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SOCY307 Media and Society

Updated: 25 March 2010
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study Online Level
Armidale Semester 2 Off Campus C - Internet access required
Armidale Semester 2 On Campus C - Internet access required
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites 12cp at 100 level in Sociology or Political Science or Communication Studies or Marketing and Management
Co-requisites None
Restrictions POLS203 or POLS303 or SOCY207
Notes None
Combined Units None
Coordinator(s) Peter Corrigan (pcorriga@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit examines the roles of the media in society. It explores the ways in which media are structured by society and the ways in which society is in turn structured by the media. Students are introduced to theoretical approaches to understanding the media in society, and will become familiar with sociological aspects of shaping opinion through propaganda and other means. Models of social difference and social inequality will be explored in the media context, and special attention is paid to social relations on the Internet. New models of the individual-society relation will also be examined in the contexts of music and talk shows.
Materials No text required
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Essay 50% 2500
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-6 GA: 1, 2, 4, 6
Final Examination 2 hrs 50%
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-6 GA: 1, 2, 4, 6

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. analyse the social functions of various types of media;
  2. analyse how notions of community shape and are shaped by media;
  3. analyse the interplay of media with key sociological variables such as class, age and educational background;
  4. apply various models of social difference and social inequality to media practices and representations;
  5. demonstrate an understanding of the implications of the talk show for the shift in emphasis from epistemological to ontological ways of apprehending the world and the consequences of this for social relations;
  6. analyse the nature of social relations made possible by the Internet.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
The unit deals with some core issues of sociology (e.g., social inequality) in the context of media. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
Communication skills are developed through discussions in class and on the discussion board, the assignment and the examination. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
Global perspective is treated through dealing with media issues across various countries (e.g, Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, the internet as inherently global, propaganda as used in wars). 		True
4 Information Literacy
Information literacy is developed through the assignment and lectures and through readings promoting familiarity with various forms of media both old and new (from print to radio to television to blogs to mobile communications). 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
Life-long learning is promoted implicitly through the acquisition of theoretical and analytical skills appropriate to the area that are also extendable beyond it. 		True
6 Problem Solving
Problem solving is embedded in the assignment and examination tasks, as well as in discussions exploring problems in relevant topics. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is embedded in the ethical questions that arise in studies of topics such as propaganda. 		True True
8 Team Work
Team work is practiced through group work for internals and made possible through discussion boards for externals. 		True
   

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