Course Title: Reading Media Texts

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Reading Media Texts

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

COMM2072

City Campus

Undergraduate

335H Applied Communication

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 2 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 2 2008

COMM2289

Singapore Inst of Management

Undergraduate

335H Applied Communication

Face-to-Face

Offsh 1 07

COMM2376

RMIT University Vietnam

Undergraduate

335H Applied Communication

Face-to-Face

Viet1 2009,
Viet2 2009,
Viet3 2009

COMM2376

RMIT University Vietnam

Undergraduate

345H Media and Communication

Face-to-Face

Viet1 2010,
Viet2 2010,
Viet3 2010,
Viet1 2011,
Viet2 2011,
Viet3 2011,
Viet1 2012,
Viet2 2012,
Viet3 2012

Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa French

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 3026

Course Coordinator Email: lisa.french@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 6.6.07 City Campus, Melbourne Australia

Course Coordinator Availability: See Part B Course-Guide


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

To be effective media practitioners in a society where the media is a pervasive and powerful influence, students need to develop a critical understanding of how to read media texts. In particular, this course will focus on ways to read images, sound and text in a variety of media forms and consider how these readings emerge from a complex interaction of historic, institutional, technological, intellectual, personal, aesthetic, cultural and global forces.

Students will have an opportunity (individually and in groups) to research, evaluate, discuss and critically examine texts in media such as cinema, television, radio, popular music, computer games and the internet.

The course will encourage students to: develop their understanding of the specific features of texts in various media and how they work to produce meaning and appreciate the elements common to an understanding of all media texts. This course weaves theory and practice together; through hands on workshops, students will explore the theoretical concepts raised in lectures and set course readings.

The learning approach in this course will be student-centred and project-based.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

See below Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives.


1. Through the study of a selection of media texts, you will be able to explain how media texts produce and convey meanings and affect readers/audiences.

2. You will be able to describe the differences between media forms in the way meaning is conveyed.

3. You will be able to analyse and explain the way that various media texts emerge from a complex interaction of historic, institutional, technological, intellectual, personal, aesthetic, cultural and global forces.

4. You will reflect on how the ‘reading’ of any media text is a cultural process.

5. You will be able to engage with introductory theoretical media concepts.

6. You will reflect upon and evaluate your own learning processes through your participation in the course.


Overview of Learning Activities

The approach and focus taken in this course is on students developing, at an introductory level, an understanding of the learning process and their individual strengths and weaknesses as learners, so that they can effectively plan, monitor, evaluate and adapt their learning process as they progress through their studies.

The ability to collaborate effectively on projects has been identified as a key attribute of people working successfully in media and communications industries. Group work is also emphasized to encourage feedback between students and will be a feature of both class activity, and assessment work. The collaboration skills required for group work to be effective will be addressed as part of the course.


Peer review of student’s work is also an important feature of the course. Peer feedback enables students to gain a range of perspectives on their work, and the student providing the feedback develops their critical, analytical and communication skills.
 


Overview of Learning Resources

Prescribed Text
See part B of the course guide for the prescribed text.


The library catalogue can be found at: http://www1.sim.edu.sg/sim/pub/gen/sim_pub_gen_simCentre.cfm?mnuid=91 

See below.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment in this course will have several components--including reading logs and seminar projects.