A blog by Jodie Taylor
Below you will find 11 lessons which I specifically authored for a course I teach at SAE Creative Media Institute called CIU210 Media Studies. This unit introduces students to key theories and debates regarding the production and consumption of information in mediated culture. It encourages them to interrogate new and old media systems, analyse media content, deconstruct media messages and provides them with the attitudes and tools necessary to become critical makers of creative media.
Covid 19 landed the first day of my 10 weeks of paid vacation leave. So instead of travelling to a quiet beach in Borneo as I had intended, I spent my vacation period in lockdown making learning resources upon request. … READ MORE
For both educators and student practitioners working in the dynamic space of creative media, the pursuit of continuous learning and professional development is not merely a choice but a necessity. For this reason, I regularly set reflective assessment tasks for … READ MORE
How do we know what is real? Are we all experiencing the same reality now? Are we necessarily experiencing different realities? The obvious answer might, of course, be the correct one. In general, it would seem that humans (even children) … READ MORE
Today, the idea of celebrity embodies the ideal hero who emerged from the mass audience and gained notoriety as such our concept of celebrity involves little separation of notoriety from the recognition of greatness or individual success. In this lesson, … READ MORE
Audiences Put simply, audiences are people who give their attention to something. This might include people who congregate around an event or spectacle or the readership of a newspaper or blog. Mediated engagement with the world is not a transparent … READ MORE
What is Transmedia Storytelling? Transmedia storytelling is telling a story across multiple forms of media and preferably with a degree of audience participation, interaction or collaboration. In a transmedia context, the “story unfolds across multiple media platforms with each new … READ MORE
As digital citizens, it is our responsibility to be fully aware of our technological surroundings. This involves understanding the ethics and implications of our online behaviour and use of technology. In this lesson, we unpack some of the key debates relating to digital ethics and rights in relation to piracy, privacy and surveillance.
Alternative media is a vehicle for advancing counter-hegemonic discourse and differs from mainstream mass media in that it is often presumed to have a much greater capacity for transforming spectators into citizens and empowering them to actively participate in social change. In this lesson, we will examine the validity of this presumption and explore a range of activist media tactics such as culture jamming.
News media is the primary means by which the general public receives important information, helping them form opinions about their world and make important decisions about politics and government. A free and fair press is the cornerstone of democracy. In this lesson, … READ MORE
Semiotics, or semiology, is the study of signs, symbols, and signification and investigates how cultural texts create and communicate meaning. In this lesson, we examine semiotics in relation to media texts, meanings, myths and orders of signification and unpack key terms and methods of analysis.
Representation Representation Introduction Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, emotions, experiences, places, objects, events, cultural identities and practices, social structures. In this lesson, we will explore representation … READ MORE
Mass communication and mass media permeate our society. At its most basic level, we can think of communication as the exchange of information or meaning. A medium, or media, is a technology which mediates this exchange. In this lesson, we are going to take a look at some of the key terms and theories of media studies. In particular, we’re going to explore the extent of the mass media influences its audiences.
Media Studies intro Media Studies intro As our daily lives are transformed by digital media and networked public spaces, it is becoming increasingly important that we are literate in a vast array of media. While literacy is something that we … READ MORE
