding of the issues under scrutiny, and your ability to work to a deadline.

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MP5034 -

Media, Ethics and Current Affairs (Core,20 Credits)

This module considers the legal and ethical expectations and obligations of digital communicators in the modern environment. Examples from news, media and popular culture will be drawn upon in order to a) illustrate the continuing relevance of moral concerns, b) demonstrate the ubiquity of moral concerns in contemporary culture and c) illustrate how journalists operate legally and ethically across a range of media. The module aims to evince the ways in which moral theory can deepen our understanding of contentious issues that impact on our lives and rights as citizens. The module also aims to develop your ability to work with theoretical concepts and the practicalities of legal and ethical digital communication, applicable to journalists, digital marketers, social media influencers, and beyond.

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MP5035 -

Media, Power and Identity (Optional,20 Credits)

The module explores the interrelationship between the media, power and identity. Students will be introduced to key academic writing from the fields of media and cultural studies on the link between the media, power and identity, and will then apply these concepts and approaches to a series of case studies analysed in class. The case studies stem from different media types (ranging from filmic examples, contemporary social media, streaming television and other media industries), as well as different historical and cultural contexts. The examples are deliberately chosen to resonate explicitly with the lives of young people, and to enable them to analyse and reflect on how identity categories such as social class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and nationality are presented in the media. Moving from the contemporary to the historical gives the opportunity to reflect on the current historical moment and how this is linked to longer trajectories in the development of media cultures, as well as to the social inequities and unequal distributions of power still marking the present.

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MP5036 -

Researching Audiences (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to several key aspects of media audience studies. Firstly, you will be introduced to the main recent traditions for studying media audiences, including the European cultural studies approach, the American mass communications approach, the reception studies tradition, and the interdisciplinary field of fan studies. These traditions all focus on the contexts that shape how audiences engage with and respond to different media and cultural products.
Additionally, you will gain experience in reading and evaluating original audience and reception research. This will involve reading actual empirical work in depth to understand the research process and to differentiate between strong and weak research.
Finally, the module will provide you with a unique opportunity to conduct your own small-scale audience research. Working in a small group, you will design, conduct, and compare different methods for understanding audience responses. This experience will help you to understand the challenges and processes involved in audience research.

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MP5037 -

Reviews and Features (Core,20 Credits)

Reviews and Features aims to further your understanding of the the media industry and its place in society. The module will encourage independent learning and production of original work. You will develop a variety of research skills for example, but not limited to, synthesising academic research for a generalist and/or specialist audience, primary researching using digital archives and interview techniques. You will also learn to analyse and critique contemporary writing styles in order to develop your writing across a long-form features. You will be able to gather and write feature articles in addition to shorter reviews akin to those found in contemporary media outlets.

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MP5038 -

Media Communication Planning (Core,20 Credits)

In this module you will be introduced to the theory and practice of media communication strategy and planning. You will be instructed in the workings of modern communications including public relations, advertising, media, and digital communications and the interaction of these. You will undertake applied research and analysis to deliver your own original media communication campaign including content creation following instruction and feedback given during workshops. You will also apply your creativity to explore contemporary issues in media communication practice such as issues and crisis management and the application of media communication to specific communication disciplines and industry sectors. While this module gives you the opportunity to hone a variety of skills which are transferrable across a range of career paths it is particularly valuable for students wishing to gain future employment within the media communication field.

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MP5039 -

Methodologies (Media and Film) (Core,20 Credits)

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to key methods and approaches employed when researching a variety of media and provide you with the practical skills needed to undertake a major independent research project. As such, it critically engages with a number of research methods, outlining their key characteristics and demonstrating how they are most effectively mobilised. Academic experts will provide sessions on a number of methodological approaches, such as analysing media texts, archival research and practice-based creative methods. During the module, you will engage with the key processes involved in designing an academic research project, undertaking the research work and analysis, and presenting the results. In the process, you will be shown how to critically position your work in relation to an intellectual context, construct research questions that are practical and realistic, implement appropriate methodologies, write research proposals and structure longer written projects (such as dissertations or practice-based research).

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YA5001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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AD5001 -

Arts Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a 120 credit year-long module available on degree courses which include a work placement year, taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6 (the length of the placement(s) will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks). You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the work placement agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the University.

Specific learning will depend on the nature of the employer and the placement secured. In general terms, this module is an opportunity to gain significant experience of industry practice, and to learn professional, role-specific skills ‘on the job’. It’s also a great opportunity to improve transferable skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, personal organisation, time management, presentation, commercial awareness, entrepreneurial skills, branding, and professional conduct generally; and to enhance your CV and personal portfolio. Students who have carried out placements in previous years often describe it as a transformative experience; they report greatly increased personal confidence both in terms of launching their future careers, and in returning to their final year of study. Your employer will agree in advance what your learning is likely to include, and will help you reflect on this learning at the end of your placement.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

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AD5002 -

Arts Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study at level 5 and before level 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

Note: Subject to placement clearance; this is a competitive process and a place on the module cannot be guaranteed.

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MP6046 -

Digital Media and Society (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will encourage you to develop critical understanding of current debates about new media and their centrality in contemporary societies. You will be introduced to the key theories, issues and debates regarding the production, use and distribution of digital media. You will become familiar with key issues and ideas in new media theory and in the interrelationships between digital media, technologies, and societies. You will develop critical skills in analysing digital media and understanding their roles in the information society. The module will look at how these developments are related to social tensions by asking crucial questions about the rise and persistence of the digital divide. In this context, especial attention will be given to the issues of inequalities in accessing, using and getting advantages from new media. The module will also analyse how social media are changing and reshaping our social world. Such analytical thrust will rely on the use of case studies and examples as means to understand how new media are permeating our society and everyday life, transforming the way in which we think and act in a digital society, affecting the decision-making processes of the cultural and creative industries, the way key societal actors communicate, and our perception of crucial social issues such as surveillance/privacy, online identities and activism.

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MP6047 -

Employability Portfolio (Core,40 Credits)

In this module you will consider where your strengths lie in the field of media (or your chosen post-graduation career path) and thus what profession, activity or further study would suit you. Research and investigation of current practice is at the core of the module. Your work will reflect current contemporary practice in the media (or your chosen profession) while taking an approach of curiosity, creativity and experimentation, showing understanding of both the requirements of roles and responsibilities in your chosen field and your own skills set.
This module guides you in the identification and successful completion of a work experience placement. The work placement or portfolio of visits totals a minimum of four weeks (20 days). The intention is that every student will gain experience of work placement in the media industry using skills taught on the course, learn to become part of the placement organisation team, thereby making a meaningful contribution wherever possible to the output. Via a series of workshops, you will also gain insight into a variety of employability skills, for example but not limited to, the writing of CVs and cover letters, the development of LinkedIn profiles and job interview techniques.
Your in-depth research skills will translate into polished final outputs, equipping you with knowledge of your chosen industry and a professional and employable skill set. You will realise a comprehensive and dynamic exit portfolio of work that demonstrates to a potential employer your employability and flexibility.

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MP6048 -

Media and Society Case Studies (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide a space to familiarize yourself with the case study as a tool for the investigation of social, economic, cultural, and technological phenomena connected with phenomena that reflect on the role of media in contemporary societies.

Whether your interests lie in how people from ethnic minorities or standards of beauty are represented in advertising, videogames or film, on how companies tap on influencers to market their products, or how Twitter is used by journalists to cover breaking news or by television viewers to discuss their favourite shows on TV, this module will offer you a mix of knowledge, reference materials and guidance to choose, plan, conduct, and write a case study for your assessment.

A key component of the module will involve the study of iconic case studies, such as The Disney Company’s evolution from a national animation workshop to a global media conglomerate, to Russia’s use of information agencies such as Sputnik International to deliver propaganda to audiences all over the world, and the BBC’s problematic use of the journalistic principle of balance. Lecturers delivering this module may vary their selection of case studies to reflect on the latest developments, ensuring they will be of interest to students enrolled.

The module will be a valuable experience to learn aspects of the research process you could apply for writing essays, under- and postgraduate dissertations, whilst providing you with skills you could apply in a variety of professions such as journalism, marketing, public relations, and policymaking. Part of the core knowledge and skills that you will be expected to develop for this module will involve you in familiarising yourself with the extensive array of Northumbria University’s digital resources. You will then be expected to use electronic repositories of data, reference, archive, and multimedia materials, such as LexisNexis, WaybackMachine, Box of Broadcasts, and EBSCO, among others, to research the original content required to develop your own case study.

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MP6049 -

Media and Communications Project (Optional,40 Credits)

The Media and Communication Project will develop and hone practical skills developed at Levels 4 and 5. Through practice and support from your allocated supervisor you will build upon the skills that you have learnt so far, as well as develop transferable skills that are industry facing and transferable to other career paths. The project involves engaging in project design, considering ethical issues, researching, organising one’s time, planning, synthesising ideas, analysing current media trends, expressing your ideas and findings in a professional fashion, and producing a final practical output in a medium of your choice that adheres to both academic and industry standards.

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MP6050 -

Event Cultures (Optional,20 Credits)

Following a case study approach, you will investigate the idea of event cultures in historical, conceptual and organisational terms. The module will explore how particular events (e.g. media festivals and award ceremonies) are developed, structured and organised. The aim is to consider how we, as scholars of film, media and culture, might conceptualise events and in so doing gain a clearer understanding of their dynamics, practices and their impact upon industry and society. In this way, the module will illustrate the key ways in which specific events have been framed in scholarship and how these ideas might begin to be applied in the real world. As such, the module encourages you to develop a critical response to filmic events and, in so doing, reflect upon their broader historical, cultural and socio-political significance. The lectures will introduce key concepts that will be explored in the seminars. The main part of each seminar will focus upon group tasks and discussion of the theme, specific event or set texts. Seminar discussions are also intended to develop your communication skills and your ability to develop and respond to ideas in a collaborative environment. You are expected to prepare for the sessions by studying the set text(s) for each week, and also by carrying out additional recommended reading/viewing (which will be indicated in the module guide and on the e–Learning Portal).

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MP6051 -

Dissertation (Media & Film) (Optional,40 Credits)

This module involves researching and writing an 8,000-10,000 word dissertation on a topic of your own choosing. The module offers you the opportunity to engage with a contemporary topic and a set of case studies that you are personally invested in. The learning materials for this module will guide you through the fundamental requirements of preparing and researching a dissertation. Our supervisory team will also share their research experiences and tips on overcoming research problems. You will also be assigned to a supervisor who will offer guidance on how to shape your particular idea into a sustained argument. As the culmination of your degree programme, the dissertation allows you demonstrate your individual engagement with your subject area, and to display the critical skills that you have developed while studying within the Media & Film subject group.

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MP6052 -

Media, Gender and Sexualities (Optional,20 Credits)

Through critical and theoretical study of gender, sex and sexualities across a wide range of media this module untangles the relationships of community, entertainment, identity, pleasure and media technologies. It explores key theoretical approaches to gender and sexuality and engages with the heated social, cultural and political debates over how gender, sex and sexuality ‘should be’ represented. We examine framings of masculinity and femininity, and explore gender beyond the binary, building on both developments in queer and transgender studies, as well as on the long history of different understandings of gender in cultures around the world. This module thus takes a broad and transnational approach to questions of gender, sexuality, media and human rights, and works to decolonise understandings of these concepts. Similarly, questions of sex and sexuality – recognised as more than effects or questions of biology – will be interrogated. Exploring ideas about, and attitudes to, gender and sexuality and the role(s) that media of various kinds have played in making meanings about intimate life students will examine contemporary media texts and the conceptual framings of ‘the sexualisation of culture’, alongside social media practices and experiences in order to investigate identity politics, sexual subcultures and theories of mediated representations and practices. Our analyses will trace the ways dominant discourses of sexuality from the past jostle for position in contemporary media particularly about gendered and 'normal' vs 'transgressive' sexualities. Gendered relations within media industries themselves are also explored. As we engage with the ways people have moved beyond ‘simple’ consumption of media, to become producers of their own representations via social media platforms, digital technologies and other media artefacts we also explore the possibilities for subverting traditional understandings of what it means to gendered and/or sexed in the 21st Century.

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YA6001 -

Academic Language Skills for Arts (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.

BA (Hons) Media and Communication

Home or EU applicants please apply through UCAS

International applicants please apply using the links below

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Any Questions?

Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.



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We are proud to work in partnership with AccessAble to provide Detailed Access Guides to our buildings and facilities across our City, Coach Lane and London Campuses. A Detailed Access Guide lets you know what access will be like when you visit somewhere. It looks at the route you will use getting in and what is available inside. All guides have Accessibility Symbols that give you a quick overview of what is available, and photographs to show you what to expect. The guides are produced by trained surveyors who visit our campuses annually to ensure you have trusted and accurate information.

You can use Northumbria’s AccessAble Guides anytime to check the accessibility of a building or facility and to plan your routes and journeys. Search by location, building or accessibility feature to find the information you need. 

We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:

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All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

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