Media Studies A [530-MSA-AB]
No one can escape the influence of the media. Every day we watch hours of television, listen to the radio, read newspapers and comics, go to the cinema, sit in front of videos or surf the Internet. Our societies and cultures have become media saturated. To study the media is to study ourselves. The course examines the complex relationship between the media, government policy, ideology, art, knowledge, and power. Skills of critical analysis will be developed by gaining knowledge and understanding of how various forms of media work formally and stylistically, and how meanings are constructed and then interpreted by “the audience.” The course will aid students in analysing films, understanding how television and the press shape public opinion, and how to locate various forms of media within their economic, social, historical, and cultural contexts.
Media Studies B [530-MSB-AB]
Special topics.