CBM066 Module: Critical Approaches to Media Industries

Assessment Criteria

The module will:  

·Develop a critical understanding of various theoretical approaches and apply this to the study of the mass media industries

·Assess the historical and organisational contexts of the broadcast and print media

·Analyse the ways in which the communication industries are owned, controlled and regulated

·Define and appraise critically the process within which media practitioners assess, select and package information at different levels for their audiences

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this academic session, all the teaching will be delivered entirely online on Friday mornings.  All the lectures will be recorded and you are asked to listen to these and then attend the seminar which will be conducted using Blackboard Collaborate.  It is essential that you listen to the recorded lecture prior to coming to the online discussion session.  The link to this platform is available through the Moodle site for CBM066.  Additionally, at various points during the semester, guidance will be given to you to support you in carrying out assessed coursework.  

The module is assessed by one piece of individual coursework and the overall grade will be expressed as a letter grade (A-F) – see below.  All assessed work and grading are subject to the appropriate Assessment Board and marks will be ratified at this point.  

The assessment is an essay and is due for submission on Monday 26th November 2020 by 1pm.

RESUBMISSION Please note: that in the event of a resubmission (i.e. a fail or a non-submission by the published deadline – see above) the student will be required to complete an essay on a new topic and this will be posted on Moodle by the tutor after the Assessment Board in June.  Students will be required to submit the new work by a deadline at the beginning of August.  

Write an essay on ONE of the following:

1.“We live in a world where there is more and more information and less and less meaning” (Jean Baudrillard in Simulacra and Simulation, 1994, p79).  Analyse critically Baudrillard’s statement in relation to contemporary media output.

2.Is there reason for concern about the economic organisation of the media and the significant degree to which there is concentration of ownership therein?

In this assessment, students are expected to:

·Demonstrate evidence of reading and engage with relevant critical theory

·Assess critically the contemporary media landscapes and cultures debating, where appropriate, matters related to regulation, ownership and/or audiences

·Construct coherent arguments that are consistent

·Observe the conventions of academic writing and linguistic accuracy

As indicated above, students are expected to read widely, demonstrate analytical and evaluative skills, exhibit an ability to handle sources and to present their work in a clear, clean and well-edited form.

Students should adhere to University and School regulations concerning late submissions and to the assessment condition that allows a student to be eligible for a pass.

MARKING CRITERIA

Content including evidence of research, reference to relevant theory (where appropriate) use of academic sources, presentation (observation of conventions of essay writing, fluency of expression, academic tone)

Quality of arguments including exposition, critical analysis, relevancy of examples