communications,and,media

COMMUNICATIONANDMEDIATheUniversity of Liverpool19 Abercromby SquareLiverpool L69 7ZGT: +44 (0)151 795 0500E: [email protected]

www.liverpool.ac.uk/communication-and-media

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FINDOUTMOREwww.liverpool.ac.uk/study

Accommodation: www.liverpool.ac.uk/accommodationFees and finance: www.liverpool.ac.uk/moneyLife in Liverpool: www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/cityStudent support: www.liverpool.ac.uk/studentsupportUGenquiries and applications: T: +44 (0)151 794 5927

EB/RH JUN 2013

ContentsIntroduction to CommunicationandMedia 01Research in context 04An investment in your future 06Programmedetails 08Applications and admissions 13

01

If you are eager to engage with questionsabout modern media and systems ofcommunication, and about their relationshipto the rapidly changing world in which welive, Communication and Media offers theopportunity to study a wide range of mediaincluding the press, multimedia, film andtelevision in a lively and creative environmentwhich embraces innovation and change.You will receive expert teaching based intheory and analysis, and with a global focus,from our committed team of internationally-experienced scholars who will help to prepareyou for employment in a wide range ofstimulating and fast-moving careers.

WHYCHOOSECOMMUNICATIONANDMEDIA AT LIVERPOOL?Real-world relevance.Communicationand Media students study the role andsignificance of media and humancommunication in contemporary culture,with a focus that can range from individualtexts through the media industries to theeffects of the media on society as a whole.

What better place to immerse yourself in thesubject than Liverpool, a city with a reputationas a political and creative force, with a thrivingproduction sector and a unique culturalheritage? The department has close linksto cultural industries and venues in the city,some of which collaborate with us in offeringassessed work placements as part of ourprogramme of study.

Student satisfaction.We offer a widerange of modules that provide a nationaland international focus, giving you plentyof opportunities to choose topics that willdevelop your own specialist interests. Butthe department is small enough for staff toget to know each student individually. Thereare no vast, impersonal lecture groups, sothere is space for everyone to have their say.These are among the reasons why we wereone of the highest-rated departments forstudent satisfaction in the country in oursubject area in the 2012 National StudentSurvey with 90%.

CommunicationandMediaCommunicationandMediaprogrammesatLiverpooladdressawide rangeofquestionsabout themodernmedia industryand itsproducts,journalism,communicationandsocial interactionina livelyandcreativeenvironment.

Faculty of Humanities andSocial Sciences > School of theArts >Communication andMediawww.liverpool.ac.uk/communication-and-media

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STUDYABROADAs part of your Communication and Mediadegree, you may have the opportunity tostudy abroad. Studying abroad has hugepersonal and academic benefits, as wellas giving you a head start in the graduatejob market. Communication and Mediastudents currently have opportunitiesto study abroad at universities includingMonash University in Australia, University ofCopenhagen in Denmark and Bilgi Universityin Istanbul, Turkey. Or you may choose tobenefit from our research and teaching linkswith Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University(XJTLU), a new international universityrun in partnership between the Universityof Liverpool and Xian Jiaotong Universityin China. There is the opportunity to studypart of your course at XJTLU Suzhou which islocated close to the vibrant city of Shanghai.

For more information visitwww.liverpool.ac.uk/goabroad

Research-active staff.All staff are activelyresearching and publishing in their fields, withnational and international reputations. However,they are also friendly and accessible, alwaysready to offer help or advice to students.

Synergies.Communication and Mediais an interdisciplinary field of study whichstraddles the arts and social sciences.As such, it combines very well with a widerange of subjects available through theHonours Select programme, creating somefascinating synergies. There are few subjectareas nowadays where issues of media andcommunication do not play an important part.We have a long record of running successfulJoint Honours degrees with English, Music,Politics and Business Studies, and makingthe most of the interactions between theirfields and ours. These combinations remainavailable, but Honours Select offers theopportunity for us to expand theseconnections in other exciting directions,enabling combinations with Sociology,Film Studies, Philosophy, Law, AreaStudies, Languages and many others.


See what Thomas had to say about studyingCommunication, Media and Popular Music at Liverpoolwww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/video

Imaninquisitiveperson,andthis courseasksa lot ofquestionsandbroadensyourthoughtson theworld.Theprogrammeisvery flexible.Myinterestshavedevelopedover the courseofmystudies.Thisyear Ihave chosenGenderandMedianotanareaI thought Iwouldbe interested inandIhavebeenable to shapemycourseandchoose complementarymodules.THOMAS MORRIS JONESCOMMUNICATION, MEDIA ANDPOPULARMUSIC BA (JOINT HONS)


Although since the late 1990s Hollywood andindependent cinema have become increasinglyclose, following the Hollywood studios entryinto the independent filmmarket throughthe establishment of companies like FoxSearchlight and Sony Pictures Classics andthe finance and production of slick, star-drivenand accessible indiewood films (such asJuno, NoCountry for OldMen and DjangoUnchained), they were perceived asmuchmoreclearly differentiated from each other whenDirty Dancing was released in the late 1980s.

Dr Tzioumakis has argued that Dirty Dancinghas been a prototype indiewood film, mademore than a decade before the termwaspopularised by critics following the increasingconvergence between Hollywood andindependent cinema. As a result, the film pavedthe way for significant developments in theAmerican film industry and helped create theconditions in whichmore recent directorssuch asWes Anderson, Quentin Tarantinoand Sofia Coppola could flourish.

Dr Tzioumakis work on the film appears in thebook The Time of Our Lives: Dirty Dancing andPopular Culture (Wayne State University Press,2013), which he also co-edited, andwhichbrings together fifteen other original essayson the film by scholars from film, music,dance, media and cultural studies.

An example of a current area of researchin Communication andMedia is Dr YannisTzioumakis work on contemporary Americanindependent cinema and its relationship toconglomerate Hollywood.

Dr Tzioumakis, author and editor of four bookson the subject and co-editor of the AmericanIndies book series, has recently examined themuch-loved film Dirty Dancing (1987) as anexample of an independent film that had anumber of points of contact withmainstreamHollywood cinema. Produced by a now defunctcompany that specialised in home videoentertainment (and not by amajor Hollywoodstudio), the film seduced a primarily youngaudiencewho returned to it time and againin the 27 years since its release.

While on the surface it resembles a conventionalteenpic aimed squarely at youth audiences,Dr Tzioumakis examination reveals that thefilm is characterised by a number of stylisticand narrative elements including an uncertainfuture for its two protagonists that make itstand out from similar films of the time, andarguably help it maintain its reputation overthe years.

ResearchincontextTheUniversityofLiverpool isa research-intensiveuniversity, andmanyofouracademicstaff are leadingresearchers in their fields.What thismeans for youasastudent is that your learningwill be informedby theverylatestdevelopments inCommunicationandMedia.

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QUALIFYING YOU FOR LIFECommunication andMedia students developawide range of skills through their degreewhich are vital for many careers. Our teachingfocuses on the role and significance of mediaand communication in the contemporary world.Additionally, as well as a broad commercial andcultural awareness of themedia and creativeindustries, students will also gain transferableskills such as research and critical analysis,problem-solving and the ability to constructarguments and convey their ideas effectively all of which are highly beneficial skills in anywork-place setting.

CAREER PROSPECTSGraduates have gone on to careers includingbroadcasting, journalism, newmedia,advertising andmarketing, corporatecommunications and public relations, artsadministration, political campaigning (includingpolitical parties, trade unions and charities),management, government, and the civil service,as well as teaching in universities, colleges andschools. Former graduates include a televisiondocumentarymaker, a BBCRadio 1 DJ, seniorjournalists at local and national newspapers, a

partner in aNewYork-basedadvertising companyand the features editor of amusic weekly.

WORKEXPERIENCEOPPORTUNITIESStudents are able to access awide rangeof services through the Careers & EmployabilityService, which can also help them to findand apply for placements and internships.Many Communication andMedia studentsare involved in activities within the Universitysuch as writing for andmanaging LSMedia,an online student newspaper, andworkingat LSRadio, the local student radio station.Students also have the opportunity to takeawork-based learningmodule as part oftheir studies, where they gain valuable skillsand experience by undertaking assessedplacements in cultural and communicationroles with local organisations.

RECENT EMPLOYERSPrevious employers have included, theBBC, the Independent newspaper, Red UnionFilms, Big Bear Films, Maya Vision International,TalkTalk Business Communications, theChildrens Heart Federation, Liverpool Biennialand the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

POSTGRADUATEOPPORTUNITIESPolitics and the Mass Media MA

06/07AninvestmentinyourfutureWithanhonoursdegree fromarespecteduniversity insubjectswithsuchstrongculturalandpolitical relevance,ourgraduateshavehadsuccess inawide rangeofprofessions throughout theworld.

Faculty of Humanities andSocial Sciences > School of theArts >Communication andMediawww.liverpool.ac.uk/communication-and-media Graduate

Profile

Thedegreewas fantasticbecause it offeredmuchvariety,andI could take themodulesthat interestedme,whichhappened tobequitea few filmandmarketingones.The staffwereall veryhelpfuland friendly. Iamstill amazedat the incredible support Iwasgivenbypeoplein theCommunicationandMediadepartment.Theyarenot just there to teach, but to supportstudents in thewaythatwill generate thebestresults, both in theacademic realm,andthepersonal.There isnowayI couldhavegotthis jobwithout the skills, knowledge,andrelationships Igainedat theDepartmentofCommunicationandMedia.MARY LINNELL-SIMMONSCOMMUNICATIONANDBUSINESSSTUDIESBA (JOINTHONS) 2009Marketing andProjects Coordinator atWonder Associates(wonderassociates.com), a creativemarketing companyfor arts, culture and leisure.

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Communication andMedia is an inter-disciplinary area of study so it makes anexcellent partner for degree combinationswith another subject of your choice. Thisprovides a context in which you can gain anunderstanding of the significance of mediaand communications as amajor force inmodern life, shaping our self-perceptionsas well as the societies in which we live.

In Years Two and Three you can chooseto focus on a specialist strand of studysuch as political communication, screenstudies or English language by selectingfrom a choice of recommendedmodules.

The programme allows you to develop youranalytical skills across a broader range of topicsand approaches than is normally availableon Single Honours Arts or Social Scienceprogrammes, combining knowledge ofcontemporary communication processes withthe strength of amore traditional subject area.

Prog ammedetails

HOWYOU LEARNForms of teaching are designed to suit thecontent of eachmodule, althoughmostmodules include aweekly lecture and seminar(a discussion involving a tutor and about15 students). Modulesmay also havescreening sessions, outside speakers andother special events. Dissertation andworkplacementmodules involvemore independentstudy, but always under the careful individualsupervision of amember of academic staff.

All students in Communication andMediawill receive teaching in study skills as part oftheir core first year programme, with sessionsincluding information literacy, essay writing,assessment and feedback, referencing, anddegree progress.

HOWYOUAREASSESSEDTypes of assessment vary frommoduletomodule, but we are committed to usinga range of different forms of assessment.These include coursework projects, essays,reports, literature reviews, presentations,online tests and unseen examinations.

Degrees at aGlance UCAScode Length (Years) Page

Communication andMedia 3 08

Programmes offered by other departmentsFilm Studies 11

This subject can be taken as part of a Combined Honours degree.Seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/combined-honours for further details.Please see Honours Select brochure for UCAS code.Four years if a modern language is taken.

This subject is available as part of the Honours Select curriculum as either 75% (Major),50% (Joint Honours) or 25% (Minor) as indicated. Seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/honours-selectfor further details and UCAS codes for Joint and Minor pathways.Entrance RequirementsSeewww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses for current entrance requirements.

HONOURSSELECTFrom 2014, the Faculty of Humanities andSocial Sciences is offering a new, innovativeway to study.

We are offering amuchwider range ofJoint (50:50) degrees across the Faculty.In addition, we are giving you the optionto study two subjects on a 75:25 basis,focusing 75%of your time on yourMajorsubject and 25%of your time on yourMinor.Seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/honours-selector the separate Honours Select booklet forfurther details.

Communication andMedia

Students wishing to study CommunicationandMedia are able to combine their studieswith one of over 30 other humanities orsocial science subjects.

Whether you study Communication andMedia75% or Communication andMedia 50%, youwill take half of your studies in CommunicationandMedia in Year One and half in your partnersubject area. In Years Two and Three, 75%students will move to a 75:25 combination, withthemajority of their teaching in CommunicationandMedia. 50% and Combined Honoursstudents will continue 50:50, studying bothsubject areas equally throughout their degree.


For current entrance requirements and fullmodule details, seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses

These subjects are available as partof ourHONOURS SELECT programme.Choose from over 30 subjects to createyourperfect Joint orMajor /MinorHonoursDegree. Seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/honours-select for further details.

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Communication andMedia

Youwill be able to choose one of twointroductory strands of study focusingeither on analysing contemporary forms ofcommunication or exploring the relationshipbetweenmedia, politics and everyday life.This enables you to complement yourMajor subject either with an arts focuson interpretation andmeaning or withamore social-scientific approach.

There is a full choice of modules for the secondand third years. However, students taking theMinor option would not normally expect to takea dissertation in Communication andMediaor be eligible for the work placementmodule.Both of these would normally be available asoptional choices as part of your Major subject.

For further details about any of theseprogrammes, seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses

PROGRAMMECONTENTIn your first year youwill be introduced tokey theoretical and analytical frameworks.In the second year, there are opportunitiesto specialise in particular areas of interest tocomplement your other subject (egmodulesin English language, political communicationand/or screen studies). In your final year, youmay select a dissertation option and completea piece of sustained, original work on a topicof your choice. Youwill also be eligible toapply for a place on our assessedworkplacement scheme.

Year OneCoremodules:

Analysing CommunicationMedia, Politics and the Everyday

Year TwoEnglish VoicesHollywoodCinemaGlobal Media and EntertainmentMedia andGenderNewMedia, Technology and SocietyDocumentary

Year ThreeDissertationPolitical CinemaLiteracy and SocietyPublic Service BroadcastingAmerican Independent CinemaMedia and Human RightsIndependent ProjectEuropean Cinema: Aspects of Realism

Module options are subject to change.

For current entrance requirements and fullmodule details, seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses

These subjects are available as partof ourHONOURS SELECT programme.Choose from over 30 subjects to createyourperfect Joint orMajor /MinorHonoursDegree. Seewww.liverpool.ac.uk/honours-select for further details.

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ApplicationsandadmissionsWewelcome applications from all over theworld, and its our aim tomake the processof applying as smooth as possible.

The information that follows is a brief guideto applying for programmes of study at theUniversity of Liverpool. For full details of ourapplications and admissions policy, pleasevisit our website atwww.liverpool.ac.uk/ug-admissions

MAKINGANAPPLICATIONTHROUGHUCASApplications for full-time undergraduatestudy aremade via UCAS, the Universities andColleges Admissions Service, using UCASsonline application system atwww.ucas.comThe University of Liverpool institution codeis LVRPL L41.

WHEN TOMAKE YOURAPPLICATIONFor up-to-date information please visitwww.ucas.com

ENTRANCEREQUIREMENTSFor full details on the programmeswe offerand detailed entrance requirements, visitwww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate

We accept a wide range of otherqualifications, eg EU and internationalqualifications. For more detailed informationon entrance requirements, see our onlineprospectuswww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses

For information on English language entryrequirements, visitwww.liverpool.ac.uk/study/international/countries/english-language orcontact Student Recruitment and AdmissionsT: +44 (0)151 794 6730 E: [email protected]/help/undergraduate

MATURESTUDENTSWewelcome applications from candidateswho are not applying directly from schoolor college, or who have non-standardqualifications, or whowish work or lifeexperience to be taken into account as partof their application. For further informationseewww.liverpool.ac.uk/maturestudents

STUDENTSWITHDISABILITIESWegive equal consideration to all applicantsandwelcome applications from studentswith disabilities. Please contact the DisabilitySupport Team on T: +44 (0)151 794 5117 todiscuss your support needs before yousubmit your UCAS application.

DIVERSITY AND EQUALITYThe University of Liverpool attaches thegreatest importance to its policies and activitiesto promote diversity and equality of opportunity.Full details on these policies can be found onlineatwww.liverpool.ac.uk/diversity-and-equality

DISCLAIMEREvery effort has beenmade to ensure thatinformation containedwithin this brochureis accurate at the time of going to press.However, thematters covered are subjectto change from time to time, both beforeand after a candidates admission.

communications,and,media

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