Live Research in the Media (P5100)
30 credits, Level 5
Spring teaching
On this module, you’ll analyse the construction of current media and cultural phenomena as they unfold. You’ll assess issues that become topical in the media and popular culture during the module and analyse them systematically, using specific research methods.
Each week will focus on a contemporary issue in media and/or popular culture, for example:
- the latest development in an election campaign
- a controversy about racism in football
- responses to the latest hit drama on streaming TV.
As such, we’ll draw from examples in the public domain, including digital news reports, advertisements, social media posts by organisations, and popular culture.
In the lectures, you’ll learn analytical methods such as:
- visual
- thematic
- framing
- formal analysis
- genre
- object analysis
- digital methods
- frame analysis
- audience approaches
- critical discourse analysis.
You’ll then apply these methods to media and cultural output about the issue of the week.
Using the findings of your analysis, you’ll learn to build, evidence, justify and defend your own argument about how each issue is represented. You’ll consider who is given power and who is disadvantaged in the phenomena you analyse, and how this relates to the methodological approach your analysis took.
You’ll also:
- become a more critical analyst of media content
- learn to interpret a range of contemporary media and cultural issues
- learn to provide evidence for your claims, deriving from the systematic application of research methods
- gain experience in writing an engaging and accurate report
- improve your writing, research and analytical skills
- learn to use a range of methods which can be further developed and applied in your dissertation.
Contact hours and workload
This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 55 hours of contact time and about 245 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.
We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.
We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.
Courses
This module is offered on the following courses: