Level 3 Media Studies Diploma

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Course Content

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module One – Media History

In the UK, Media Studies as a distinct area emerged in the 1960s from the academic study of English, and from literary criticism more broadly. Media studies can partially be understood as a response to the ‘McCarthyist’paranoia of the influences of the mass media that was prevalent in the 1970s in the United States. In the UK, Mary Whitehouse’s right-wing National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association was concerned at the growing ‘permissiveness’ of broadcasting, and in the US a number of pressure groups have campaigned against the supposed corrupting influence of popular media – in particular on children. This first module of the diploma explores the definitions we use in media studies. How the concept of the media came into being and how it subsequently evolved into what we now term ‘new media’. We consider questions such as; Has the philosophy really changed or has the technology just made original concepts smarter? The unit will examine the influences on media and how these have changed over the last 30 years. We will examine current trends and consider how media concepts will continue to evolve over the next 10 years.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Two – Media Ethics

In the second module of the diploma we consider Media ethics. Media ethics is the sphere of ethics that deals with the particular ethical principles and standards of media worldwide. In this diploma we consider ethical dilemmas and other such questions raised by the rise of mass media. One important subsection of media ethics that we shall also consider is journalism ethics. In this module we explore questions of ethics that regard to print and electronic media content, community standards, media censorship, media bias (in the U.S., ‘liberal’ vs. ‘conservative’ bias), propaganda, and related issues as viewed from the standpoint of ethics. Media ethics also deals with the relationship between media and media economics; the deregulation of the media, concentration of media ownership, FCC regulations in the U.S., media trade unions and labour issues, and other such worldwide regulating bodies, citizen media, (low power FM, community radio) – all have ethical implications.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Three – Media and Television

In the third module of the diploma we explore the role of Media and the technology of television. This module explores the impact in other countries and how television is used to support media and corporate objectives. In particular, we consider the relationship between this form of Media, its technology and young audiences. Not only are young audiences strong in numbers, they also exert enormous economic influence within the family – a fact that is not lost on the marketing and advertising industries. Once an ignored demographic for advertisers, today’s young people have become the most marketed-to generation in history, thanks to their spending power and their future clout as adult consumers.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Four – Audio Production

In the fourth module of this diploma we explore the area of Audio Production. The audio visual production in media broadly covers the following classifications;

• Animation.
• Commercials.
• Computer games.
• Corporate production.
• Facilities (which includes post production).
• Film.
• Interactive media.
• Photo imaging.
• Radio.
• Television and animation.

This module examines the concept of audio production, the latest technology developments and the influences these have had in new media applications.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Five – Photography and Typography

By the halfway stage in this diploma, learners will have acquired a more sophisticated and refined understanding of Media Studies. We continue to build upon this in our analytical approach to typographic form and design. This is an important and often overlooked aspect of Media Studies, and a prime consideration for those wishing to get their message across. The unit will include consideration of;

• Aspects of the history of letterforms, printing, and book design are examined.
• Typography is studied in the context of language communication.
• Systematic approaches to the design of complex information, including typographic, graphic and diagrammatic communication.
• Symbol creation and the design of visual identity systems.
• Photographic image creation and manipulation.
• Narrative concepts and the construction of meaning.
• Social marketing.
• Project research and management.
• Open exploration of non-applied visual communication design issues.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Six – Mass Communication

In this sixth module of the diploma, we explore Mass Communication. “Mass communication” is often used loosely to refer to the distribution of entertainment, arts, information, and messages by television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, recorded music, and associated media. The term “mass communication” is a term used in a variety of ways which, despite the potential for confusion, are usually clear from the context. These include;

• Reference to the activities of the mass media as a group.
• The use of criteria of a concept, “massiveness,” to distinguish among media and their activities.
• The construction of questions about communication as applied to the activities of the mass media.

Significantly, only the third of these uses does not take the actual process of communication for granted.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Seven – Journalism

In the seventh module of the diploma, we consider Journalism as a discipline. Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analysing, verifying, and presenting information regarding current events, issues and people. We explore the relationship between the Media and the News. News-oriented journalism is sometimes described as the “first rough draft of history” (attributed to Phil Graham). Journalists often record important events first, producing news articles on short deadlines. While under pressure to be first with their stories, news media organizations usually edit and proofread their reports prior to publication, adhering to each organization’s standards of accuracy, quality and style. Many news organizations claim proud traditions of holding government officials and institutions accountable to the public, while media critics have raised questions about holding the press itself to account.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Eight – New Media Development

In the eighth module of the diploma we consider New Media Development. New Media is a relatively new field of study that has developed around changing cultural practices. The computer plays a central role as the medium for production, storage and distribution of New Media. New Media studies reflect on the social and ideological impact of the personal computer, computer networks, digital mobile devices, ubiquitous computing and virtual reality. This module includes the examination of researchers and propagators of new forms of artistic practices such as;

• Interactive installations,
• Net art and software art,
• New interfaces for musical expression,
• The subsets of interaction, interface design and the concepts of interactivity, multimedia and remediation.

This module explores the advances in new media and considers developments in new technology.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Nine – Media and Web Design

In this penultimate module of the diploma, we explore Media and Web Design. . This module examines the importance of website development and the use of websites in media development.

Level 3 Media Studies Diploma Module Ten – Global Media

In the final module of this diploma we explore the role of the Media across the Globe. Globalisation is one of the most potent concepts informing academic debates across many disciplines on the threshold of the 21st century. Issues of communication, culture and media lie close to the heart of this contested concept which variously refers to the collapse of time and space as obstacles to human activity, to processes of economic and cultural expansion, to the undermining of the nation state as a critical building block for any transnational activity, to parallel tendencies towards both uniformity and fragmentation.

Supporting Textbooks: The course will be supported by the following textbooks. These are optional but highly recommended in order to improve the depth of coverage. Media, Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences By David Croteau, William Hoynes Media/Impact with Infotrac: An Introduction to Mass Media (with CD-ROM) By Shirley Biagi.