Sociology of the mass media
Proposed to be offered next in 1996
C Lewis
8 points * 3 hours per week * First semester * Peninsula * Prerequisites: First-year SCY sequence or equivalent
Critical analysis of the function of the popular media in the social distribution of knowledge; mass media as legitimators of order and the status quo; media organisations and their place within structures of economic and political power. Other areas examined are news and the social construction of reality; the media and images of deviance; advertising, symbols and stereotypes; the media and women's roles, etc. The structures and components of the media and the implications for content, format, and level of influence are also investigated.
Assessment
Research project (2500 words): 35% * Essay (2500 words): 35% * Examination (1.5 hours): 30%