COM5302 - Media flows

Leader: Daniel Black

Offered

Caulfield Second semester 2008 (Day)
Gippsland Second semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit will address the increasingly dynamic and complex flows of media products between cultural and geographic regions, investigating the complex processes of transmutation and hybridisation which media texts undergo as they move between cultural settings. Regional media flows based around key producers such as Hong Kong, Brazil, India, Egypt and Japan will be discussed, as well as the impact of their media products outside their region. The flow of media products within diasporic communities will also be discussed as an important factor in both the maintenance of cultural identity and initiation of cultural exchange.

Objectives

Upon completion of this unit, students will:

1. be familiar with key terms, debates and models relating to the international flow of media texts
2. have an understanding of the complexity and unpredictability of global media flows
3. be capable of detailed research into specific examples of the international movement of media texts, and
4. have developed skills necessary for independent research and sophisticated debate on the topic of cross-cultural exchange and media analysis.
5. in comparison with Level 4 students, greater fluency in the use of rhetorical, written, and visual forms.

Assessment

Assignment 1 Research Essay (4000 words) : 40%
Assignment 2 Research Essay (5000 words) : 60%

Contact hours

2 hours (one 2-hour seminar) per week.

Off Campus Attendance Requirements

Students will be expected to participate for a minimum of one hour per fortnight in on-line discussion.