GV374-6-AU-CO:
Democracy and the Media
2022/23
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Future
Thursday 06 October 2022
Friday 16 December 2022
15
05 June 2023
Requisites for this module
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This module is open to third year students. It will be particularly useful to students who wish to pursue a career in the media, communications, or marketing. GV374 Democracy and the Media I: Media Systems focuses on the British media system. It will provide students with an understanding of the role of the media in democracy and the relationship between the British media, parties, and government. Students are able and, indeed, encouraged to make comparisons between the British system and other media systems throughout the module.
GV375 Democracy and the Media II: Regulating the Media is a companion to this module. That module runs in the spring term. It examines how the British media is regulated to achieve the public interest. GV374 is required for everyone who takes the spring module. Students who take GV374 are strongly advised to take the spring module to understand how the UK has tried to modify the behaviour of the media to support democratic values.
The aim of this module is:
- To provide students with a good understanding of the relationship between the media and politics, particularly – but not exclusively – in Great Britain.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the media and democractic values.
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the evolving relationship between politicians and the media.
- Critically evalute how media policy is made.
- Systematically analyse media content
BBC Radio 4 has a regular programme called The Media Show. If you are not able to listen to the original broadcasts you can catch up with shows via downloads. The Guardian newspaper is usually the first place to look for news about the media since it is the `House newspaper` for people who work in the media. You should particularly look out for articles by Roy Greenslade. You should also look what is available on the Reuters Institute for the Study of journalism website at the University of Oxford. This carries reports from both scholars and practitioners. The BBC Academy is another good sources of information and provides clues about the skills needed to get a career in journalism and/or the media.
This module will be taught over 2 hours per week.
The Listen Again system will be activated during classes, enabling you to listen to discussions without worrying too much about notes.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Government
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