AD3043 - Culture and Society

This module will be delivered via a series of interactive lectures and accompanying seminars. The lectures will introduce you to key theoretical concepts, contextualizing these within the wider field of cultural studies, demonstrating how scholarly ideas help us to understand the world around us. The lectures will introduce issues that you will discuss in the linked seminars, the latter of which are peer-led, discussion focused, and based on essential readings set by the module tutors on a weekly basis. Some lectures are supplemented by supplementary engagement tasks, such as film screenings. Seminars will be based around activities set by the tutor, in addition to debates and questions that provide you with an opportunity to critically assess theoretical ideas (that you will draw from lectures and set reading). The seminars will also provide you with case study examples to analyse together. The seminars will allow you to further develop your own critical position with the tutor’s guidance. Together, the combination of peer and tutor feedback on your ideas will enable you to further reflect on the topics covered and to assess their significance.
Throughout the module, emphasis will be placed on you developing your knowledge and understanding of the methods, approaches and key ideas that continue to define the study of culture, broadly defined. As you progress through the module, you will develop confidence in your ability to articulate your ideas by drawing on scholarship (academic books and articles).

On the module you will be academically supported in the following ways:

• The seminars provide a supportive environment in which you can voice and develop your ideas by engaging with your classmates’ views and the module tutors’ questions. Seminar group discussions and activities will help you to develop problem your solving skills by collaborating with others
• One-to-one tutorials with academic staff (face-to-face or online via video conferencing technology) provide opportunities for individualised guidance on academic matters and progress. Each tutor has designated drop-in and feedback slots during which students can individually discuss the ideas or raise queries about assessment with the tutors
• The module’s online electronic learning portal website (Blackboard) acts as a repository for learning materials (lecture slides), assessment information, a reading list with direct access to the library, and additional examples for you to use at any time.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• 1: You will develop a foundation level of knowledge of the theoretical perspectives that inform the study of culture and society in a national and international context.

• 2: You will gain a basic understanding of a range of factors that shape the creative industries and in turn how said industries impact our social, political and cultural life.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• 3: You will develop and demonstrate the skills needed to study film, media, theatre and performance in higher education, including gaining experience of locating and retrieving appropriate forms of information, then communicating the results of that research effectively.

• 4: You will gain experience of being able to critically assess cultural and social practices, in addition to outlets of communication, such as film and television.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

5: You will show an appreciation of your position as a citizen and social participant in a global age.

Summative assessment
The summative assessment for this module is comprised of one component

1) Take-away exam paper (worth 100% of the overall grade): at the end of the module, you will be provided with a take-away exam paper, consisting of questions based on the module’s content. You will have one week to answer two of the questions set. You will be expected to write 1000 words for each (so 2000 words in total). You will then submit your responses via Turnitin on the eLP. Summative marks and feedback will be provided via Turnitin 20 days after the Deadline. (MLOs 1 – 5)

Formative
You will be supported with feedback through formative (i.e. informal) tasks within the module seminars to prepare for the summative (i.e. formal) assessment for the module.
You will also be able to seek formative feedback on your progress during tutors’ tutorial and feedback drop-in times throughout the semester.

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This module examines culture and society in relation to, firstly, foundational concepts in cultural studies and, secondly, case-study examples drawn, broadly, from cultural and social practices and the creative industries. Central to the module is exploring culture in relation to the changing technological landscape, and how developments in the mediasphere continue to alter our relationship with cultures throughout the world. In this module, you will explore not only how, for example, mediated cultural representations are influenced by external factors such as regulation, ownership, and audience behaviours, but also how our social relations are transformed in this process, how technology and the creative industries have altered our understandings of world events, and impacted on what matters to us (our cultural and societal values). You will also examine how media technologies have developed over time, how they have altered the ways we communicate with each other, and affected or cultural relations in the process. As we explore these ideas, you will engage with key concepts and approaches that scholars of culture and society use to analyse the world around us. That knowledge will provide a vital foundation for further study in higher education.