Undergraduate study 2013 prospectus

General information

The Department’s distinctive interdisciplinary character and positive commitment to developing perspectives which cut across conventional subject boundaries are particularly well suited to the analysis of communication and the media, where key problems require a mix of approaches and methods. 

This degree course is unique in offering a broad training in the range of social science approaches used to analyse communication and the media. As well as using a variety of theories, concepts and techniques developed within sociology and social psychology, the course draws on relevant work in economics, politics, history and linguistics. 

The course includes lectures, workshop session and tutorials, and an opportunity to study in selected European universities through the international student exchange scheme. 

Students can, if they want to, choose one of the two optional study/teaching abroad schemes: 

Optional Six Month Study Abroad

Students can choose to visit a European University to study for six months. This a wonderful opportunity to enhance language skills and experience living abroad. There are many Universities to choose from, and the marks acquired count towards the final degree mark. This six month period is taken during the second year of the course. 

Optional Teaching Abroad Year

Alternatively, students can choose to visit a European University to teach for a year as a language assistant. This is paid employment and earns the Diploma in International Studies which is an additional qualification to the final degree. This year is taken between year 2 and year 3 of the degree, and converts the degree into a four-year course.

Selection

We do not favour any A Level subjects over others and we accept General Studies as a subject in its own right. In addition we welcome applications from students with other qualifications, from students on Access courses and from mature students.

All candidates to whom we are considering offering a place will be invited to visit the University to find out more about the course, to meet current students and to look around the campus.

Assessment

Students are assessed by both coursework and written examinations. Coursework involves essays, on-line reading commentaries, research reports, presentations and projects

Career Prospects

Communication and media is one of the fastest-growing areas of employment and Loughborough graduates find work in a range of jobs related to the sector. The degree provides a thorough working knowledge of how communications systems operate and of the theories and methods used to analyse them.

In addition it provides a range of essential general skills in problem solving, working with people, developing your own projects and using IT.

This combination of knowledge and skills is relevant to a wide variety of jobs related to communications, from working in the media industries to conducting market research, teaching communications studies, or dealing with the press and broadcast media while working in a company, voluntary organisation or local government agency, as well as to a range of jobs in industry, public administration and the professions more generally.

Course structure

Year 1

Compulsory modules:

• Introduction to Communication and Media Studies
• Researching Communications
• Study Skills
• Media Landscapes
• Introduction to Critical Viewings 
• Constructing Meanings: Texts and Audiences

Options to be chosen from:

• Sociology
• Social Psychology
• Criminology and Social Policy
• Deviance and Social Control
• British Politics
• French
• German
• Spanish

Plus others available at the time

Year 2

Compulsory modules:

• Communication and Cultural Theory
• Researching Communications
• Critical Viewings: Film
• Critical Viewings: Television
• Promotional Culture: Advertising, Public Relations and Society

A selection of communication and media options (indicative list):

• Media, Memory and History
• Media Panics
• News Production
• Persuasive Communication
• Propaganda
• Global Media
• Media and Identity
• Youth Culture and Media

Plus others offered at the same time from other subject areas in the Department.

Year 3

• Communication and Media Studies Dissertation
• Researching Communications
• Critical Viewings: Documentaries
• Digital Media and Society

Plus a further selection of options from those listed for Year 2.

Study options and entry requirements

Here you will find information about the various study options available for this course and the entry requirements for each option.

SQA = Scottish Qualifications Authority IB = International Baccalaureate