The main aim of this module is to define and critically examine key concepts and theories that help understand how media and communication shape our sense of identity, belonging and community.

It will focus particularly on the changes brought by digital media in constructing hierarchies of belonging, and the forms of inclusion and exclusion that are linked to these.

Through lectures, classroom discussions and practical tasks, students will focus on a range of cultural and social identities (including gender, class, ethnicity and sexuality). Students will also examine the impacts that different communication technologies (press, cinema, radio, television, social media) have had on the representation and evaluation of groups across time. Students will be able to appreciate both the changes prompted by digital communication as well as the persistence of old forms of representation, discrimination and exclusion.

The module is designed to introduce students to research methods that are applied for the analysis of media and communication content and output, both on traditional as well as on new, digital platforms. Apart from providing the students with critical overview and discussion of strengths and weaknesses of these methods, both quantitative and qualitative, the module enables them to explore their practical application in adjacent workshops.

In this module we examine the impact of digital and social media on political life, broadly defined. By the end of the module you will understand the key issues around digital and social media, influence, power, and democracy.

You will also learn about the origins and evolution of political communication as a scholarly field. The approach will be conceptually-informed and comparative. At times we will draw on examples from around the world, but the principal focus will be on western democracies, particularly the United States. However, the general themes and concepts are globally relevant.

This module explores the ways in which digital data, Internet and digital platforms are shaping democracy and changing the structures of power in contemporary societies. Drawing on state-of-the-art theory and cutting-edge research, as well as case studies of relevant contemporary events and controversies, the module engages with contemporary arguments and debates about the democratic implications of social media, as well as about the transformative effect of digital platforms on the interactions between political actors, citizens, and journalists.

The module enables students to understand how social media and digital content are used by citizens, political actors, and journalists to access, distribute, and coproduce content that is relevant to public affairs and provide opportunities for political learning, persuasion, mobilization, and engagement. It uses both theory and empirical research to shed light on how social media are enhancing and hindering practices and structures of citizenship and democratic politics. Specific attention is paid to issues of mis/disinformation, propaganda and foreign influence operations carried out via digital technologies, but also to the topic of climate change, and how digital data are utilized for climate-related journalism and civic activism.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to key issues in the study of cultural memory and cultural heritage and their practical implications. The module examines the commodification of the past in the cultural industries and covers key debates on the politics of memory. It will also analyse role of media and communicative practices in remembering including in relation to digital media, film/TV and museums.

The aim of this module is for students to design, conduct and write an original study within the field of communication, media or cultural studies. The module equips students with academic skills needed for conducting their individual research project. In addition, it fosters employability skills through careers-related training and lectures by media professionals.

The module provides students the opportunity to work with a project partner in the private or public sector, to deliver a research project related to media, communication and culture.
Based on a brief by the project partner, students will conduct and write an original study that solves a real-world problem or addresses a research need by the partner organisation.

The module equips students with academic skills needed for conducting their research project. In addition, it fosters employability skills through careers-related training, lectures by media professionals as well as their engagement with the partner, fostering professional communication, networking and other workplace-related skills.