An ESSAY length 3000 WORDS weighted at 50%.
The essay will examine the ways in which new technological developments are impacting on media institutions, forms and practices and the wider implications of this [Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 4]

PARTICIPATION in online forums of 70%( 9 out of 12 sessions) weighted at 10% [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4]

A REPORT length 2000 WORDS weighted at 40%.
The report will be based on a practical project which explores the impact of digital technology on media forms [Learning Outcomes 2, 3 and 4]

This module will examine the political and economic contexts of the media and the impact of forces of globalisation and digitalisation on media institutions. This will include an examination of :
- the economics of the media industries
- the structure and organisation of the media industries
- the impact of new technologies
- globalisation and the media
- responses to the challenges of convergence by governments through policy and regulation
Issues of power are central to the module. Students will be encouraged to consider the ways in which contexts of production have implications for media processes, content and ultimately meaning.
Students will be asked to apply their knowledge through the practical construction of a web log and reflective report.

The main focus will be on self instruction, within a tightly structured framework and relying largely (but not exclusively) on materials supplied. Week by week you will work through self-instructional course material (delivered via Blackboard), which provides the framework and focus for reading key texts and papers and undertaking the specific tasks set. This work will be undertaken on an individual basis, but at various points you will be expected to interact and share material with other students in your learning group and your tutor (24 hours). The module will run over 16 weeks including 4 Weeks to complete assessments.

Multi-media computers for accessing Blackboard, websites and electronic journals.
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available (where relevant) to support this module. Detais will be supplied in the module handbook.

Barbrook, R (2007) Imaginary Futures: From Thinking Machines to the Global Village, London, Pluto Press
Blyton, P and Jenkins, J (2007) Key Concepts in Work, London: Sage
Croteau, D and Hoynes, W (2005) The Business of Media, London, Sage
Curran, J (2000) Media Organisations in Society, London: Arnold.
Doyle, G (2008) Understanding Media Economics, London: Sage
Edgell, S. (2007) The Sociology of Work, London; Sage
Flew, T (2007) Understanding Global Media, Hampshire: Palgrave, Macmillan
Hassan, R (2004) Media, Politics and the Network Society, OU press.
Kung, L and Picard R (2008) The Internet and the Mass Media, Sage
Levinson, P. (1999) Digital McLuhan, London: Routledge
Lyon, D. (1988) The Information Society: Issues and Illusions, Oxford; Polity Press
Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. (1997) Media in a Global Context, London: Sage
Stevenson, N. (1999) The Transformation of the Media, Essex: Longman
Thussu, D.K. (1998) Electronic Empires: Global Media and Local Resistance, Edward Arnold
Wilkin, P (2001) The Political Economy of Global Communication, Pluto Press
New Media and Society - Journal