2012
Course overview
This year-long course offers you the opportunity to 'top up' your foundation degree or HND to a full BA (Hons) qualification.
This course enables you to explore a diverse variety of topics in the media industry. Rooted in cultural studies, it combines the academic study of culture and media in western and non-western contexts, with practical work in digital video, interactive media, radio, digital photography and screenwriting.
You will work on both simulated and real life assignments that reflect current practice in the workplace, and upon graduation, you will be thoroughly prepared to operate in a professional manner within the creative and communication industries.
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Industrial focus
This long-standing course is taught by both academic tutors and production staff with extensive professional experience in the media industry. They have designed the course to enable you to develop your critical faculties, and to meet the challenges of the media industries. The diverse range of topics that you will cover, coupled with the emphasis we place on work based learning will make you attractive prospect to a wide variety of employers.
Course content
Individual Research Project – A large-scale research project incorporating live issues and problems leading to a creative outcome. The Major Project is the location in which your skills come together in the design, execution and presentation of a complex and individually demanding piece of work and is the arena in which you may engage in critical debate. It is intended to be both personally and intellectually challenging.
Reading Contemporary Culture – develops your knowledge of the concepts, theories and methods used to analyse, interpret and evaluate design and media communication. This theoretical unit aims to strengthen your understanding of communication, cultural and social theory as it guides our understanding of the relationship between the text and the ‘reader’. It is particularly appropriate for students who have a developed skill set but has yet to place this in a social, cultural and international context. It will explore the nature of media industries and the meaning of textual and visual media, both found and created.
Solent Live: This unit will enable you to be credited for the skills you develop in the field of project, event, performance planning, realisation and to facilitate your personal development through reflection on the project. Experiential learning is an extremely valuable way to develop work-related skills and research has shown that such real life projects are highly valued by graduate recruiters. The unit consists of group and independent learning with specialist input on event management, project planning and team management.
Global Media Strategies: This unit examines and explores the global nature of much of the operations within the communication and media industries. It will examine such areas as transnational ownership and control, technological and cultural convergence, cultural imperialism, and international advertising, marketing and public relations strategies.
Small Business Entrepreneurship: This unit is designed to provide a comprehensive framework to students not only with an interest in becoming involved in establishing or managing a small business but also to guide those who will interface with owner managers/entrepreneurs in their working life. The unit also explores the contribution small businesses make to the economy.
Persuasive Communication: This unit will provide students with an understanding of the principles underlying the relationship between attitudes, values and behaviour. This understanding will inform knowledge of constancy and change in beliefs and attitudes in affective-cognitive systems. Various approaches towards understanding the process of persuasion and compliance will be explored. Applications of these approaches will be studied through the analysis of a numerous case studies and role plays.
You will apply approaches to the analysis of persuasive communication strategies employed in areas such as political communication, advertising, marketing and the workplace. The use of persuasive strategies in conflict resolution at the workplace will be considered and you will analyse and apply intervention and mediation strategies to conflict resolution. The unit aims to facilitate understanding of the principles and processes that affect the way in which we deal with situations where the participants are seeking outcomes in a common situation.
Why choose this course?
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This year-long course offers you the opportunity to 'top up' your foundation degree or HND to a full BA (Hons) qualification.
-
enables you to explore a diverse variety of topics in the media industry. Rooted in cultural studies, it combines the academic study of culture and media in western and non-western contexts, with practical work in digital video, interactive media, radio, digital photography and screenwriting.
-
reflects current practice in the workplace, and upon graduation, you will be thoroughly prepared to operate in a professional manner within the creative and communication industries.
-
is taught by both academic tutors and production staff with extensive professional experience in the media industry. They have designed the course to enable you to develop your critical faculties, and to meet the challenges of the media industries. The diverse range of topics that you will cover, coupled with the emphasis we place on experiential learning will make you attractive prospect to a wide variety of employers.
Assessment
Coursework only, including methods such as tests, group and individual presentations, essays, reports, and portfolio and design work.
Lectures are used to present arguments and views as well as communicating new ideas to students.
Tutorials
Monitor your academic progress by means of discussion and progressive evaluation. Giving you the opportunity to openly discuss your work, to encourage an analytical approach and to develop independent judgment.
Seminars
A student centred means of drawing out themes and examples to illustrate issues raised within the programme and units. They will also be used to enhance transferable personal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
Presentations
The presentation of material by students to their peers and members of academic staff will generate feedback that will develop students’ ability to communicate and improve their effectiveness in communicating ideas. Presentations not only foster self-critical evaluation of a personal or team performance but also develop skills in evaluating and feeding back on the performance of others.
Projects vary in their aims, objectives and requirements. At Level 6, students are expected to be more autonomous and will have greater freedom to define their own thematic and creative parameters. Projects also offer a useful learning and teaching vehicle for allowing students to select appropriate material for a report and develop a formal written style. In particular, projects allow students to demonstrate their competence to operate in a professional context.
It is recognized that top up students do not have as much time to familiarize themselves with the teaching and learning patterns adopted in their chosen course of study and therefore they are given more support both as part of the standard programme and in the form of additional academic tuition than you would normally see at Level 6.
Key career skills
Creative thinking, writing, presentation, IT, teamwork, project management.
Projects/work experience
Typically, students will respond to a number of varying industry and live briefs as well as having the opportunity to organize a live event.