Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis Critical analysis of the function of the popular media in the social distribution of knowledge. The mass media as legitimators of order and the status quo. Media organisations and their place within structures of economic and political power. News and the social construction of reality. The media and images of deviance: folk devils and moral panics. Advertising: symbols and stereotypes. The media and women's roles. Techniques for media analysis in empirical sociology.
Assessment Essay (2000 words): 40% + Seminar paper (1000 words): 20% + Book review (1000 words): 20% + Test (2 hours): 20%