Undergraduate - UnitAHT3207 - Popular culture and contemporary communication

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
Organisational Unit	Department of Fine Art
Offered	Caulfield Second semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Associate Professor Rex Butler

Notes

This unit was formerly coded TAD3207

Synopsis

This unit deconstructs the visual language/s of popular culture by exploring the notion that film, television, magazines, fashion, advertising, comics, computer graphics and the internet are amongst the most powerful and persuasive communicators of ideas, attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes in our contemporary world. Using the techniques of semiotics and contemporary theory students learn to interpret and deconstruct the meaning of the various mediums of popular culture.

Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, student will:

be familiar with the salient ideas and methodologies of semiotics, and how these may contribute to an understanding of art and design
be familiar with the salient ideas and differences between structuralist and post-structuralist thought, and be able to make connections between these ideas and art and design practice
be able to use semiotics to critically decode and analyse the images and texts of popular culture
have an awareness and understanding of the cultural roles and responsibilities of professional communicators in today's society.

Assessment

Assignment 1,500 words (40%)
Research essay 2,500 words (60%)

Workload requirements

12 hours per week including 3 contact hours and 9 hours of independent study or equivalent.

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Rex Butler

Prerequisites

12 credit points at second year level in Art History and Theory, or Theory of Art and Design, or Visual Culture, or permission from Unit Coordinator

Prohibitions

TAD3217, TAD2207, AHT2207