2020/21 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

COMM5720M Media Production Analysis

30 creditsClass Size: 37

Module manager: David Lee
Email: D.J.Lee@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2020/21

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module builds on the Media Industries (COMM5710) module, looking in greater detail at particular media industries, such as television, music, film and newspapers, in order to examine questions of organisation (how the messy business of making media is managed and what conflicts arise) and experience (what it is like to work in these industries). Using a mixture of classic studies and more recent research, it also deals with the principal research methods used in this field. We examine a variety of methods through a range of industries, allowing you to gain a strong sense of the different industrial, spatial and organisational forms within the sector.

Objectives

- To introduce students to major studies of media production, especially organisational and experiential aspects of production.
- To examine the specific dynamics of a number of key media industries, using major studies.
- To consider the principal methods of analysis of media production, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews and to evaluate their application.

Learning outcomes
On completion of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of national and regional differences in media industries and their role in societies.
- Analyse and construct arguments about the role of the media in societies with appropriate use of concepts, theories and evidence.
- Analyse and deconstruct textual material from the media, and from commentaries on the media, in relation to the media industries.
- Compare and evaluate explanations of media processes relevant to media industries, derived from different theoretical perspectives.
- Examine media forms critically with appropriate reference to the social and cultural contexts in which they were produced and consumed.
- Evaluate interview research methods as a useful tool for researching and understanding the media industries

Syllabus

This module will cover topics such as: the characteristics and organisation of media work incl. fordism and post-fordism and the production of culture approach, the nature of media labour markets including exploitation, self-exploitation, participation and equality, labour market policies including regulation and worker organisation, geography and globalisation in relation to media production, and how to research media production.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Fieldwork	1	1.00	1.00
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	11	1.00	11.00
Private study hours			277.00
Total Contact hours			23.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Private study

- Directed study of primary and secondary sources in preparation for seminar discussions.
- Preparation and conduct of research interview.
- Preparation of essay and interview analysis.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored via attendance and contribution at seminars and via mid-semester assessment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 3,000-3,500 words	70.00
Essay	1 x 1,500-2,000 words	30.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 09/12/2020

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