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CMS1012 Introduction to Media Studies

Semester 2, 2020 Online
Short Description: Introduction to Media Studies
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Humanities & Communication
Student contribution band : Band 1
ASCED code : 100700 - Communication & Media Studies
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Other requisites

Students will require access to e-mail and have internet access to UConnect for this course.

Rationale

Media, from magazines and books to computer games and social networking sites, have never been more central to the way the vast majority of us live our lives. This course surveys the cultural functions, institutional structures and industry approaches associated with contemporary Australian media.

Synopsis

This course is the foundation course in Media Studies. It introduces students to the study of a broad range of media texts, forms, and systems, developing skills in information literacy, media analysis, critical thinking, and essay writing. The course encourages students to develop a critical engagement with the media, but particularly with their roles as media consumers and, where relevant, media producers. One of the features of this course is its engagement with industry: during the course, where possible and applicable, students will be invited to hear from professionals from media industries.

Objectives

On completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. discuss a diverse range of media;
  2. identify different ways of thinking about media;
  3. use key disciplinary terms in appropriate ways;
  4. apply select disciplinary concepts and/or approaches to the study of media.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Information literacy skills 10.00
2. Media texts, forms and systems 40.00
3. Media audiences 20.00
4. Approaches to studying media 30.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=02&subject1=CMS1012)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Cunningham, S & Turner, G (eds) 2014, The media and communications in Australia, 4th edn, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, New South Wales.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
During, S (ed) 2007, The cultural studies reader, 3rd edn, Routledge, London.
Flew, T 2014, New media: an introduction, 4th edn, Oxford UP, Oxford.
Hartley, J 2011, Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts, 4th edn, Routledge, London.
Livingstone, S (ed) 2005, Audiences and publics, Intellect Books, Portland, Oregon.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 25.00
Independent ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 140.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
QUIZ 1 100 10 07 Aug 2020
QUIZ 2 100 10 04 Sep 2020
QUIZ 3 100 10 02 Oct 2020
ESSAY 100 40 23 Oct 2020
ONLINE FORUM POSTS 100 30 23 Oct 2020

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    Students must attend and complete the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety training program for this course where required.

    External and Online: There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students’ responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

    On-campus: It is the students’ responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    There is no examination for this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Other requirements

  1. Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.

Date printed 6 November 2020