AD3045 - Media Genres

The module is taught by lectures and seminars which are designed to develop your awareness of key critical and historical issues within the study of the genre, and the application of these to specific case-studies. The lectures (two hours) will provide a grounding for the contextual analysis, and will be illustrated by appropriate excerpts from relevant examples across the history of film, television and other types of screen media. The seminars (one hour) are student-led discussions of the issued covered. You will be required to make positive contributions to the learning experience by preparing for class. This will involve undertaking (where appropriate) reading or viewing activities specified on the module’s Electronic Learning Portal Site. The seminar classes are also intended to develop your communication skills and your ability to develop and respond to ideas in a collaborative environment.

You will receive informal feedback by the module tutor during seminars, which will help you to prepare for the summative tasks, and for the requirements of undergraduate study more generally. At key points in the module, there will be information and advice given in lectures and seminars relating to the skills required for assessment preparation, such as textual analysis, argument and structure, research processes, citation of sources and use of quotations, academic language, etc.

Classes will provide a constructive environment for the enhancement of knowledge and understanding of the subject, preparation for the assessment tasks, and the development of communication skills. Class material (such as Powerpoint slides, links to clips and discussion points) will be accessible via the e-Learning portal, along with supplementary learning material (which may include web links, suggestions for further viewing and reading). A list of key and further reading material will be available on the eLP, and an electronic reading list will link you directly to key sources, allowing you to access them anytime and anywhere. The module will also incorporate assessment preparation discussion, with advice on how to approach the essay tasks. Furthermore, the module tutor will offer set office hours for academic support

In addition, you have a designated Personal Guidance Tutor throughout the entire duration of your programme. The academic side of the Personal Guidance Tutor’s role includes:

• monitoring your ongoing academic progress
• helping you to develop self-reflection skills necessary for continuous academic development
• directing you to further available services which can help them with their academic skills (e.g. Library’s Skills Plus)

You are advised to see your Personal Guidance Tutor at least twice each semester to review your academic progress.

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. A familiarity with genre and its applicability to screen media

2. An ability to contextualise media genres in terms of how they are influenced by broader social, institutional and technological changes

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

3. An ability to articulate, evaluate and apply key issues associated with genre

4. Demonstration of analytical and communication abilities through verbal and written means

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

5. Appreciation of the global and cultural contexts screen media production

The assessment strategy for this module is to encourage you to develop a critically and contextually informed understanding of media genres and to be able to communicate this clearly in written form.

The assessment for this module is a 'Reflective Journal of Genre Criticism’, of 2,000 words, comprising four 500-word entries, each of which assesses core generic tropes of specific case studies from across the module. The final submission must subscribe to the Harvard Referencing style, and be accompanied by a correctly formatted bibliography.

The assessment addresses all of the MLOs relating to knowledge/understanding and intellectual/professional skills, in testing: a familiarity with critical approaches to genre, an ability to contextualise a specific example, an ability to evaluate and apply critical/theoretical issues to a case-study, and an ability to communicate ideas in written form. Submission and receipt of feedback for summative assessment is via Turnitin.

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This module is concerned with the identification and analysis of key genres across screen media, and gives you an understanding of the importance of genre in regards to both media production and analysis. It explores definitions of genre through a series of case-studies, which may include, for example, comedy, crime, horror and others. In studying these indicative examples, you will develop an awareness of the broader contexts shaping media production, the historical background of the case studies discussed, and the importance of close textual analysis to the study of media genres and higher education more broadly. The module is taught by lectures and discussion-based seminars. It is assessed through a reflective journal, in which students engage directly with four genres discussed on the module. The module will prepare you for BA Hons-level study by enhancing your academic skills of research, presentation, critical thinking, citation and independent study.