AMU1278 - Communication technologies and practices - 2018

This unit introduces the study of communications technologies by focusing on analyses of audiences, effects and technology. Students explore the social uses and practices associated with traditional and new communication technologies. Areas of study include telephony, screen, radio, print, photography and digital communication technology, with a particular focus on aspects of historical development, sociocultural adaptations, and contemporary technological convergence. Unit readings and assessment tasks expect students to discuss these matters in relation to different sociocultural contexts, drawing upon material and case studies from Australia, Southeast Asia, and other relevant areas.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Use the practical skills of reading, note taking and arguing in exploring critical perspectives on communication;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of theoretical frameworks and conceptual tools for describing the development of communication technologies;
3. Analyse the social and political uses of communications technologies;
4. Recognise communication as an active production and negotiation of meanings, not just the transmission of information;
5. Identify relations between media texts and technologies, the identities and capacities of producers and audiences, and the aspirations of governments and other powerful social actors.

Within semester assessment: 70%

Exam: 30%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Communication

Communication, media and screen studies

Global studies in communication and media