Communication and Media Studies BSc

About the Course

As a student on this course, you will learn, both theoretically and via hands-on experience, how the communication and information media actually work. This course enjoys a very close relationship with Sociology at Brunel, and particular attention is paid to the social and cultural dimensions of the media, and especially to the social and cultural consequences of the new technologies of communication and information.

This is a broad-based degree which offers students the opportunity to specialise in areas of particular interest, for example in the impact of the Internet and of other information and communications technologies, social media, media policy and regulation. The course also offers you the ability to gain experience in video editing and production.

Throughout the degree you will be encouraged to link together the theoretical and practical parts of the course as you engage in a broad-ranging sociological study of the contemporary media.

Aims

It is impossible to avoid all the communications media in today’s world, but precisely because the media are so central to our existence, we tend to take them for granted and to underestimate or even ignore their social and cultural impact.

Our Communications and Media Studies degree aims to remedy this situation, and to provide you with a mature, critical and sociologically-informed understanding of the place of the media in today’s society, with a particular focus on the new communication and information technologies.

Enquiries

Dr Sharon Lockyer
Admissions Tutor

Helen Stevenson
Admissions and Marketing Administrator
School of Social Sciences
Tel: +44 (0)1895 265952
Email: helen.stevenson@brunel.ac.uk

Related Courses

• Sociology and Media Studies BSc
• Sociology and Media Studies with Professional Development BSc
• Broadcast Media (Design and Technology) BSc
• Broadcast Media (Design and Technology) with Professional Development BSc

Special Features

• We have an international reputation for research and excellence in teaching, with particular expertise in areas such as television and media audiences, the public sphere, media discourse, globalisation and social transformation, the sociology of leisure and urban spaces, the politics of popular culture, health and the politics of protest, multiculturalism, race and ethnicity.
• Our courses are multi-disciplinary and flexible – you will have the option to take modules in other Social Sciences subjects.
• Professional work placements are integral to the four-year course, and allow you to develop invaluable skills in a variety of organisations.
• Communications and Media Studies students have access to video production equipment and training, a number of industry-standard AVID video editing suites and ample IT facilities.

Facts and Figures

The School of Social Sciences offers a wide range of BSc courses in psychology, sociology, anthropology and communications. 

The focus of study is upon all aspects of human behaviour: its personal, social and cultural dimensions. We have a strong research reputation that enhances all our undergraduate teaching, with particular expertise in areas such as: neuropsychology; psychoanalysis; developmental psychology; social psychology; contemporary social structure and social change; the role of science and the media; ethnicity and kinship; and power, inequality and prejudice in modern societies. All of our academic staff are actively engaged in research and many have international reputations in their field.

We provide a stimulating introduction to the social sciences by teaching a broad base of cross-disciplinary modules in the first year. Thereafter, you specialise increasingly in your particular disciplines.

Our courses will help you to develop specific skills in the practical methods associated with your discipline, including ethnographic fieldwork. A full range of laboratory and technical facilities is used in the teaching of experimental psychology, video production, psychophysics and the use of information technology.

We take particular pride in both the quality of our teaching and the extensive pastoral care of our students.

Course Content

Level 1

This level combines a foundation in the theories and methods of the social sciences, together with hands-on experience in video production.

Typical Modules

• Introduction to Media Studies
• Introduction to Video Production
• Media, Culture and Society
• Introduction to Social and Cultural Research
• Introduction to Social Enquiry
• Individual and Social Processes

Level 2

• This provides more sophisticated modules in the sociology of communications and media.

Typical Modules

• Video Production
• Media Genres and Society
• Research in Practice
• Global Communication

Plus two options from:

• Media, Culture and Representation
• Social Divisions: Difference and Resistance
• Work and Society
• Sociology of Everyday Life: Issues in Contemporary Culture

Level 3

You can choose from a wide range of options in leading-edge aspects of communications and media studies, most of them based on the research interests of teaching staff. Your final project may be based on practical video production.

Typical Modules

• Advanced Video Production: Film, Horror and the Imagination
• Understanding Audiences
• The Age of New Media
• City Lives: Bodies, Spaces and Social Interactions
• Television Studies
• Comedy, Culture and the Media
• Crime, Deviance and Addiction
• Health and the New Politics of Protest
• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Multiculturalism
• Popular Music and Popular Culture

Teaching and Learning

Our approach

We pursue excellence in both teaching and research. Our aim is to produce degree programmes which combine innovative and grounded teaching methods with leading-edge research, and which recognise the value of practical work experience in the learning process. We take great pride in both the quality of teaching and the extensive pastoral care of our students.

Staff expertise

All members of the academic staff are actively engaged in research and many have international reputations in their field. Their innovative findings feed into your courses to ensure that teaching is up-to-date.

How will I be taught?

The course is taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and small group projects.

Lectures – Most modules involve one or two hours of lectures a week. These provide a broad overview of key concepts and ideas relating to your course and provide you with a framework from which to carry out more in-depth study.

Seminars – These relatively small groups are used to discuss the content of lectures as well as issues arising from the modules. Seminars are often student-led. You can use seminars to clarify your own ideas in an atmosphere of discussion and debate.

Laboratory/research work – All students take part in practical modules. Video production modules are taught throughout the programme. In addition, you will study social research methods, which include observation, interviewing, questionnaire design and more specific research techniques.

One-to-one – You will get one-to-one supervision on your final year dissertation and at all levels you will have a personal tutor who is available to discuss academic (and personal) issues. If you go on work placement, you will also be allocated a work placement tutor who will monitor your progress and provide further support if you need it. Lecturers are usually available to answer particular queries outside of scheduled hours – either in one-to-one tutorials or by email.

Assessment

Level 1 does not count towards your final degree mark but you must pass this level to continue with your course. Level 2 is worth a third, and Level 3 is worth the rest. The final year dissertation is worth a third of Level 3 marks.

Methods of assessment vary and depend on which modules you select. Some courses are assessed on coursework only, some by (seen or unseen) examination only, and some by a combination of the two.

Assessment

Students are assessed using a range of methods, including coursework assignments, poster presentations, and seen and unseen examinations.

Employability

Students will acquire knowledge in understanding traditional and new information and communications technologies and processes. Students will develop a set of transferable skills that are useful in the workplace across a wide range of careers. Rigorous training is provided in methodologies and research skills.

Careers

You can enter a wide variety of careers ranging from public relations and corporate communications to research and production work for video and television companies. Although you will have plenty of practical experience in information technology and video production, this course is not designed to offer vocational qualifications in either information technology or film and television production.

Recent graduates now work in events and production co-ordination, research and buying in the media industries.

Placements

Students on our four year sandwich course (with Professional Development) have the opportunity to gain professional work experience in a variety of settings. We offer high-quality work placements and students benefit from our links with external organisations. Past placements have included work in TV, film and video production, advertising, the music business, local radio and public relations.

The positive impact of a sandwich placement on graduate employment outcomes across Brunel is considerable. Those who have done placements are also much more likely to be in employment for which their degree was a formal requirement or where they believe their degree gave them a competitive advantage in recruitment.

Placement leavers from Communications and Media experienced the following outcomes:

• 92.3% progressed into employment or further study
• 58.3% were engaged in a graduate-level activity (employment or further study)
• 58.3% of employed leavers were working in the top three categories of graduate level employment
• The average starting salary was £18,000.
  

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £9,000 full-time

International students: £13,500 full-time

We are introducing over 700 scholarships for 2013, meaning that one in five applicants who join Brunel next year will receive financial support from the University. See our fees and funding page for full details

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements for 2013 Entry

• GCE A-level BBB (General Studies/Critical Thinking accepted).
• Irish Leaving Certificate ABBBB.
• Scottish Advanced Highers BBB.
• Advanced Diploma Progression Diploma Grade B in Society, Health and Development, Creative and Media or Public Services plus an A-level at Grade B for Additional and Specialist Learning.
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDD in a related subject.
• IBDP 32 points.
• Access Complete and pass a related subject Access course with 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2 with Merits in all units.

For all of the above, 5 GCSEs or equivalent at Grade C or above are also required, to include English and Maths (please note that these must have been gained by the time you submit your UCAS application).

English Language Requirements

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.