Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Media Audiences
Module Code CM277
School School of Communications
Online Module Resources

Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Des McGuinness
Semester 2: Des McGuinness
Autumn: Des McGuinness
Module TeacherDes McGuinness
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 10
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Description
This module examines the role of media consumption in everyday life and the relationship between media technologies, texts and audiences It argues for the importance of audience and consumption studies as a key component of media studies more generally. It aims to familiarise students with a broad range of theories and methods used in both an historical and contemporary context through engagement with a range of older media such as film and television and newer media such as the internet and mobile phone. In exploring the changing landscape of contemporary media use the module addresses issues of media effects and influences as well as meanings and pleasures.

Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key theoretical frameworks for studying media audiences.
2. Identify the range of relationships that exist between media and audiences
3. Critically evaluate the range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of audiences
4. Apply abstract knowledge of media audiences to the student's own media use, production and consumption.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture24No Description
Seminars12No Description
Group work50Researching and preparing seminar presentations
Library64No Description
Independent learning100No Description
Total Workload: 250

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Ways of thinking about media audiences..
This is an overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches to media audiences..

Power, Ideology and Audiences.
This topic investigates the power dynamic between (mass)media producers and media audiences. Consideration of how media influence audience perceptions , attitudes and behaviours.

New Media Technologies and Audience Transformation.
Consideration of the role of technology in shaping media consumption and of transforming cultural spaces..

Interactive Audiences: The case of Reality TV.
Engages with the transformation from 'active' to interactive audiences: what we mean by the interactivity and uses Reality TV as an illustrative case study..

Digital Media, Social Inclusion and Citizenship.
Looks at the ways audiences use digital media to engage with public issues and to participate in the public sphere..

Cultural Identities: Global Media, Local Audiences.
Raises questions about how global media products are interpreted in diverse cultural settings..

Fandom, Identity and Celebrity Culture.
Considers the emergence of fans for particular media genres and media personalities and the processes of identification involved..

Audiences, The Market and the Numbers Game.
Examines the historical development and current practice of quantifying audiences. Overview and evaluation of quantitative audience data.

The Global Village? Reading TV News.
Draws on research on audiences responses to TV news to contest McLuhan's idea that the more information we have on what is happening around the world, the more involved we become..

Taste, Genre and Gender.
Media preferences for women and men have been gendered historically (eg. soaps as a women's genre) The question is asked whether this gendering continues in digital media, where and to what extent..

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Group presentationSeminar presentation and a follow-up report uploaded to Moodle30%n/a
AssignmentA 1,000 word annotated bibliography – submitted on week 810%n/a
AssignmentA 3,000 word assignment submitted at the last class of semester one.60%n/a
Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List
  • Virginia Nightingale (Editor): 0, The Handbook of Media Audiences,
  • Gillespie, Marie (ed.): 2005, Media Audiences, Open Univesity Press, Milton Keynes,
  • Alasuutari, P.: 1999, Rethinking the Media Audience: the New Agenda, Sage, London,
  • Brooker, W. and D. Jerymn: 2003, The Audience Studies Reader, Routledge, London,
  • Gorton, Kristyn: 2009, Media Audiences, Television, Meaning and Emotion, Edingurgh University Press, Edinburgh,
  • Gauntlett, David: 2005, Moving Experiences: Media Effects and Beyond, 2nd., John Libbey Publishing, Eastleigh UK,
  • Lister, Martin: 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction, Routledge, London,
  • Napoli, P.M: 2010, Audience Evolution: New Technologies and the Transformation of Media Audiences., Columbia University Press, New York,
  • Wellman, B. and C.A. Haythornthwaite: 2002, The Internet in Everyday Life, Blackwell, Oxford,
Other Resources
None
Array
Programme or List of Programmes
CSBA in Communication Studies
Timetable this semester: Timetable for CM277
Date of Last Revision29-NOV-11
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