UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Module Specification
1
The title of the module
Popular Culture, Media and Society (SO506)
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The School which will be responsible for management of the module
SSPSSR
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The Start Date of the Module
Module specification revised January 2006
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The number of students expected to take the module
75
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Modules to be withdrawn on the introduction of this proposed module and consultation
with other relevant Schools and Faculties regarding the withdrawal
N/A
6
The level of the module (eg Certificate [C], Intermediate [I], Honours [H] or
Postgraduate [M])
H level module to be taken by second or third year students. (FHEQ Level: 6)
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The number of credits which the module represents
30 Credits (15 ECTS)
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Which term(s) the module is to be taught in (or other teaching pattern)
Autumn and Spring
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Prerequisite and co-requisite modules
There are no pre- or co-requisites.
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The programs of study to which the module contributes
This is a core module (compulsory in Year 2) for students taking Cultural Studies degrees, it is also
available to Sociology students and students on other programs in SSPSSR and as a ‘wild’ module to
students in Humanities in years 2 & 3
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The intended subject specific learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship
to programme learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students
will be familiar with a range of contemporary debates about the political aspects of a range of
popular and media culture products and phenomena (such as magazines, TV programs, websites,
Film, advertising, ‘alternative media’, festivals, raves, package holidays) and the culture which revolves
around them
will have an understanding of the relationship between communications technologies and culture (E.g
through the writings of McLuhan, Williams, Poster, Hall and others) will have an understanding of
how cultural theory and philosophical concepts can be brought to bear in the analysis of popular and
media culture (E.g. through the writings of Adorno, Baudrillard, Gramsci, Benjamin, De Certeau,
Fiske, Hall, Grossberg, Debord and others)
will have deepened and extended their knowledge of cultural theory through exposure to primary
source texts of cultural theory
will have a basic knowledge of debates about political economy ownership and control of news
media and about theories of audience reception; hence of the debate between Marxist political
economy and cultural studies
will have an understanding of how contemporary identities are formed in part in relation to popular
and media cultures
will have an understanding of the history of the idea of ‘popular culture’ and its articulations with
consumer culture in modern times
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These subject specific learning outcomes are all relevant to further study in cultural studies modules
(as well as other culture, theory and society oriented modules) available in Part 2 and especially
relevant for students intending to do a dissertation in an area of cultural studies
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The intended generic learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to
programme learning outcomes
Development of skills of critical and conceptual thinking, for instance through presentation and
debate (in relation to Key Skills 1 Communication and 4 Working with Others) and through the
exegesis of the ideas of others
The ability to make critical judgments in relation to academic and non-academic sources of
information (in relation to Key Skills 3 Information technology and 6 Problem Solving)
The ability to gather library and web-based resources appropriate for 2nd and 3rd year degree study;
to make judgments about their merits and use the available evidence to construct a critical argument
to be presented orally or in writing (in relation to Key Skills 1 Communication, 3 Information
Technology and 6 Problem Solving);
The ability to reflect upon one’s own experience as a learner and researcher in the information-led,
image-oriented culture and society (in relation to Key Skills 3 Information technology and 5
Improving One’s Own Learning and Performance).
These contribute to the transferable skills aims of programme specifications for degrees in Cultural
Studies.
13 A synopsis of the curriculum
1. Reality TV: realism and representation
2. Defining and debating popular culture
3. The concept of ‘quality’ in the high/low culture debate
4. Public service broadcasting
5. Capitalism and the culture industries
6. Popular culture and cultural power
7. Popular magazines: the passive/active audience
8. Representations of sex, gender ‘race’ and ethnicity in media culture
9. Constructions of masculinity/femininity in popular culture
10. Fan culture and the problems of audience research
11. From rave culture to club culture: interactions between mainstream and alternative scenes
12. Hedonism and excess: popular cultural transgressions
13. Extreme pastimes
14. Hypermedia, virtuality and cultures of the Web
15. News media in the digital age: Baudrillard on simulation and hyper-reality
16. Chomsky on the manufacture of consent
17. Alternative media activism
18. The wired world: the future convergences of media
14 Indicative Reading List
D. Strinati An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture (Routledge, 1995)
J. Storey An Introductory Guide to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture (Harvester,1993)
J. Storey (ed) Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader (Harvester, 1994)
D. Kellner Media Culture (Routledge, 1995)
J. Fiske Understanding Popular Culture (Routledge, 1989)
N. Stevenson Understanding Media Cultures (Sage, 2002)
D. Bell & J. Hollows (eds) Ordinary Lifestyles: Popular Media, Consumption and Taste (OUP:
2005)
L Grossberg et al Media Making: Mass Media in a Popular Culture (Sage, 1998)
H. Mackay & T. O'Sullivan The media reader: continuity and transformation
(Sage/OUP, 1999)
N. Chomsky &E.S.Herman Manufacturing Consent (Pantheon 1988)
T. Skelton and G. Valentine Cool Places: The Geographies of Youth Cultures (Routledge 1998)
C. Critcher Moral panics and the media (OUP 2003)
J. Dovey Freakshow: First person media and factual television (Pluto, 2000)
G. MacKay Senseless Acts of Beauty (Verso 1996)
I. Ang Living Room Wars: Rethinking Media Audiences for a Postmodern World (Routledge, 1996)
M. Poster The Mode of Information (Polity, 1990)
M. Poster The Second Media Age (Polity, 1995)
M.R.Real Exploring Media Culture (Sage, 1996)
J. Street Politics and Popular Culture (Polity, 1997)
15 Learning and Teaching Methods, including the nature and number of contact hours and
the total study hours which will be expected of students, and how these relate to
achievement of the intended learning outcomes
Contact hours: 44
Learning and teaching will take place within a framework of hourly lectures and seminars each week of
Autumn and Spring Terms, except for one designated reading week.
Private study of about 11 hours a week is expected on this module.
Study hours: Approx 150
Learning and teaching methods:
Lectures provide key information, explain ideas and concepts with reference to examples and
contexts relating to the theme or topic. An introduction to cultural theory is central to the course,
and this is always integrated into the introduction of topics and themes.
Handouts and notes are used as deemed appropriate by the lecturer. Web sources and making use of
the web as an aid to learning is highlighted.
Seminars provide a forum for further discussion of the lecture topic and associated reading and for
structured learning activities (such as group work, presentations, etc.) as deemed appropriate. Specific
preparation tasks and additional reading are also frequently suggested (or supplied) by seminar
teachers and lecturers.
16 Assessment methods and how these relate to testing achievement of the intended
learning outcomes
Students submit two coursework essays of between 3 – 3.5K words each, the marks for which will
comprise 50% of the final mark. Students will also sit a three hour unseen examination in which they
are required to answer 3 questions, which will contribute the remaining 50% of the final mark.
The coursework essays allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the specific topics in the
program. The unseen examination tests students’ overall learning within the unit, both in terms of
knowledge specific to individual topics but also their ability to make connections between different
parts of the course.
17 Implications for learning resources, including staff, library, IT and space
The course has been running for several years and the library is generally well-stocked. New
purchases are made every year and new topics are introduced.
18 As far as can be reasonably anticipated, the curriculum, learning and teaching methods
and forms of assessment do not present any non-justifiable disadvantage to students with
disabilities.
Statement by the Director of Learning and Teaching: "I confirm I have been consulted on the above module
proposal and have given advice on the correct procedures and required content of module proposals"
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Director of Learning and Teaching
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Date
Statement by the Head of School: "I confirm that the School has approved the introduction of the module
and will be responsible for its resourcing"
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Head of School
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Date