Department of Media and Communications

BA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

510014A UNDERGRADUATE

HANDBOOK

2011-2012
This handbook contains all the essential information you will need for the BA Media & Communications programme. It also contains important information about examinations, assessment and work deadlines.
Course descriptions and online versions of this and other handbooks will be made available during the session on the Goldsmiths Virtual Learning Environment website at http://learn.gold.ac.uk

Please read carefully and use for reference throughout the year.
Department of Media and Communications Goldsmiths University of London New Cross London SE14 6NW

020 7919 7600 media-ug@gold.ac.uk

2011 Department of Media and Communications Goldsmiths

Please read this handbook in conjunction with the General Regulations and other academic regulations such as Programme Regulations for your specific programme of study, available on the web at www.gold.ac.uk/regulations. It should also be read in conjunction with the Information for Students handbook (which is available on the web www.gold.ac.uk/student-handbook). Disclaimer The information in this handbook was correct in August 2011. Whilst it is as far as possible accurate at the date of publication, and Goldsmiths will attempt to inform students of any substantial changes in the information contained in it, the College does not intend by publication of the handbook to create any contractual or other legal relation with applicants, accepted students, their advisers or any other person. The College is unable to accept liability for the cancellation of proposed programmes of study prior to their scheduled start; in the event of such cancellation, and where possible, the College will take reasonable steps to transfer students affected by the cancellation to similar or related programmes of study. Please see the Terms and Conditions in the relevant prospectus. The College will not be responsible or liable for the accuracy or reliability of any of the information in third party publications or websites referred to in this booklet. College Regulations By enrolling, you undertake to comply with the College's Programme and General Regulations, and with the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances of the College. In the event of any inconsistency existing between information provided in this handbook, and either the Programme or General Regulations, the Programme and General Regulations shall govern in all cases. If you have any queries about apparent inconsistency between information in this handbook and the Regulations, please contact the head of Academic Services in writing. 'Force Majeure' Obligations of the University Goldsmiths, University of London undertakes all reasonable steps to provide educational services including teaching, examination, assessment and other related services, set out in its prospectuses and programme literature (Educational Services). However, except where otherwise expressly stated, Goldsmiths College regrets that it cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of its obligations to provide Educational Services is prevented or affected by "force majeure". Force majeure" means any event which the College could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include (but are not limited to) war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, interruption in power supplies or other services for any reason, fire and all similar events outside our control.

Are you fully enrolled? It is vital you are fully enrolled and have either paid your tuition fees, shown proof that you are sponsored or have applied for a tuition fee loan as soon as possible after the start of the academic session. If you are not fully enrolled or have failed to pay your tuition fees or provided proof of sponsorship or student loans, your access to teaching and support services will be withdrawn, you will not be able to sit your exams, and you will be withdrawn from Goldsmiths. If you are withdrawn for failing to enrol or clear a debt, re-instatement will be subject to you paying a 50 penalty in addition to any tuition fees due. If you are in any doubt about your enrolment status, please visit Student Services, Room 115, Richard Hoggart Building (open Monday to Friday, 10am 4pm), e-mail studentrecords@gold.ac.uk, or telephone 020 7919 7536. Change of programme, interruption and withdrawal If you want to change programmes at Goldsmiths, temporarily interrupt your studies, or withdraw from Goldsmiths entirely you must speak to the Departmental Senior Tutor responsible for your studies. If they authorise the change they will complete a form with you, which must be returned to Enrolments and Records within 2 weeks of that change being effective. Further information and the forms for making a change are available at http://www.gold.ac.uk/student-services/current-students/. Alternatively you can e-mail studentrecords@gold.ac.uk, or telephone: 020 7919 7536

Contents
Directions Important Dates Whos Who Department Information College Resources Staff/Student Forum Need Help? Personal Tutors Student Services Personal Development Careers Programme Summary Theory Courses Practice Courses Examinations Timetable Programme Specification 4 5-6 10 18 25 27 29 30 33 36 38 43 44 56 62 82 86

Important Dates
Teaching Term Dates 2010-2011
Autumn Term 3 October 2011 16 December 2011 Spring Term 9 January 2012 23 March 2012 Summer Term 23 April 2012 15 June 2012

Reading Weeks
Autumn Term week beginning 7 November 2011 Spring Term week beginning 13 February 2012
Personal/Group Tutorials
Personal Tutorials Your Personal Tutor holds a tutorial hour every week. Please contact her/him by email, in advance if possible, to make an appointment. First Years You may have a group meeting with your personal tutor towards the end of the Autumn and Spring Terms. Second and Third Years Other than meetings with staff during enrolment week, there are no formal group meetings with Personal Tutors during the year for second and third year students See notice board for further details. Student Representatives meeting. See notice board for details.

Special Events The Department has several events each term. Watch the notice boards for future events.

REMEMBER Let us know of any change of address or phone number. Regularly check your college e-mail, learn.gold, your mailbox and the Department notice boards.

Submission Dates for Work

Practice
MC51003A MC51004A MC51004A MC52006A MC52006A MC52007A MC52007A MC53034A MC53034A * where required Production Essay Practice Work Production Log* Practice Work Production Log* Practice Work Production Log* Project/Portfolio Production Essay/Log* 05 January 22 March 26 April 16 December 06 January 20 March 26 April 23 March 27 April

Theory COURSEWORK
MC51002A 16 November MC51005A 20 February MC51006B 22 February MC51007A 14 November MC51010B 21 February (Theory Coursework to be handed in during seminars) Seen Examination paper for MC52005B Culture, Society and the Individual will be made available in week beginning 23 April. MC51005A is an unseen examination, the date will be notified in due course.

Theory EXAMINED ESSAYS

MC51002A MC51006B MC51007A MC51010B MC52003B MC52013A MC52014A MC53001A MC53003A MC53021B MC53023B MC53031A MC53038A MC53039A MC53040B MC53045A MC53046A MC53048A MC53049A MC53051A MC53052A MC53053A MC53054A 05 January 26 April 05 January 26 April 06 January 26 April 06 January 30 April 27 April 06 January 27 April 06 January 06 January 27 April 06 January 27 April 06 January 27 April 27 April 06 January 06 January 06 January 27 April

Welcome from the Heads of Department

We are very pleased to welcome you to a new year at the College and hope that you are returning from the summer break with energy and enthusiasm. If you are just joining the Department, we would like to welcome you to what we hope will be three exciting and enjoyable years. If you are returning to your second and third year, we look forward to seeing you again and wish you every success with your studies. We hope that your time at Goldsmiths will be rewarding, but we are also realistic about the challenges, financial and otherwise, that students face today, particularly in a difficult economic climate. We want you to feel well-supported during your time here. The Department has an international reputation, which will open doors for you later on. As importantly, it is a lively and stimulating place in which to learn. We are proud of the standard of teaching and the fact that we offer better facilities, smaller seminar groups and a wider range of specialist books and videos than many other media studies departments. We are always looking for ways to improve and welcome your views on that. The student representative system offers a route for comments and suggestions. We hope that you have a productive and enjoyable year!

Nick Couldry Natalie Fenton

The Degree Programme and what is expected of you

In the following pages, you will find details of what the Department has planned for you, in terms of your educational development during your studies with us. In line with College policy, staff have clearly laid out the kinds of areas of knowledge and understanding and skills that we expect you to develop during the programme. However, your achievement of the learning outcomes cited in the Programme Specification, clearly depends upon your fullest commitment to the requirements of what is a demanding programme of study.

Your Role
The Department requires you to fulfil the following requirements: To attend, on time, and regularly, all mandatory theory lectures and seminars and practice sessions To produce, to deadline, theory coursework essays during a course, in order that you will receive feedback from your tutors on your performance prior to formal examination To produce, to deadline, examined theory essays and to attend theory seen or unseen examinations as required by the College To produce, to deadline, examined work in practice both during the teaching terms and, in certain cases, to formal hand in dates for written work To use the learning resource facilities of the College and the University to extend your knowledge and understanding and to prepare for seminars, written assignments and practice work as required

The Monitoring Of Your Performance

The Department closely monitors your attendance at theory seminars and all practice sessions. It requires you to notify the Undergraduate Secretaries, Gyorgyi Szentirmai 020 7919 7639 (Mon Tue Wed) and Hayley Dobson 020 7919 7698 (Thu Fri) or by email to media-ug@gold.ac.uk, if you are unable through illness, or other severe domestic difficulty, to either attend a theory or practice session, or to hand in coursework, as required. Please make sure that you contact Hayley/Gyorgyi either before or on the day of the session that you will miss, or the due hand in date for coursework essays. Please give an indication of the reason(s) for your absence. Two unexplained absences, or the unexplained non hand-in of theory course work, and you will be asked to see your personal tutor. If you do not have a satisfactory explanation, or continue to be absent, you will be asked to see the Senior Tutor or Deputy Senior Tutor, and may be put On Probation. Probation is a formal warning that the Department is not satisfied with your performance as you are not meeting the requirements of your degree programme. You should immediately see your Personal Tutor to discuss the situation. If your performance does not improve, the Department may recommend to the College that you be dismissed. Students who absent themselves totally for more than four weeks from their programme and have not supplied a medical certificate or other evidence acceptable to the College to cover such an absence shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the College.

Need Help?
We of course realise the differing but very real pressures that may affect your ability to perform to your own and to our satisfaction, and we hope that we can help you. This does mean however, that you need to keep in contact with us, so that we know what is going on and we can then try to help you through the difficult times that we all encounter.
8

Department of Media and Communications

Aims & Objectives
Our teaching encourages students to reflect critically and creatively on their own cultures. We believe an understanding of the mass media is crucial to the development of active, engaged and questioning members of society. We endeavour to bring academic knowledge face to face with the dilemmas of the public world, and to encourage in our students, respect for scholarship alongside an excitement in intellectual and creative exploration. The Department enthusiastically endorses the College's commitment to working with, and for, those conventionally denied access to higher education, in particular those from our own locality; we also welcome students from a wide variety of countries and cultures. We seek to develop the intellectual forms appropriate for such a varied student body. We aim to develop an intellectual culture, which allows students to explore ideas relevant to their own experiences and relationships with the media; at the same time, we insist on the highest professional and intellectual standards. In making sense of the cultures around them, students in the Department also learn to analyse and be properly critical of the conceptual foundations of their own perspectives. Intellectual exploration of this kind necessarily requires us to understand the media in the widest terms, and favours interdisciplinary and pluralistic approaches. The Department is committed to maintaining and furthering its national and international reputation in research and to consolidating its already extensive programmes in MPhil/PhD research and in the provision of taught MAs. Central to the Departments intellectual activity is an active and lively culture of research, which contributes to our practice of research led teaching. We introduce undergraduate students to the theory and/or practice of media forms, insisting on the inter-relationship between the 'critical' and the 'creative'. Undergraduate students learn through participating in a range of theoretical approaches and/or media practices. We aim to develop students who should be able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work. They should have an understanding of how the media work from a variety of disciplinary positions and be able to look for and develop opportunities to use their skills and learning across a wide range of professional occupations, including - though not exclusively - in the media. We thus recognise that not all our students wish to pursue careers in the media but in the context of media careers, our objective is to produce students who are both critically aware and professionally capable of moving directly into creative positions in the media industries. At postgraduate level, the knowledge attained by students, whether conceptual or practical, is necessarily more specialist. But even so, the ethos of the Department is one which militates against a narrowly conceived, technical vocationalism. We teach our students to engage critically and creatively with different approaches to the media, in a variety of academic and practice disciplines. To develop skills in the research, writing and presentation of a range of material, drawing where necessary on the most up-to-date technological forms; to pursue work independently; and to develop team-work skills. We provide undergraduate students with appropriate specialist knowledge and transferable skills. The overall learning experience is designed to develop students who are imaginative and motivated and who can organise themselves flexibly and independently in the complex world inside and outside higher education.

Whos Who in the Department

Nick Couldry Natalie Fenton Head of Department Head of Department NAB 209 NAB 226

If you wish to see either Head of Department, please make an appointment via Zehra Arabadji 5330, z.arabadji@gold.ac.uk Julian Henriques Deputy Head of Department NAB 224

ADMINISTRATION Jim Rowland Jacqui Cheal Brenda Ludlow Zehra Arabadji Hayley Dobson (p/t) Celeste Hawes Sarah Jackson (p/t) Departmental Co-ordinator Practice Manager and UG Practice Assessment Co-ordinator Office Manager/Postgraduate Secretary Management Team Secretary Undergraduate Secretary Curriculum Secretary Resources Assistant NAB 207 NAB 208 NAB 202 RHB 257 NAB 202 NAB 202 NAB 202 NAB 202

Gyorgyi Szentirmai (p/t) Undergraduate Secretary

ACADEMIC STAFF Sara Ahmed Course Convener MC53031A Media Ethnicity and Nation
MA Media and Communications Programme Convener

NAB 230

Chris Berry

Course Convener MC53053A NAB 257 Future Developments in Screen & Film Theory
MA Screen and Film Studies Convener

Lisa Blackman

BA AM Programme Convener Course Convener MC52003B Communications, Psychology & Experience and MC53039A Embodiment & Experience Head of Department UG Radio Convener BA M&C Personal Tutor Course Convener MC53046A Media Law & Ethics
MA Radio Programme Convener

NAB 236

Nick Couldry Tim Crook

NAB 233

10

James Curran

Course Convener MC51002A NAB 256 Media, History & Politics and MC53003A Political Economy of the Mass Media Course Convener MC53021B Structures of Contemporary Political Communications and MC53054A Promotional Cultures
MA Theory Programme Co-ordinator MA Political Communications Programme Convener

Aeron Davis

NAB 239

Kay Dickinson

Course Convener MC51007A Representation and Textual Analysis and MC53040B Strategies in World Cinema BA MS Personal Tutor BA AnthMedia Programme Convener BA M&C Personal Tutor
MA Screen Documentary Programme Convener

NAB 240

Tony Dowmunt Natalie Fenton Marianne Franklin Des Freedman

NAB 264

Head of Department BA MediaComms Programme Convener

MA Transnational Programme Convener

NAB 228 NAB 235

Course Convener MC52014A Intellectual Foundations in Social Theory UG Examinations Officer Dept. Access and Recruitment Tutor BA M&C Personal Tutor
Emeritus Professor of Broadcast Journalism

Ivor Gaber Julian Henriques

Deputy Head of Department UG Practice Co-ordinator Course Convener MC53038A Music as Communication BA A&M Personal Tutor
MA Scriptwriting Programme Convener

NAB 224

Judy Holland (p/t)

BA MML Programme Convener UG Script with Prose Writing Convener Visiting Student Liaison Officer BA MML Personal Tutor Course Convener MC53015A After New Media UG Admissions Tutor
MA Digital Media Programme Convener

NAB 261

Sarah Kember

NAB 226

Andrew Kingham (p/t) Terry Kirby

UG EVA/EGA/Illustr/InteractMed Convener BA AM Personal Tutor Journalism Tutor

11

NAB 268 NAB 269

Peter Lee-Wright

UG TV Convener BA M&C Personal Tutor

MA Television Journalism Programme Convener

NAB 238

Ellie Levenson Liz Moor

BA MML Personal Tutor Chair UG Exams Board Course Convener MC51006B Key Concepts and Debates in Media BA MS Personal Tutor BA MediaSociology Programme Convener
MA Brand Development Programme Convener

NAB 269 NAB 220

Rachel Moore David Morley

Course Convener MC53045A Cinema & Society Course Convener MC53023B Media Audiences and Media Geographies
Mres, MPhil, PhD Programme Convener

NAB 221 NAB 221

Gerry McCulloch

UG Film Convener BA AM Personal Tutor

MA Filmmaking Jt. Programme Convener

NAB 225

Angela McRobbie Nigel Perkins (p/t)

Course Convener MC52005B Culture,Society and the Individual UG Photography Convener BA MS Personal Tutor
MA Image & Communications Programme Convener

NAB 229 NAB 267

Angela Phillips

UG Journalism Convener BA M&C Personal Tutor

MA Journalism Programme Convener

NAB 234

Richard Smith

Senior Tutor Research and Programme Devt. Officer Course Convener MC52013A Media, Economy & Society UG Dissertation Co-ordinator
MA Filmmaking Jt. Programme Convener

NAB 223

Robert Smith (p/t) Gareth Stanton Pasi Valiaho

NAB 266 NAB 241 NAB 262

Sabbatical leave 2010/11 Course Convener MC53049A Screen Cultures and MC51010B Introduction to Media Technologies Course Convener MC51005A Culture and Cultural Studies Chair Learning & Teaching Committee
12

Joanna Zylinska

NAB 265

Practice Support Staff

The Department has a number of staff who work under the supervision of the Practice Manager and are technical advisers to teaching staff and to students working in the Department's practice areas. We are fortunate in the depth of support and production experience of these staff who play a vital role in the management of the production facilities as well as the success of the teaching programmes. TECHNICAL ADVISERS Nick Bell Alex Drinkwater Martin Durrant Jack Evans Noel Hines Nigel Smith Neil Bull Matthew Walter Jon Whitehall Graham Young AV Support Digital Media Photography Television Television Film/Television Radio Digital Printing Television Digital Media NAB 145 NAB 247 NAB LG22 NAB 144 NAB 145 NAB 144 NAB 157 NAB LG 25 NAB 145 NAB 248

13

Research & Professional Interests of Academic Staff

Professor Sara Ahmed Feminism (especially Black feminism); critical race studies; postcolonial theory; psychoanalysis; phenomenology. Professor Chris Berry Chinese cinema and television; Chinese independent video documentary; Chinese new media and computer-mediated communication; Korean cinema; queer Asian cinemas. Dr Lisa Blackman Critical psychology and its intersection with media and cultural studies; embodiment and experience; discourse and subjectivity; mental health and the media; the psy complex; the cultural production of psychopathology. Professor Nick Couldry Media rituals and anthropological approaches to media, reality TV, celebrity and fandom, media and democracy, alternative and community media, media ethics, the intersection between media and surveillance, social and cultural theory, the methodology and history of cultural studies. Tim Crook Radio and journalism practice; propaganda and information under war conditions; international media law and ethics; practice and history of radio drama; prose/scriptwriting for stage, film and television. Professor James Curran The political economy of the media; the influence of the media; media history and theory. Professor Aeron Davis Public relations, politics and political communications; promotional culture; media sociology and news production; economic sociology and financial markets. The major political parties, the City and across the trade union movement. Dr Kay Dickinson Media convergence and divergence; multi-media fertilisation; film and television music; Arab cinemas. Dr Tony Dowmunt Screen documentary; the video diary form and autobiographical documentary; alternative media; practice research in the moving image. Professor Natalie Fenton Radical politics and new media; media and democracy; social and cultural theory; news and journalism; theories and practice of media power and counter power; alternative and community media. Dr Marianne Franklin The technology, society and culture nexus; the dynamics of ownership and control of information and communication technologies; transnational and 'translocal' communicative practices; emergent crossovers of power hierarchies; ICT and global media policy making. Dr Des Freedman Media and communications policy; political and economic contexts of policymaking; the relationship between media and power; theories of media transformation; the new media revolution. Dr Julian Henriques Film making; script writing; street cultures; music and technology; reggae and dancehall style in Jamaica and the UK.

14

Judy Holland Experienced book editor, the author of three novels and a commissioned scriptwriter (BBC radio and TV, independent film). She's currently researching media practice training in developing countries. Dr Sarah Kember Gender studies of science and technology; Artificial Life; the convergence between biology and computer science; information and imaging technologies; the relation between photography and digital imaging. Andrew Kingham Drawing with metal the construction of engineered narratives in low relief. Methods for amplification and refinement of visual solutions in published media. Gerry McCulloch Technologies of film-making; screen drama; pedagogy of filmmaking; theory and practice of the short film aesthetic. Professor Angela McRobbie The culture industries including fashion, music, magazines; feminist theory; youth and identity; sexuality and ethnicity. Dr Liz Moor The sociology of the media and cultural industries, particularly the branding and design industries. Her current research focuses on the the sociology and political economy of the design industry. Her recent book, The Rise of Brands (2007), examines the brand in history and analyzes exactly how brands develop and operate in contemporary society. Dr Rachel Moore Early film history and theory; the historical and contemporary avantgarde; colonial film archives; use of archival footage in current film practice; changes in avant-garde film aesthetics. Professor David Morley Audience research; cultural consumption in relation to television and the domestic use of new communications technologies; media markets and cultural identities; cultural geography, globalisation and cultural imperialism. Nigel Perkins Aesthetics and theory of photography, film and video. Angela Phillips Journalism history, theory and practice; role of journalism in public life; journalism and feminism; social relations of the newsroom; gender and childhood. Dr Richard Smith Jamaican volunteers in the First World War; Jamaica in the metropolitan imagination; mass media and independence in the Caribbean. Robert Smith Film direction and production; directing film drama; script-editing; modern film management methods; creative industries and regeneration. Dr Gareth Stanton (Senior Lecturer) Anthropology of the media; postcolonial theory; cultural studies and anthropology; world cinemas; fictions and ethnographies of the Maghreb. Dr Pasi Valiaho Early and pre-cinema, film theory and philosophy, digital culture, and media and technology. Digital audiovisuality. screen ecology. Digital audiovisuality and screen ecology .

15

Dr Joanna Zylinska New technologies and new media: ethics of cultural studies; feminist theory; debates around subjectivity and the body; electronic and digital art; the ethical implication of new technologies; Polish-Jewish relations; the sublime.

Associate Lecturers
Theory
It's difficult to give a definitive list of staff in advance, so this is an incomplete list: Dr Veronica Barassi is researching for a PhD, supervised by both the Anthropology and the Media Departments, looking at how alternative media practices are used by campaigning organisations and political groups in Britain as powerful tools for selfdefinition and political action. Louise Chambers is interested in archaeological and genealogical analyses of popular culture, with a particular emphasis on sexed, gendered and racialised subjectivities. Bill Gabbett is interested in how popular media reconstructed Englishness in the wake of decolonisation, specifically in the public moment of imperial failure of the Suez episode in 1956. Vana Goblot is researching for a PhD examining issues of British high culture within a changing public service broadcasting environment. Adnan Hadzi has a strong interest in new forms of distribution and collaborative working systems, which led him to doing a PhD on collective documentaries at Goldsmiths College. As part of his practical research http://Deptford.TV was launched, an audio-visual documentation of the regeneration process of the Deptford area of South-East London. Celia Jamesons research project is a genealogy of the concept of brainwashing in relation to notions of social influence and embodiment. She also writes about visual art and has published reviews in Contemporary magazine. She is on the editorial board of White Collar magazine. Dr Eleftheria Lekakis is interested in political communication, Internet activism and the politics of consumerism. Sean McKeown is currently completing his PhD on politics and the division of intellectual labour. Lucy OBrien has written extensively in the field of popular music. She recently published Madonna: Like An Icon (Bantam), a serious look at the star's life and work. Dhanveer Brar Singh is currently conducting research on Black radical politics, Black popular music and masculinity in the U.S.A during the 1960s and 1970s. Lucia Vodanovic is interested in the idea of obsolescence and the life of objects within the art system and beyond, alongside issues of appropriation and reproduction, and the notion of the non-utilitarian within thought. Her research addresses how
16

cultural practices - writing, modes of production with art, the use of certain media sustain and are sustained by particular modes of cultural transmission. Su-Anne Yeo is interested in the cultural anthropology of film consumption. She is researching the relationship of East Asian diasporic film cultures to alternative public spheres.

Practice
We are fortunate in having a number of industry professionals with teaching experience who support the Department's practice teaching. It's difficult to give a definitive list of staff in advance, as we respond to student numbers on particular practice options, so this is an incomplete list: Tracy Bass has worked on a mixture of award winning productions commissioned by the UK Film Council, BBC and Channel 4. She has a background in design and documentary filmmaking and has zigzagged between making TV documentaries, music videos, short films/teaching and the wilder shores of high-tech multi-media experimentation. Ceiren Bell is an up and coming animator with a growing reputation for her unique work. Max Hattler is an award-winning artist filmmaker and music video director based in London. Lucy Jolin trained at the London College of Communications and spent two years as a staff writer on the health section of Take a Break, the UK's biggest selling women's weekly, before going freelance. She now writes Take a Break's weekly column on healthy eating, 'Food Police', and has also contributed to a wide range of newspapers, magazines and websites. Her main specialities are health, food issues and parenting. Eamon McDonnell is a screenwriter who lectures for Birkbeck College in film as well as giving master classes for the London Film Academy. He is also Managing Director of the writers' company Screenwriters Inc. Shirley Scott has experience as a journalist, has published five novels under the name of Catherine Dunbar and is currently researching for a PhD in screenwriting. Nikki Townley has an award winning track record as a professional journalist, broadcaster and editor for British Forces Broadcasting overseas and LBC in London. She is currently freelancing for a range of professional media organisations.

17

Department Information
The Department office is in room 202 on the first floor of the New Academic Building and is generally open for student enquiries 09.00 - 12.00 and 13.00 - 16.00pm during term time, but may be closed at certain times to enable staff to deal with important tasks such as the collation of examined work.

Accommodation and Facilities in the Department

Most staff and facilities are housed in the New Academic Building (NAB). Some seminar rooms and technical facilities are in the Media Research Building (MRB). Most theory lectures and seminars will take place in the New Academic Building but do check as some may be in the MRB.

Communication via e-mail

Goldsmiths will communicate with you in a variety of ways. Formal correspondence (which includes information on enrolment, fees, and assessments) will be sent to you by letter. However, it is very common for us to contact you frequently by email. You are given a Goldsmiths computer username and password when you enrol. This username is also your Goldsmiths email address (username@gold.ac.uk). We will only use your Goldsmiths email address when we need to communicate with you by email. You are advised to check your Goldsmiths email account regularly. You can use WebMail whether youre checking your email on or off campus (go to http://webmail.gold.ac.uk). There is a Goldsmiths Email Policy for students, which you can read by visiting http://www.gold.ac.uk/it/guides/email/ learn.gold is the College-wide Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), providing access to resources and notices in electronic formats. You can access the VLE from on and off campus, using your standard computer userid and password. In the Media and Communications section you will find course outlines and other useful information, as well as the 'Undergraduate Office' containing further information, including this handbook.

Notice boards

Each study programme and year group has a notice board on the concourse near the Department Office (NAB 202). These boards are reserved for information relating directly to courses, seminar groups, meetings and tutorials etc. and you should check them on a regular basis. General information about departmental activities and interests will be displayed on other boards near the office and in other department buildings.

Mailboxes (pigeonholes) Goldsmiths Card

These are in the corridor immediately outside the Department Office (NAB 202). Please check regularly as they may contain vital information. This is very special so keep it close to your heart. Take care not to lose it (as it opens many doors) and it is official proof that you are who you say you are. Carry it at all times when on College premises. Should you be unlucky enough to lose it, report the loss to the Registry as soon as possible. A replacement card will be issued but at a cost of 5.

18

Practice
Access to Practice Facilities
Your access to practice facilities ends at the completion of your particular practice course. You may be able to make copies of work but this will be at the discretion of the Practice Manager in consultation with your Course Convener. No further production work can then be undertaken.

Booking Facilities

Practice facilities are booked through your course technical adviser. Booked facilities, which are not taken up within thirty minutes of their start time, may be released to another user. Please let us know if you are delayed in collecting equipment or taking up facility bookings. Bookings for edit suites, or other dedicated facilities, are usually limited to 3 consecutive days. Bookings for longer periods will only be confirmed after discussion with the tutor in charge of the course. All bookings made are at the discretion of the teaching and support staff. Every effort will be made to honour bookings properly made, and to be fair to all students, but equipment breakdowns or other circumstances beyond our control may necessitate cancellation or alteration.

Production Costs
The Department pays for all reasonable equipment and material costs which you incur as part of your practice coursework. However, apart from the agreed use of College equipment and facilities, you fund the costs of your projects yourself, to enable the Department to concentrate its resources on the provision of high quality facilities, staff support and teaching. You must also pay for any other charges and insurance costs for equipment which you may hire. The Department will supply a 'master' for time-based media productions, which will remain the property of the College for examination purposes. You must ensure that you have your own master, which is probably best produced at the same time as the copy which is handed in, as this may not be available later.

19

Code of Practice for all users

The Department endeavours to offer practice facilities to a high standard on a large scale, and meeting the needs of users has its problems. A lot of planning goes into course scheduling to get the best out of staff time and equipment and to maintain and develop the facilities. Staff make great efforts to support the work of all users. However time and money are often wasted because of the carelessness and thoughtlessness of SOME users. To avoid unnecessary problems all users MUST read carefully - and make sure that they FOLLOW - this code of practice. Food and drink must NEVER be taken into edit-suites, studios, darkrooms, seminar or computer rooms, or any other production/post-production areas. You must leave rooms in a tidy condition for the next user. Return loan items in the same condition as when taken. It is YOUR responsibility to look after tapes, discs, etc. and personal possessions. Golsdmiths is an open campus and you should never assume that rooms are secure.

Production & Post Production

The department offers hands-on production experience in all practical courses and therefore provides a comprehensive range of high quality facilities, which have been designed to give students experience of media production from introductory to advanced levels. For many courses the facilities will be booked by the tutor but more advanced students will be expected to arrange access to specific facilities after consultation with tutors and technical staff. A bookings system is used to ensure that access to the facilities is available to the maximum number of students. You must abide by the Departmental and College codes of practice and any local rules operating in each of the practice areas. For all practice, it is particularly important that you: return equipment on time, complete with all accessories report equipment faults or damage to a member of staff take up bookings promptly, they will not be honoured after 30 minutes follow all Health and Safety codes and operational instructions ensure that you are familiar with the operation of any equipment you are using Any studio booking must be cleared by the tutor concerned, and made in consultation with the technical advisers who will be working with you. All equipment needed must be pre-arranged with the technical advisers concerned. Make sure that you have proper permission for the use of any set dressing/props and that anything of value is properly insured. In the event of any problems caused by your use of equipment or facilities, future access may be restricted and reference may be made at the time of assessment.
20

IMPORTANT
The College cannot insure items of equipment below 2000 replacement value. The cost of repair or replacement of these items is THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BORROWER. You must take the greatest care of all equipment on loan to you. NEVER LEAVE EQUIPMENT UNATTENDED even for a moment ALWAYS LOCK UP EQUIPMENT WHEN NOT IN USE NEVER LEAVE EQUIPMENT IN VEHICLES, EVEN IF ON CAMPUS ALWAYS HANDLE CAREFULLY TO AVOID DAMAGE

Portable Equipment
Before taking out equipment you must have proof of insurance and/or signed authority from your course tutor. Each user must check thoroughly all equipment borrowed and complete and sign an inventory indicating that the equipment is all there and in working order at the time of borrowing. THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Where appropriate, insurance charges for College owned equipment used for coursework and productions will be paid by the Department. Any extra costs which arise because of special circumstances, additional Public Liability requirements etc, must be paid for by you. The equipment must be checked and signed in by a member of staff when it is returned to certify that everything, including all accessories, is accounted for. You will be liable and payment will be taken for any missing or damaged items. It's clearly in your own interest to make sure that your inventory is checked and signed. Equipment MUST be returned at the agreed time. Other courses or individuals may be depending on its return. If you intend to use equipment and there is any possibility of late return - then extend the booking if that is possible. The maximum loan period will normally be 15 days, unless there are very special circumstances and agreement is reached between the course convenor/tutor and Practice Manager. Equipment can only be taken abroad if a case is made in advance and agreement reached as above. Special insurance is also needed. Any missing/damaged equipment or late return will be logged. Future access may be restricted and on many courses reference can be made to this at the time of assessment.

21

Purchasing
Some companies may offer generous discounts to students for the purchase of materials, film and processing. Often these discounts are only available if accompanied by an official College Order or letterhead. The Department will prepare Official orders for students who have negotiated a discount with outside organisations, but the following conditions apply in ALL CASES. You must make all the arrangements and have a firm price agreed, preferably in writing. 10 days notice must be given for orders to be processed by the Department and the Finance Office, we cannot handle requests for urgent orders. Payment to the value of the order must be made to the College in advance of the order being processed. Where you are paying COD then payment MUST be made at the time of collection, the Department will take no responsibility for paying outstanding invoices. A special version of the Departmental letterhead is also available for student productions.

Hiring equipment
If you wish to use facilities or equipment other than those provided by the Department, that is your choice and your responsibility. You are personally responsible for making all financial, transport and insurance arrangements for equipment, which has been hired or borrowed, from external suppliers. The College Finance Department may be able to help with insurance by arranging to extend the benefits of the College insurance cover to items not belonging to the Department. Students wishing to arrange insurance cover should contact the Finance Department. A charge may be made to arrange insurance cover of this type. Bear in mind the following very important points: All insurance of equipment, whether owned by the College or hired from an outside supplier, is subject to excess charges if a claim is made. In the case of theft the excess charge is currently 2000 for equipment (2500 for computers). In the case of departmentally owned equipment you may be asked to make good any shortfall between the cost of replacing/repairing the equipment and the insurance settlement. If you use equipment from outside suppliers then the agreement is between the company and you personally. The Department is not responsible for any breaches in the conditions laid down by the supplier, or the insurer, and you will be financially responsible for any losses or claims. If you do not meet the conditions laid down by the insurer whilst the equipment is in your care, the insurance will be invalidated. In the case of a claim for loss or damage this means that you will be personally liable for the repair or replacement of equipment on loan to you. Before entering into any arrangements with outside suppliers you should be quite clear as to the value of the equipment you are borrowing and for which you will be responsible. Frequently the value of location production equipment is in excess of 30,000. Any loss must be reported to the Police. Full details of loss or damage to equipment must also be reported to the owners immediately and confirmed in writing giving a copy of any correspondence to the Department.

22

Health and Safety

Specific arrangements detailing how safety is achieved are to be found in Codes of Practice issued by the department. Goldsmiths policy is to provide and maintain, as far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. The aims of this policy are: The elimination of hazards and reduction of risks to prevent harm to staff, students and others affected by Goldsmiths operations. Compliance with relevant legislation and with good practice in the higher education sector. Support for Goldsmiths mission and strategic aims. Integration of health and safety with other management planning, strategies and responsibilities. This policy applies to all employees, students, premises and activities under the control of Goldsmiths, including staff and students travelling off-campus in the UK or overseas on Goldsmiths business. All staff and students are responsible for taking reasonable care that they: do not endanger themselves or others; do not deliberately damage or misuse anything provided for their health and safety; do follow health and safety instructions, regulations and policies; do report faults or dangers; and do report accidents and cooperate in any investigation to find causes and prevent a recurrence. For more information about health and safety, please visit www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/health-safety. Smokefree buildings All Goldsmiths buildings are smokefree no smoking permitted. Also please be considerate of others and do not smoke near windows or doorways. If you would like help to give up smoking, the NHS offers a range of free services. Visit www.gosmokefree.co.uk. Fire safety Fight the fire only if you have been trained and it is safe to do so. Activate the nearest fire alarm (red break glass box on the wall next to exit doors) then leave the building by the nearest available exit and go to the fire assembly point. Do not re-enter the building until it is declared safe by Head Porter, Security or fire officer. Health and Safety 020 7919 7119 www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/health-safety

23

Working Safely College Guidance for Students

To ensure as SAFE a work environment as possible make sure That you have been properly trained for the tasks you are undertaking The College requires teaching and technical staff to ensure that appropriate training is given to students in the safe use and handling of equipment and materials, prior to use. Please make sure that you have been given and have understood this training before beginning your practical work. That you are aware of and adhere to all Health & Safety Regulations and departmental rules about the handling of equipment and materials You are required to adhere to Health & Safety Regulations and follow all departmental rules about the safe operation of equipment, the handling of potentially hazardous materials and liquids and the wearing of protective clothing. That you only work without direct supervision in College areas when you have the permission of a departmental member of staff to do so It is the responsibility of your department to minimise any safety risks to you and others by deciding the level of risk involved and the competence which needs to be demonstrated before allowing you to work without direct supervision in its areas or with its equipment. In some cases of 'high risk' activity, your department now issue written procedures which will need to be followed. That you only work alone in departmental areas when you have the permission of a departmental member of staff to do so It is very important, after permission has been granted, that you keep members of staff updated as to where and when you will be working. You may only undertake activities which have been specifically approved by your supervisor. That if you are working alone you must be aware that you have a legal responsibility not to endanger yourself or others by your actions That if you have been given permission to work alone or at weekends or in the evenings in departmental areas which are not staffed, you must take every precaution for your personal safety The College recommends this as an exceptional practice and students must defer to the decision made by the Department about when this may be approved. Make sure that you have access to an internal telephone to summon help in case of difficulty, and make College Reception aware of your presence in the building. That you are familiar with escape routes in the case of fire and that you leave the building immediately if you hear the fire alarm.

That in an emergency YOU RAISE THE ALARM. You can telephone 666 or 7100 (College Reception) or dial 0999 on ANY College extension to all the emergency services.

24

College Resources
Goldsmiths offers a wide range of study resources for students. While some of these are provided by individual academic departments, most are housed together in the Rutherford Building (RB). This building houses the College Library, open access computing facilities, the Languages Resources Centre and Media Services Workshop. A wide range of facilities, library books, journals and other resources, computer workstations, language learning equipment, along with extensive multimedia and audio-visual materials can be found in the RB. There are also well equipped specialist teaching rooms for language learning and computer-based teaching. Goldsmiths students also have access to many of the resources provided elsewhere within the University of London. Changes of address You are responsible for keeping Student Services informed of any changes to your home or local (term-time) address. Important information about enrolment, examinations, fees or graduation may be posted to your address, and it is critical that your address details are kept up-to-date. It is also important that such information is relayed to the departmental office. The degree classifications for final year students are posted on the exams notice-boards in early July. Transcripts of your results will also be sent to the address held by Student Services. They can also help you with a standard letter for landlords, banks and other interested parties stating that you are on course. Any late essays should be handed in to the Examinations Office together with the correct paperwork. Fees & Awards can deal with problems relating to your fees. Student Services deal with Exam Assessment changes or queries and all enquiries regarding graduation ceremonies for finalists. The student details held by the College can be reviewed at https://secure.gold.ac.uk/studentDetails//. Please ensure that any changes to your term-time or home address or telephone details are notified to Enrolments and Records either via the web interface or by e-mail, studentrecords@gold.ac.uk. For further details on other matters please see http://www.gold.ac.uk/studentservices/current-students/. General computer facilities There are open access computing facilities for all students in the Rutherford Building, providing PC and Macintosh systems. These are also used for computer-based class teaching. The majority of computers have software for word-processing, database management, text processing and internet and email. There are also some specialist systems, mainly Macintosh machines, which have a similar range of software, but with greater emphasis on graphics, desktop publishing and multimedia applications. The New Academic Building also has some open-access facilities. Help Desk If you need assistance or have particular queries and problems you can visit or email the Computer Services Helpdesk. The Helpdesk also holds a wide range of introductory leaflets about the Colleges computer facilities and how to make the most of them. More information about Goldsmiths The Goldsmiths web site is at www.goldsmiths.ac.uk. Supporting this is Student Gold, an area of the web site specifically for students. This is at www.gold.ac.uk/student/ . You'll find news and information on Student Gold, plus a link to the online noticeboard
25

where you can post notices for free, advertising items for sale, rooms to rent, or calls for research participants. Information on who to contact for help or advice, and general information about how things work at Goldsmiths can be found at www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/student-handbook. Digital Media Suite The Digital Media Suite on the ground floor of the Rutherford Building provides facilities (and assistance if required) with many media copying tasks and has ten Apple Macintosh digital video editing suites utilising Final Cut Pro. Two acoustic booths are also available in the suite for audio and post-production testing of video projects. Occasional training sessions are also held on the use of high-end video recording equipment such as HD video cameras. Media Equipment Centre This is located in the Richard Hoggart Building in room MB181 and provides a central audio-visual equipment loan service for staff and students. Students may borrow a variety of portable items for use in coursework, seminars and productions. Loans must be authorised by a tutor. The Library Your Goldsmiths Card is personal to you and is not transferable. Dont lend your card to allow anyone else into the building. Anyone who wishes to enter the building who does not have a card should see the Reception Desk staff. For your own safety, do not lend your card or reveal your security number to anyone else. You will be responsible for all books on your card. If you still have books on your card at the end of your final term your degree results will be withheld until they are returned and/or fines paid. ITS staff will retain any card being used by someone other than the person named on the card. You will need to show a current registration card in order to retrieve your library card at the Reception Desk. Opening Hours Please see http://www.gold.ac.uk/library/opening-times/ Security system. There is a security system in operation to ensure that only items which have been issued to a reader may be taken out of the library. Borrowing Information Please see http://www.gold.ac.uk/library/using-the-library/borrowing/ Subject Guides Please see http://www.gold.ac.uk/library/subject-guides/ Audio / Visual Library Please see http://www.gold.ac.uk/library/collections/audio-visual-collection/ Photocopying There are photocopiers operated by your Goldsmiths card where extracts can be copied subject to the Copyright Licenses held by College. Your Goldsmiths card may be credited with photocopy value at valuator machines in the library. Fines Fines are charged on all books if they are returned late. No more books can be borrowed until the fine has been paid.

26

Quality of Learning and Teaching

As a student at Goldsmiths, you play a key role in the Colleges processes for assuring the quality of its programmes, and your feedback on your learning experience is very important. As well as informal feedback to the teaching staff, the College collects information through course evaluation questionnaires and regular staff/student forums. In addition to this the College takes part every year in the National Student Survey, where final year undergraduates are asked to comment on the quality of their learning experience in a nationwide survey. Course evaluation All students are invited to provide feedback on each course that they take at the College. Course Evaluation is in the form of a questionnaire, and covers all aspects of the course, including teaching and administration. The results of these are analysed by the Department, with students views being taken into account and appropriate action taken if necessary. Course Evaluation can also be discussed in staff/student forums. Student feedback and staff/student forums Student feedback. also takes place through staff/student forums, which are held twice a year. Departments choose how to allocate programmes to forums for representative purposes, but all departments are required by the College to have at least one forum for undergraduate students and one for postgraduate students.

Autumn Term Staff/Student Forum Wednesday 16 November provisional date Spring Term Staff/Student Forum Wednesday 22 February provisional date
The forum consists of a Chair (normally a member of academic staff), members of academic staff who teach on the programmes under consideration including (at least) all programme convenors, the Departmental Student Coordinator, Departmental Administrator and student representatives for particular programmes/all students on the programmes under consideration. Student representatives/students have the opportunity to discuss any matters regarding their programme, courses, teaching, Department or College resources and student services. Issues raised will be communicated to the relevant staff members, within the Department if they can be resolved at this stage, or via the Quality Office if they need to be raised at College level. Student representatives represent the students on their particular programme, whereas the Departmental Student Coordinator represents all students covered by the forum and plays a key role in liaising with the Department and its students regarding issues raised at the forum. Feedback is given at each forum regarding any issues from the previous meeting that required action. Students are able to view the minutes from both Departmental Board/Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee and staff/student forums which will be made available on the VLE.

27

Student Representatives Student representatives play a vital role at Goldsmiths; providing an essential link between the students, the Students Union and the College. Being a Student Representative is an excellent way to really have a say in the development of your degree programme. If you are interested in representing the students on your degree programme, get in touch with the Students Union for more information on how to become a Student Representative. Student Departmental Coordinators Each department will have at least one Undergraduate and one Postgraduate Student Departmental Coordinator (DSC) who will attend the relevant Staff/Student Forum in addition to student programme representatives covered by the Forum. DSCs are recruited and trained by the Students Union. They are paid for their work and provided with contracts and job descriptions. DSCs are responsible for collecting student feedback, raising issues with the Department either through the Staff/Student Forum or otherwise with appropriate Department staff, attending the Staff/Student Forum and taking notes of the meeting and feeding back to students on the outcome of issues raised. Being a DSC means learning how to be an effective advocate for others and would be a great opportunity to develop your organisational, communication, negotiation and note taking skills, as well as learning about working on committees. Use of online technology In order to provide students with a mechanism for giving prompt feedback on programme level issues and to discuss issues with peers, departments each have an online forum, hosted within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). An important part of the DSCs role is soliciting and giving feedback to students via the online forum.

The National Student Survey

If you're going to be a final-year undergraduate in 2011-12, you'll be amongst over 170,000 students across the UK, who will be asked to give anonymous feedback on their academic experience at university. The results of the National Student Survey are published in the Guardian, used by HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) to monitor the performance of the higher education sector, and are available to help inform future students' choices. The survey normally starts in January and can be completed online, by post or over the phone. Goldsmiths will contact all final-year students with details of this closer to the time. Students sometimes express concern that Goldsmiths has passed on their details to Ipsos MORI, who run the survey for HEFCE. Goldsmiths does not pass on student contact details to outside bodies; the only exception is for HEFCE. Ipsos MORI have guaranteed that they will destroy all student records at the close of each year's survey.

28

NEED HELP?

Help, Advice, Support from the Dept

Each year of each degree has its own Personal Tutors whose job it is to look after the welfare of students and to take part in formal Programme Monitoring meetings in the Autumn and Spring terms. Each Course has its own staff, (a course convener/ leader and one or more seminar leaders for theory courses and course convener/practice tutors for practice courses). See below for further information on arranging tutorials.

Personal Tutors and Tutorials

Your personal tutors

If you are a first year student, you will meet your tutor in a group in the Autumn and Spring terms. The aim of these tutorial sessions is to monitor YOUR progress through your programme and to provide us with feedback. Attendance at these group tutorials is compulsory in your first year. Your personal tutor also has a weekly tutorial hour for you to use if you are concerned about your overall academic progress or if you have domestic difficulties affecting your work. Your tutor is here to provide advice and help. Some personal tutors have lists for appointments (check with Undergraduate Secretary) or staff can be contacted by email. In an emergency, urgent messages can be left with the Department Office. It is in your interest that your personal tutor is informed of any problems you may have in completing your work. They may refer you to the Departmental Senior Tutor. Your personal tutor can also be contacted about particular problems with individual courses, although the course staff concerned should normally be consulted in the first instance. In order that we can stay in touch with you, please: inform the departmental office and Student Records of any change of address and/or phone number check your pigeonhole and COLLEGE e-mail regularly check departmental notices regularly inform your personal tutor of any significant problems affecting your work Your course tutors If you encounter any problems with your coursework ALWAYS SEEK THE HELP OF THE SEMINAR LEADER/COURSE LEADER OR PRACTICE TUTOR IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, as that person is in the best position to offer direct and immediate support. You can use tutorial hours to see your theory seminar leader or course convener. Tutorial hours All theory course leaders/conveners and practice course conveners have tutorial hours, a regular time each week when they are available to students for tutorials. You can see the lecturer about any problems with the course, discuss coursework or the exam or get more detailed information about a particular area. Students may either drop in for a short meeting without an appointment OR can sign up on the tutor's list of times available to book a longer appointment. All seminar leaders also have tutorial hours. The timing of the tutorial hours will be discussed with you in the seminar. These tutorial opportunities are designed for you to gain individual advice and help about your work for a course, so please use them. A list of times of tutorial hours for all staff will be posted on notice boards soon after the start of the term.
29

Practice Tutorials and Feedback You can ask for a tutorial with your practice tutor at any time during the course. Tutors will arrange, as appropriate, either seminars or tutorials at the end of a course, so that feedback is given by the tutor on the quality of work produced. You will also have access to brief written feedback from your tutor in the term following your course (with the exception of MC51003A). However, in accordance with College and University Regulations, tutors are unable to discuss marks for assessed work.

The Personal Tutors for 2011 - 2012 are:

BA Media & Communications
1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year Natalie Fenton Tony Dowmunt Des Freedman Tim Crook Peter Lee-Wright Angela Phillips NAB 237 NAB 264 NAB 235 NAB 233 NAB 238 NAB 234

Senior Tutor
Senior Tutor is Richard Smith r.w.smith@gold.ac.uk He is your first stop if you need to apply for Hardship funds but will be able to help with other problems too and can refer you to other agencies within and outside the College. If you are feeling anxious about the course, or anything else, don't just worry alone; problems can usually be solved with a bit of support and assistance. Please do not just drop-out and disappear.

30

Goldsmiths Complaints Procedure

One of our aims is to provide a supportive environment including academic and welfare services, and to be responsive to concerns when they are raised. Goldsmiths recognises there may be occasions when you have cause to complain about a service you have received. When this happens, the complaints procedure is intended to provide an accessible, fair and straightforward system which ensures an effective, and appropriate response. Before making a complaint The majority of complaints can usually be sorted out informally by discussing the issue you wish to complain about with the member of staff or person concerned. It's best to do this immediately wherever possible. However, it may be that you wish to discuss your complaint with somebody else, and there are a number of sources of help within the institution. Your Personal Tutor is there to provide welfare support and help as well as academic advice. You can find out who your Personal Tutor is by contacting the Undergraduate Secretary 020 7919 7639 or 7698. You can also contact the Head of Department. If you'd rather discuss your complaint with a member of staff outside of your academic department, you can get in touch with Student Services (Room 124, Richard Hoggart Building, tel 020 7919 7757), or the Students' Union Advice Centre (tel 020 8692 1406, e-mail suadvice@gold.ac.uk). Making a complaint If you feel discussion hasn't resolved your complaint, and you want to pursue it formally, then you must put this in writing and send it to the Head of Academic Services (room 117a, Richard Hoggart Building). You will need to explain in your letter what steps you have already taken to try and resolve the matter, for example, discussing it with the person the complaint is about, and with your Head of Department. Your complaint will be investigated, and you'll receive a letter explaining the decision taken by Goldsmiths. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of this investigation, you can write to the Head of Academic Services and ask for your complaint to be referred to a Pro-Warden, who may decide to set up a complaints committee. Your complaint will not be considered unless stage one and stage two of the Complaints Procedure has been completed. Please see the General Regulations (number 14) linked from www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/regulations. Help and support If you need help with understanding this process, then get in touch with your Personal Tutor, Student Services, or the Students' Union. Goldsmiths Appeals Procedure An appeal is different from a complaint, because it is an application for a decision to be reconsidered or changed. These are the procedures to do with appealing about examination results. You have the right to appeal on the following grounds: 1. that the examiners were not aware of circumstances affecting your performance 2. that there was some form of administrative error or procedural irregularity in the way in which an examination or assessment was conducted
31

3.

that there is evidence of prejudice or of bias on the part of one or more of the examiners

You can't appeal against the academic or professional judgement of the examiners, nor can you appeal on the grounds that you didn't know about certain assessment requirements or submission deadlines. How to appeal Before you appeal, you are strongly advised to seek help and advice, either from your Personal Tutor, the Departmental Senior Tutor, or the Students' Union. If you wish to appeal, you must complete a form (available from the Head of Assessments or on the web at www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/student-services/assessments or available from the Students' Union) and submit this to the Head of Assessments within 21 days of the publication of the results, against which you're making the appeal. You should receive an initial response within four weeks of submitting the appeals form; if it's likely to take longer, you'll be told about this. Outcome of the appeal If your appeal is successful, the outcome will depend on the details of your individual case. If your appeal is unsuccessful, and you are dissatisfied with this, there is a further step you can take, which involves taking your appeal to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. Quality Planning and Academic Governance 020 7919 7962
Comment: This link doesnt work

32

Student Services
Student Services has overall responsibility for supporting and offering guidance to students on non-academic matters. We also offer assistance with some of the administrative tasks you will need to undertake whilst studying at Goldsmiths. The core services provided are: Advice Assessments Counselling Chaplaincy and multi-faith centre Disabled students advice and support (including dyslexia) Enrolment and Records Fees Management information Student funding and information We also work closely with the Careers Service and New Cross Medical Centre.

Student Centre
Students are encouraged to visit the Student Centre to access information and advice on the various support services listed here. The Centre is located on the ground floor of the Richard Hoggart Building. Contact Us For further information about this http://www.gold.ac.uk/student-services/ or any of our services please visit

Registering with a doctor You must register with a local doctor (GP) as soon as possible after your arrival do not wait until you are ill to do so. You are eligible to register with the New Cross Medical Centre (see below) if you live in a College hall of residence or within a two to three mile radius of the College. If you live at an address that is not covered by the New Cross Medical Centre, the team at the centre can advise on registration with a local doctor. You can continue to see your family doctor at home during vacations. New Cross Medical Centre 40 Goodwood Road, New Cross SE14 6BL Tel: 020 3049 2249 This is the closest GP surgery to Goldsmiths, and is the nearest surgery to most halls of residence. Surgery hours Monday: 8.30am-6.30pm Tuesday: 8.30am-8pm Wednesday: 8.30am-6.30pm Thursday: 8.30am-6.30pm Friday: 8.30am-6.30pm Outside of surgery hours call 020 8693 9066 or telephone NHS Direct on 0845 4647 (the telephone number is shorter than regular phone numbers). The service offers health advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In an emergency always telephone 999.
33

Discretionary Funding
Access to Learning Fund (ALF) ALF is paid by the Government to Goldsmiths to help Home students facing financial difficulties that may affect their studies. All applications are treated confidentially, and awards are usually in the form of a grant, so you wont have to pay the money back. The fund is discretionary, and decisions are usually made based on the information provided in your application form. ALF is intended to help with living costs, and not tuition fees. If you are eligible for a student loan you must have taken out the maximum amount before an application to the Fund can be considered. As a guide, assistance has previously been given for the following reasons: To help with childcare costs for those who do not receive help through the Student Support Childcare Grant To help with high accommodation or travel costs To students unable to take out a student loan because of age restrictions To self-funded students To students who entered higher education from care. You can apply only once in the academic year. If however your circumstances change, you may request a re-assessment which will have to be supported with documentary evidence confirming any changes. How to Apply You can visit the following website page for an application: http://www.gold.ac.uk/student-services/student-funding/accesstolearningfundalf/ Short Term Emergency Loan The College has a facility to loan money to full-time students experiencing short-term hardship (for example, through a delay in the issue of a student loan and/or grants). The Short Term Emergency Loans are to a maximum of 300 and are repayable in full during the academic year they are taken out. They are available only to fully enrolled students. How to Apply You can obtain an application pack from the Student Centre.

Advice
The Student Advisers provide confidential advice, information and guidance to all students on general welfare issues including debt and money management, private sector housing, student finance, council tax and welfare benefits. The Student Advisers also offer advice to international students on immigration matters in accordance with the OISC Code of Standards. Disabled Students including students with specific learning difficulties Disabled students (i.e. people with physical and sensory impairments, mental health needs, people with long-term health conditions and also those with specific learning difficulties, e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD etc). The Disability Team provides advice and guidance on reasonable adjustments and additional support that is available. Contact us by calling 020 7 717 2292 or emailing disability@gold.ac.uk A daily drop in service is available Monday to Friday. Further information can be found at http://www.gold.ac.uk/disability/
34

Examples of support provided through the Disability Team: Access around the campus Liaison with tutors concerning adjustments you might need Advice on what to do if you are unwell Assistive Technology Recording lectures Location of hearing loops, accessible toilets, and so on Examination adjustments Consideration of Dyslexia when marking coursework Study skills support Library support and extended loans Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) When meeting the Disability Team for the first time it is important to bring evidence of your disability or specific learning difficulty with you. This should be in the form of a recent letter from your GP or other health professional, or an educational psychologist report (if you have a specific learning difficulty) The Disability Team can also advise on how to obtain evidence for those who think they may have a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia, dyspraxia ADD etc). Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is a grant available for disabled students including those with Specific Learning Difficulties (eg dyslexia, dyspraxia etc) and for people with long term health conditions. The DSA can provide equipment, support such as note takers, interpreters, dyslexia tutors etc. as well as funding for books and so on, depending on your needs. More information on this can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk (search disabled student). To apply for the DSA you need to fill out an application form (DSA1) which you can download on the web site above. If you would like any more information or help in doing this please feel free to contact us. You will need to enclose evidence of your disability with the DSA form. Student Counselling Service The Student Counselling Service is located at 20 Laurie Grove, London SE14 6NH. The Service provides students with a supportive, non-judgmental, confidential environment to explore any emotional, psychological or study problems. The Service provides: individual counselling, a therapy group, facilitates workshops and provides a small library of self help material. More information and resources can be found on the counselling service website www.gold.ac.uk/counselling. You can contact the service by phone on: 020 7919 7472 or by email: counselling-service@gold.ac.uk

35

Personal and Professional Development

We want all our students to become critical and self-reflective thinkers, with a set of skills and personal values that will be of benefit in the future, whether in employment or whether undertaking further studies. At Goldsmiths, we have a number of initiatives to support you in developing both personally and professionally and to help you acquire and recognise your transferable skills. The 3D Graduate The first of these initiatives is the 3D Graduate scheme, which incorporates Personal Development Planning (PDP), an initiative that has been introduced in all universities to provide the opportunity to take active control of your development and to plan for your future. 3D Graduate opportunities aim to support you in becoming threedimensional, well-rounded individuals through self-directed engagement in three areas: your personal, academic and career development. 3D Graduate will also help you in recognising skills that will be invaluable for your prospective career. 3D Graduate is offered though a website found at www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/3d. The tools section of the site offers a complete set of guides and exercises to start you in planning your development, regardless of which level of study you are currently engaged in. The website allows you to print or save all your exercises to create your own personal development portfolio, which you can add to at any time. The opportunities section of the website lets you know about all the other workshops and activities that are available at Goldsmiths through which you can develop yourself further. These include workshops, seminars and events offered by the Careers Service, the Language Studies Centre, Student Services, the Students Union and others. Some departments also offer their students sessions to help you to engage with the key concepts associated with 3D Graduate such as reflectivity and planning. 3D Graduate related activities may come in the form of personal tutoring sessions, professional-orientation workshops or group self-assessment work. Speak to your tutor about the opportunities available to you The Gold Award The Gold Award is an initiative for undergraduates that rewards and recognises those who take active steps in developing themselves personally and professionally through participating in activities above-and-beyond your academic studies. These activities can include anything from volunteer work to putting on an exhibition, from working in the Students Union to running a team, from mentoring your peers to running a society. If you are an undergraduate, you may want to work towards the award because: Receiving a Gold Award certificate will give you something extra to put on your CV which will help you stand out from everyone else It helps you record your achievements, making it much easier when you come to take job interviews or write application forms The Gold Award Team will be able to provide you with an additional reference.

The award uses a points system: you have to achieve five points in order to receive the award. One of these points has to be by completing a series of personal development exercises and a Personal Development Record (PDR). The other four points must be obtained though extra-curricular activities. The award is also supported by a full
36

programme of workshops and events to help you on your personal and professional journey. You can take a minimum of one year and up to three years to complete the award; the timescale through must be reflected in your PDR. Numbers are limited make sure to sign up early at goldaward@gold.ac.uk. To find out more, look for the Gold Award page on https://learn.gold.ac.uk/ Developing your skills and attributes Both the 3D Graduate Scheme and the Gold Award can help you to understand: The skills / competencies you have How to develop these further The experiences you can quote to evidence them How to highlight the impact of your skills / competencies on things you have done How you might apply and evidence these skills in new situations How to apply your skills / competencies in your personal and professional life. If you would like more information on the 3D Graduate scheme or the Gold Award, please contact Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit on 020 7919 5118, visit the website at www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/gleu or speak to your personal tutor about opportunities for personal development. Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit 020 7919 5118 www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/gleu

Funding schemes (UK/EU only)

As part of our commitment to academic excellence and widening participation, we are providing financial support to enable our students to reach their full potential at Goldsmiths. The Goldsmiths Bursary - a bursary worth between 329 and 1,000 each year may be available to undergraduate students from low household income backgrounds who are in receipt of a full or partial Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant from the Government. The Bursary is available to help with course-related costs including books, travel, and equipment and where applicable, childcare costs. For information on how to apply, please visit www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/ug/costs. Student Residential Hardship Bursary - offers a 520% discount on Goldsmiths halls of residence fees to UK/EU undergraduate or postgraduate students from lowincome families. Access to Learning Fund can provide a discretionary grant to UK undergraduate or postgraduate students who experience financial difficulties during their course. Short-Term Emergency Loan a maximum loan of 300 may be available to students who experience short-term hardship. You can obtain details of the eligibility criteria for the above additional support schemes, as well as application forms and guidance notes from the Student Funding and Information team by calling 020 7919 7757 or e-mailing student-supp@gold.ac.uk. Student Services 020 7919 7757 student-supp@gold.ac.uk www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/student-services
37

Using the Careers Service in your First Year

As a first year your future career may not be on your mind but you can come and see us for help finding a part-time job, writing your CV, or getting ideas of what you can do over the next few years to make yourself stand out from other graduates. Part-time Work and Volunteering Most students find they need to work while they study. In October we host an event called Experience Works where Goldsmiths students can meet employers from a wide range of industries. Look out for the posters from the start of term. Part-time work will earn you cash but sometimes volunteering will give you better experience and useful contacts. Perhaps there might be a way you can balance the two? We can help you to find temporary, part-time and voluntary positions throughout the year. Vacancies are listed on the Careers Service website www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/careers/jobs or our work experience noticeboard at the Laurie Grove office. Come in and browse at any time during our opening hours. Developing yourself You might already have some good experience on your CV. Getting involved with activities will add to this and keep your experience up to date. Clubs and societies, becoming a student rep, or doing work in the community are just some of the ways to make the most of your time. Sometimes thinking about what youve got to offer and translating it to employer-speak can be hard. We can help you to analyse what you have done and present it in an effective way. We can also help you think about any skills gaps and what you can do to plug them. International Students Adapting to a new job market and working out how to apply can be confusing. We have leaflets explaining the basics written specifically for international students. We run two sessions each year where we cover job-hunting. Still confused? Come and see an adviser, more information below. Adviser Appointments These can help you plan what you can do over the next year. We can give tips on job-hunting. If your CV needs a health check bring it in. Twenty-five minute sessions are available Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 4.30pm, bookable from 9.30am on the day in person or by phone. Seminars We run seminars on topics such as CV writing and vacation work. We also have events where you can hear from people working in specific career areas. Wed like to see you there. Look out for the posters or go to the Careers Service website www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/careers/whats-on. Find us at 23/24 Laurie Grove 020 7919 7137 Opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9.30am-4.30pm

We look forward to meeting you. Careers Service 020 7919 7137 careers@gold.ac.uk

38

Using the Careers Service in your Second Year

As a second year youre probably thinking about getting work experience and might be starting to have some career ideas. You can come and see us about finding an internship, writing a CV, application and interview advice, choosing a career or simply finding a part-time job. There is lots of free information you can take away and the reference library has books on everything from working in the media to vacation work abroad. We have computers for you to do online career research and you can get help from our experienced information staff. Part-time Work and Volunteering Most students find they need to work while they study. In October we host an event called Experience Works where Goldsmiths students can meet employers from a wide range of industries. Look out for the posters from the start of term. Part-time work will earn you cash but sometimes volunteering will give you better experience and contacts. Perhaps there might be a way you can balance the two? We can help you to find temporary, part-time and voluntary positions throughout the year. Vacancies are listed on the Careers Service website www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/careers/jobs or our work experience noticeboard at the Laurie Grove office. Come in and browse at any time during our opening hours. Marketing Yourself Sometimes thinking about what youve got to offer and translating it to employerspeak can be hard. We can help you to analyse what you have done and present it in an effective way. We can also help you think about any skills gaps and what you can do to plug them this year. International Students Adapting to a new job market and working out how to apply can be confusing. We have leaflets explaining the basics written specifically for international students. We run two sessions each year where we cover job-hunting. Still confused? Come and see an adviser, more information below. Adviser Appointments An appointment with an adviser can cover anything careers-related. From thinking about yourself, through to tips on the best way to find work experience. If your CV needs a health check bring it in. Twenty-five minute sessions with an adviser are available Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 4.30pm, bookable from 9.30am on the day in person or by phone. Seminars We run seminars such as CV writing, interview skills and postgraduate study and funding. We also have events on specific career areas. Wed like to see you there. Look out for the posters or go to the Careers Service website www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/careers/whats-on. Find us at 23/24 Laurie Grove. Tel: 020 7919 7137 Opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9.30am-4.30pm

We look forward to meeting you. Careers Service 020 7919 7137 careers@gold.ac.uk
39

Using the Careers Service in your Final Year

As a finalist youre probably starting to think about life after your degree. Whether you are unsure or have a clear idea of what you want to do, a chat with an adviser can help. Come and see us about choosing a career, postgraduate study, application and interview advice, or simply finding a part-time job. There is lots of free information you can take away and the reference library has books on everything from psychometric tests to becoming a writer. We have computers for you to do online career research and you can get help from our experienced information staff. Part-time Work and Volunteering Most students find they need to work while they study. In October we host an event called Experience Works where Goldsmiths students can meet up with employers from a wide range of industries. Look out for the posters from the start of term. Part-time work will earn you cash but sometimes volunteering will give you better experience and contacts. Perhaps there might be a way you can balance the two? We can help you to find temporary, part-time and voluntary positions throughout the year. Vacancies are listed on the Careers Service website: www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/careers/jobs or on our work experience noticeboard at the Laurie Grove office. Come in and browse at any time during our opening hours. Marketing Yourself Sometimes thinking about what youve got to offer and translating it to employerspeak can be hard. We can help you to analyse what you have done and present it in an effective way. We can also help you think about any skills gaps and what you can do to plug them. The Recruitment Cycle Come and see us for leads on the best places to look and the most effective ways to find opportunities for a particular job sector. Many larger employers recruit to formal graduate training schemes with starting dates in the summer after you graduate. These programmes usually have a closing date for applications, which can be as early as November. Not all employers of graduates have a formal recruitment programme and many small to medium-sized employers recruit as and when vacancies arise. Some employers, particularly in the creative fields, fill positions from speculative applications and word of mouth. International Students Adapting to a new job market and working out how to apply can be confusing. We have leaflets explaining the basics written specifically for international students. We run two sessions each year where we cover job-hunting. Still confused? Come and see an adviser, more information below. Adviser Appointments These can cover anything careers-related, from thinking about yourself to brainstorming career ideas. If your CV or application form needs a health check bring it in. Twenty-five minute sessions with an adviser are available Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 4.30pm, bookable from 9.30am on the day in person or by phone.

40

Seminars We run seminars such as CV writing, interview skills and postgraduate study and funding. We also have events on specific career areas. Wed like to see you there. Look out for the posters or go to the Careers Service website www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/careers/whats-on. Gradclub Finally, by joining our GradClub scheme in your final year, you can continue to use our services for free or at a discounted rate for an additional two years. Ask for membership details at the Careers reception or go to www.gradclub.co.uk. Find us at 23/24 Laurie Grove 020 7919 7137 Opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9.30am-4.30pm

We look forward to meeting you. Careers Service 020 7919 7137 careers@gold.ac.uk

41

Presentation Ceremonies
All final-year students completing in the summer of 2012will be invited to attend Goldsmiths Presentation Ceremonies. Dates of the ceremonies will be published early in the autumn term, and you will be invited to one of the three dates. For further information please see the web page dedicated to the Presentation Ceremonies

Keeping in Touch
The completion of your degree at Goldsmiths doesn't have to mean the end of your affiliation with Goldsmiths. You will always be a part of Goldsmiths community and we want to keep in touch. The Goldsmiths Society was established to help alumni and friends of Goldsmiths keep up to date with news and events, access alumni services and learn more about way they can help Goldsmiths today. For more information please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/alumni/ Students who complete a course at Goldsmiths now automatically become lifetime members and we are currently in touch with over 25,000 former students based across the world.

Alumni Discount Scheme

There is a discount on tuition fees for all those who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree, DipHE or postgraduate taught programme at Goldsmiths, and who now wish to progress to a different postgraduate degree. In order to apply for the reduced tuition fee, you will need to have been accepted on to your intended programme of study and to have satisfied all the normal academic admissions criteria as well as all the conditions of enrolment and registration set down by Goldsmiths. For further information please see www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/alumni.

42

PROGRAMME SUMMARY BA Media and Communications 510014A

In order to gain the award of BA Media and Communications you will need to study the following courses:

First Year
Theory MC51002A MC51005A MC51006B MC51007A MC51010B Practice MC51003A MC51004A Media History & Politics Culture and Cultural Studies Key Concepts and Debates in Media Representation and Textual Analysis Introduction to Media and Technology Media Practice induction Media Production - Option 1 AUT SPR SPR AUT SPR Theory Total AUT SPR Practice Total Year Total 15 cr 15 cr 15 cr 15 cr 15 cr 75cr 15cr 30cr 45cr 120cr

Second Year
Theory MC52003B MC52005B MC52013A MC52014A Practice MC52006A MC52007A Communications, Psychology, Experience Culture, Society & the Individual Media, Economy and Society Intellectual Foundations of Social Theory Media Production - Option 2 Media Production - Specialisation AUT SPR SPR AUT Theory Total AUT SPR Practice Total Year Total 15 cr 15 cr 15 cr 15 cr 60cr 30cr 30cr 60cr 120cr

Third Year
Theory Any combinations of the following to a total of 2 course units: MC53003A (Spr) MC53021B (Aut) MC53023B (Aut) MC53031A (Aut) MC53038A (Aut) MC53039A (Spr) MC53040B (Aut) MC53045A (Spr) MC53046A (Aut) MC53048A (Spr) MC53049A(Spr) MC53051A (Aut) MC53052A (Aut) MC53053A (Aut) MC53054A (Spr) MC53001A (Dissertation Aut & Spr) Practice MC53034A Media Final Production/Portfolio

each 15cr 30cr Theory Total 60cr 60cr 60cr 120cr

AUT & SPR Practice Total Year Total

The following individual course descriptions give details of assessment including submission dates for all of the above courses. Submission dates are also given on page 6 of this handbook. Exact dates for 'sit-down exams' (MC51005A and MC52005B) will be distributed later in the year.

43

Theory Courses
Please note that locations and times may be subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control. We will always contact you as soon as we can to notify you of any change. MC51002A Media History and Politics 15 credits Historical development of the British media, and their role in the development of modern Britain. Changes in the content and structure of the media in relation to social and political change. Examination, in historical context, of some key debates about the relationship of the media to society. Autumn Term Lecture: 10.00 Wed 5 October NAB LG02 Course Leader James Curran Coursework One 1,500-2,000 word essay to be handed in 16 November 2011 Examination One 2,000 word essay to be handed in 05 January 2011 MC51005A Culture and Cultural Studies 15 credits Introduction to debates around the term 'culture', including questions of 'high' and 'mass' culture, and the development of British cultural studies. It looks at the 'moment' of Cultural Studies and the way in which ideas of 'resistance' and hegemony developed out of work on subcultures. It also explores understandings of culture based on experiences of gender, age and race and begins to examine audiencebased approaches to cultural activity. Spring Term Lecture: 13.00 Monday 9 January NAB LG02 Course Leader Lucia Vodanovic Coursework One 1,500-2,000 word essay to be handed in 20 February 2012 Examination One 2 hour unseen examination in summer term MC51006B Key Debates in Media Studies 15 credits This course focuses on important debates concerning media power and mediated identity and examines the different traditions and disciplines that have contributed to media analysis in this area. It looks at the roles played by ideology, politics and audiences in the making of meaning and requires students to use a critical perspective in the analysis of specific media texts and media events. Spring Term Lecture: 10.00 Wednesday Jan 11 NAB LG02 Course Leader Liz Moor Coursework One 1,500 word essay to be handed in 22 February 2012 Examination One 2,000 word essay to be handed in 26 April 2012

44

MC51007A Representation and Textual Analysis 15 credits The course focuses on the formal address of media texts in order to examine the ways in which they make meaning. Issues concerning narrative, realism, stars and image, fiction and documentary are examined with the aim of developing skills in the analysis of a range of media texts. Autumn Term Lecture: 09.00 Monday 3 October NAB LG02 Course Leader Kay Dickinson Coursework Plan for project of up to 1,000 words to be handed in 14 November 2011 Examination One 2,000 word project to be handed in 05 January 2012 MC51010B Introduction to Media and Technologies 15 credits What is the role of media and technology in cultural and social change? How do media affect us as bodily, psychic and social beings? How do digital technologies interact with older, analogue media and media-content? How do new media technologies connect to personal and group identity, social experience, political community, social and economic power, and the circulation of information within and across cultures? These are the questions we shall pursue in this course, exploring the relationship between media and technologies - both old and new - in diverse areas of culture and society. Spring Term Lecture: 14.00 Tuesday 10 January NAB LG02 Course Leader Pasi Valiaho Coursework One 1000 word project to be handed in 21 February 2012 Examination One 2000 word project to be handed in 26 April 2012 MC52003B Communications, Psychology and Experience 15 credits

This course will examine the place of experience in thinking about our self-formation. It will extend the usefulness of the concept of subjectivity for exploring certain themes and issues which might include: personality and the rise of celebrity culture, the psychologisation of everyday life, emotional branding and promotional culture, mental health and the media, make-over culture, and how to begin to understand the complex relationships between sexuality, class, race and gender in relation to the performative force of communication practices such as magazines, film and television. Autumn Term Lecture: 12.00 Monday 3 October NAB LG02 Course Leader Lisa Blackman Examination One 3,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012

45

MC52005B Culture, Society and the Individual 15 credits This course focuses on the formation of subjectivity in the context of huge social and political change and the growth of individualisation. The course, in particular, examines the consequences of individualisation: what kind of subjects are we now becoming? How does the ethos of individualisation operate in the context of globalisation? What does the term precarious lives mean? What are the unequal consequences of individualisation for women, for young people, for ethnic minorities? Who are the winners and the losers of the network society? The course moves between sociology and cultural and media studies also providing plenty of opportunity to examine case studies in more depth and to engage with new research in these areas. Spring Term Lecture 13.00 Thursday 12 January NAB LG02 Course Leader Angela McRobbie Examination One 2 hour seen examination in the summer term MC52013A Media, Economy and Society 15 credits This course will build on issues pertaining to media industries and debates in the field introduced in year 1 and take them to a more sophisticated level. We will consider a range of concepts and theoretical approaches, which offer ways of explaining and understanding the nature and development of media in society. We will ask how and in what ways the media industries might influence the nature and processes of democracy and consider debates about the public sphere; global media economies, the roles and activities of staff employed by culture producing organisations; the relevance of regulation and the national and transnational dynamics which characterise cultural production. Spring Term Lecture: 09.00 Monday 09 January NAB LG02 Course Leader Richard Smith Examination One 3,000 word project to be handed in 26 April 2012 MC52014A Intellectual Foundations of Social Theory 15 credits This course will investigate central issues in social theory as they relate to questions of media, communication and culture. It provides a theoretical map on which to locate some of the key issues confronted in media, communication and cultural studies. Each session will address a specific cultural or media-related phenomenon that is connected to the sociological topic under discussion. We will therefore investigate a range of issues including McDonaldisation, branding, reality television, contemporary music, celebrity and spectacle and the formation of the nation state. Autumn Term Lecture: 10.00 Thursday 6 October NAB LG02 Course Leader Des Freedman Seminar Leaders Onur Komurcu, Zo Pilger Examination One 3,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012

46

MC53001A Dissertation (1 paper) 30 credits The dissertation is based on individual research into a topic of the student's own choice. It consists of an 8-10,000 word critical investigation that draws on relevant literature, employs appropriate methodologies and sustains a coherent and contextualised argument. The dissertation requires the student to conceptualise, plan and write an analysis of a specific topic that is based on original research and that makes an original contribution to the field. The topic will be approved by the Department, and the research and writing will be supervised by a member of the Department. Supervisor By arrangement. Examination One 8,000 - 10,000 word Dissertation to be handed in to the Department by 30 April 2012 Please note: Students wishing to do a dissertation will be asked in the Spring Term of the Second Year to submit a proposal outlining the main aims of their research and the methods of study. The decision to permit the dissertation will based on the clarity and manageability of the topic proposed, the availability of suitable supervisory expertise along with an assessment of the students record in examinations, in meeting coursework deadlines and in generally organising their workload. Dissertation learning outcomes By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate the ability to conduct a substantive piece of individual research. 2. Formulate appropriate research questions. 3. Deploy a variety of applied research methodologies. 4. Reflect on the themes and issues arising from the relevant literature and relate them to the chosen research questions. 5. Make an original contribution to the chosen area of study. 6. Demonstrate the ability to present the research in a clear and structured fashion that draws upon sound writing and referencing skills. Please see notice boards for further dissertation arrangements. MC53003A Political Economy of the Mass Media 15 credits Different perspectives on the relationship between ideological and economic power, with reference to mass media. Comparison of culturalist interpretations with studies emphasising the role of the state, media ownership, advertising and market structures as forms of media control. Media representations in relation to debates over the construction and mediation of meaning and audiences response to these. Spring Term Lecture 12.00 Tuesday 12 January NAB LG01 Course Leader James Curran Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 27 April 2012

47

MC53021B Structure of Contemporary Political Communications 15 credits This course examines contemporary political communication through the mass media, in its national and international contexts. The lectures will explore the history of political communication, looking at questions of media ownership and regulation, party political and election broadcasts, news bias and the agenda setting role of the media. These issues will be illustrated by examples from the British, American and international political systems. Themes covered include: Public opinion and the public sphere, controlling and managing news agendas, political marketing, spin, propaganda and persuasion, war and the media, celebrity politics and e-democracy. Autumn Term Lecture 10.00 Monday 3 October MRB Scr #1 Course Leader Aeron Davis Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012 MC53031A Media, Ethnicity and Nation 15 credits This course will examine how ethnicities and nations are constructed within the media. Our aim will be three-fold:1) to analyse how the media constructs ethnicity and nations over time 2) to reflect on the role of the media in shaping nations and ethnicities 3) to explore the ways in formations of ethnicity and nationhood affect practices. We will not only examine a range of contemporary media forms, but we will also situate these forms in relation to longer histories of Western imperialism, from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. Our task in mapping this history as a history of the present is to explore how contemporary racial and national formations (ideas about Britishness, whiteness, and so on) exist in a complex and intimate relationship to much longer histories of empire. The course will introduce you to key concepts in Black Cultural Studies and Postcolonial Studies, including: colonial discourse, colonial fantasy, othering, hybridity and diaspora. We will also pay attention to the intersection between race, ethnicity and other social relations, including gender, sexuality and class. Autumn Term Lecture 13.00 Monday 03 October MRB Scr #1 Course Leader Sara Ahmed Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012 MC53038A Music as Communication and Creative Practice 15 credits The course will focus on music and sounds as forms of communication. It emphasises how musical meanings conveyed and understood and how this is mediated through the cultures and technologies of production, recording and consumption. We will consider how music communicates mood and meaning, now only through associated imagery and the lyrical content of songs, but as sound. How for example do we recognise that music means love, anger, sadness, terror or patriotism? We will also think about the processes that link production, circulation and consumption, as well as explore the ways that music connects with individual and collective identities. Autumn Term Lecture 09.00 Friday 7 October NAB LG02 Course Leader Julian Henriques Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012
48

MC53039A Embodiment & Experience 15 credits This course will examine the place of the body in contemporary social and cultural theory taking a number of case studies as examples. In recent years across a range of academic disciplines, from sociology, anthropology, cultural studies and psychology there has been a move away from approaching the body as a pre-given biological entity, to explore the ways in which cultural signs and codes mediate our relationships to our bodies. This work has emerged for example in relation to debates about cyberspace, eating disorders, transexuality, health and illness, the emotions, and new forms of spirituality. This course will review these debates, working through the above examples, to explore to what extent we need to talk about embodiment rather than the body in any fixed way. Spring Term Lecture 10.00am Monday 09 January MRB Scr#1 Course Leader Lisa Blackman Examination: One project based 3,000 word examined essay and a 1,000 word journal for assessment to be handed in 27 April 2012 MC53040B Strategies in World Cinema 15 credits Examining films produced within the majority world/non-G-8 countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia, this course adopts an inquisitive and critical stance on how world cinema is defined. The film material and the consumer cultures that circulate around it will be addressed according to three guiding themes: global(ised) economies, activism and populism. The analyses will be driven by a range of interdisciplinary debates on how different forms of colonisation are absorbed into and interrogated by such movies fluctuating national, transnational, industrial, institutional, distributional and aesthetic contexts. The early weeks will concentrate on how mobile, transnational capital shapes world cinema, paying particular attention to overseas funding stipulations, trade protectionism, the role of film festivals, the tactics employed by break-through hits, and the ways in which cinema interconnects with other industries, such as tourism. After that, there will be sessions devoted to branches of cinema that forthrightly aim to thwart some of the inequalities set in motion by trade liberalism and (neo-)colonialism. Here the emphasis will be on the perceived scope for revolutionary praxis, the role intellectuals and filmmakers might play in overturning social injustice and the various movements to indigenize movie production. Lastly, the course will interrogate notions of the popular by thinking through what it means for Latin American, African and Asian films to appeal to a broad fan base, either in their countries of production or overseas. Here the popular often becomes a complex fusion of economic, political and even mythic concerns. Readings for this course will be drawn mostly from a work by thinkers who situate themselves within the majority/non-G-8 world, either as film theorists and practitioners, or, more generally, as postcolonial philosophers and activists. Autumn Term Lecture 10.00am Monday 09 January NAB LG02 Course Leader Kay Dickinson Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012
49

MC53045A Cinema and Society 15 credits This course looks at the rise of visual culture from the inception of cinema to the present day. Beginning with its founding myth, the historic screening of Lumieres Arrival of the Train in 1895 at The Grand Caf, and ending with a study of the place of popular film in our lives today, we will explore the various ways in which the moving image affected consciousness. While one is always, to some extent, theorizing when it comes to making claims for the effects of film, ideas that have developed alongside the cinema have illuminating historical and cultural markings. We will study such early theorists as Jean Epstein (France 1897-1953), Walter Benjamin (Germany 1892-1940), Siegfried Kracauer (Germany, 1889-1966) whose ideas have grown in significance since their writings were first published. We will also consider anew theorists like Eisenstein and Bazin whose work has suffered from over simplification throughout the years. Inquiry into technologies of sound, sex, and race will guide us through a look at cinema in our present, ever-changing situation. Parallel to film theory, the course will provide essential film viewing, with a screening of a classic film each week, to aid our understanding of film history and aesthetics. Spring Term Lecture 09.00 Friday 13 January NAB LG01 Course Leader Rachel Moore Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 27 April 2012

MC53046A Media, Law and Ethics 15 credits Knowledge and skills to avoid the transgression of defamation and contempt and other principal media laws in the UK, the USA and Australia; An appreciation and ability to critically apply principles of ethical conduct in all fields of the media; A critical understanding of the cultural, social and political context of media law making and professional regulation; A critical appreciation of alternative methods of media law and those factors contributing to self-regulation by media practitioners. Autumn Term Lecture 16.00 Tuesday 4 October NAB LG01 Course Leader Tim Crook (seminars are on Wednesdays) Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012

50

MC53048A Media, Ritual and Contemporary Public Cultures 15 credits The aim of this course is to explore how the media operate as a focus of ritual action, symbolic hierarchies, and symbolic conflict, introducing a range of relevant theoretical perspectives and applying them to specific themes from public life. The course begins with a general introduction to debates on the media's social impacts (integrative or otherwise). Key theoretical concepts are then outlined: sacred and profane, symbolic power, ritual, boundary, and liminality (two lectures). Specific themes relating to the media's contribution to public life and public space are then explored: celebrity and ordinariness; fandom and media pilgrimages; media events and public ritual; mediated selfdisclosure (from talk shows to the Webcam); 'reality' television and everyday surveillance; and the media and symbolic protest (total six lectures). The course concludes with a review of ethical questions arising from the media's role in public life and public space. Spring Term Lecture 10.00 Thursday 12 January NAB LG01 Course Leader Nick Couldry Seminar Leader Veronica Barassi Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 27 April 2012

MC53049A Screen Cultures 15 credits Screens are now a dominant presence and interface in culture in a number of suggestive ways. First, public space is characterised by screens of information, advertising and surveillance. Second, the spectacular scale of the cinematic screen is giving way to the micro screens of a personalised and mobile life-style. Third, the discrete identity of media objects is increasingly lost to a convergence within the computer terminal. This course explores our relationship to these transformations, the ways in which our bodies are re-positioned by screens, our modes of expression and communication are affected, and our experience of time and space is reworked. These issues are examined through the work of Marc Auge and his concept of nonplace, Paul Virilios theories of an accidental culture of immediacy and speed, and Lev Manovichs idea of the computer screen as a layered interface which we access as randomly as we do memories. The course requires students to critically reflect on their own relationship to screen cultures, relationships that may be productive, poetic and arbitrary as much as they are disciplined, rationalised and controlled. Spring Term Lecture 10.00 Tuesday 20 January MRB Scr#1 Course Leader Pasi Valiaho Examination 4,000 words in total: one piece of work to be handed in week five, one week seven and final essay to be handed in 27 April 2012

51

MC53051A After New Media 15 Credits This course builds on, and challenges, existing approaches to media by tracing the transition from debates on new media to debates on mediation. Mediation takes us from a more spatial, black-boxed approach to separate media, and separate aspects of the media (production, content, reception) towards a more temporal approach,which is often invoked but rarely developed. The course will ask what it means to study the media as a complex process, which is simultaneously economic, social, cultural, psychological and technical. Autumn Term Lecture 10.00 Thursday 7 October NAB LG01 Course Leader Sarah Kember Examination One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012 MC53052A Representing Reality 15 Credits This course will explore the documentary form from the combined perspectives of Screen Studies and Visual Anthropology. It will consider documentary production in its various social and historical contexts and across different distribution platforms (from the cinema to the art gallery), and deal with current debates about documentary ethics and aesthetics. Taught by a range of Lecturers from the Media & Communications and Anthropology Departments, it will encompass both Anglophone and international (including Chinese) documentary traditions, and historical examples from the early Soviet avant-garde to contemporary reality TV. Autumn Term Course Leader Examination Lecture 09.00 Thursday 6 October NAB LG01 Tony Dowmunt/Rachel Moore One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2012

MC53053A Future Developments in Screen and Film Theory: 15 Credits The Magic and the Real How is Screen and Film Studies changing? This course will introduce final year students to new developments in the discipline. Historically, Screen and Film Studies has emerged as Film Studies has moved to include other screen-based media, such as television, computer-based narratives and so on. The proliferation of media vehicles for delivering films (from videotape to DVD, the internet, and even mobile phones) has led to questioning the assumptions underlying Film Studies. Put simply, what is cinema if it is no longer celluloid projected in movie theatres? Does cinema include other screen-based media such as television, the Internet, video games, installation art and so more? In this course, we return to the origins of the idea and practice of cinema in a fascination with the real and the magical. Historians of the cinema conventionally associate its appeal with two fathers: the Lumire Brothers and Georges Mlis. The Lumires are associated with documentary and realism, and Mlis with magic films and fantasy. Those fascinations continue beyond celluloid to reality TV and surveillance cameras, for instance, in the case of the real and digital special effects and other forms of screen fantasy in the case of the magical. By examining the real and the magical in their various screen incarnations, we hope to achieve a better understanding of the range
52

of Screen and Film Studies, in terms of objects, approaches, and issues. Fundamental to our work is the recognition that the real and the magical are not mutually exclusive and oppositional on screen reality versus fantasybut that they are inter-dependent: the magic of bringing the screen to life, with all the complex questions about subjectivity, presence, and prosthesis that phrase implies. Autumn Term Course Leader Examination Lecture 13.00 Thursday 6 October Chris Berry One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 06 January 2011

MC53054A Promotional Culture 15 Credits This course looks at the rise of promotional culture (public relations, advertising, marketing and branding) and promotional intermediaries and their impact on society. The first part of the course will discuss the history of promotional culture and will offer some conflicting theoretical approaches with which to view its development. These include: professional/industrial, economic, political economy, post-Fordist, audience, consumer society, risk society, and postmodern perspectives. The second part will look at specific case areas of promotional culture. These are in: commodities and services, popular media and culture, celebrities and public figures, politics, civil society, and financial markets. In each of these areas questions will be asked about the influence of promotional practices on the production, communication and consumption of ideas and products as well as larger discourses, fashions/genres and socio-economic trends. Spring Term Course Leader Examination Lecture 10.00 Monday 09 January NAB LG01 Aeron Davis One 4,000 word essay to be handed in 27 April 2012

Lecture Locations
NAB LG01 NAB LG02 MRB Scr #1 New Academic Building Screening Room New Academic Building Lecture Theatre Media Research Building Screen #1

Check notice boards for seminar locations.

53

Theory coursework through the year

Most theory courses run for a term. Courses will have 10 sessions. Lectures are given each week and are usually followed up with a seminar on the same day where issues can be explored in greater detail. Revision sessions and revision tutorial hours may be arranged in the first two weeks of the summer term for those courses with sit-down exams.

Lectures
Lectures form the backbone of most theory courses in the department and are an essential part of the courses. You will get more out of the lectures and the accompanying seminars if you can do some reading in the area beforehand. You should arrive at lectures on time (even those at 9.00am!) and you will find it helpful to write up your notes afterwards so that you can use the material when you come to revise. If you have problems with any course of lectures, arrange to see the course leader concerned during his/her Tutorial Hour.

Seminars

Lectures are normally followed by seminars. In the seminars, a seminar leader will help you to explore the ideas raised in the lecture and lead discussion on questions raised. A good seminar depends on a number of things, but one of the most important is student preparation. You will have been given reading to do and you may be asked to do a presentation or think about key questions. Don't stay silent in the seminar if you do not understand what is being said. If you speak up, you will find that others may feel the same. At the same time, don't try and dominate all the time available. Listen to what others have to say. Learning involves sharing knowledge and building on what other people contribute.

Attendance

Attendance is compulsory for all seminars. It is clearly in your own interest to always quickly inform the Undergraduate Secretary on 020 7919 7639 or 7698 or by email to media-ug@gold.ac.uk, if you are unable through illness, or other severe domestic difficulty, to attend any lecture or seminar. If you are sick for more than 6 days (including Saturdays and Sundays), or miss an assessment or examination deadline, you must provide a written explanation together with a medical certificate. You can be withdrawn from the programme if you fail to attend your courses. Please note these extracts from general regulations: 8.2 Students failing to notify the appropriate office of the central administration within two weeks of their last date of attendance shall be liable for payment of fees in full and shall not be eligible for any refund of fees paid. 9.7 Students who absent themselves totally for more than two weeks from their programme and have not supplied a medical certificate or other evidence acceptable to the College to cover such an absence shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the College. 10.3 Students failing to notify the appropriate office of the central administration of making a change to or interrupting a programme within two weeks of that change being effective or their last date of attendance shall be liable for payment of fees in full and shall not be eligible for any refund of fees paid. The Department carefully monitors student attendance on a weekly basis. If no satisfactory explanation is given for absences, the Senior Tutor, Richard Smith will put you on probation. If you are having problems with any course, talk to the course leader or your Personal Tutor. Please don't just 'drop out. Were here to help.
54

Seminar Reading
Copyright arrangements mean that we do not always provide a weekly piece of reading for each seminar. On some courses you are advised that you should buy a set book which will be used throughout the course; first year students may be asked to buy a reader which will be useful for a number of courses in the first two years. On other courses, photocopied material will be provided. There will not be enough multiple copies of set books in the library and the purchase of recommended books is essential for your study. We know that students are very short of money but it really is not possible to do a degree course without buying some books. For each course you will be given a course outline. This will give the programme of lectures and make suggestions for reading. You are encouraged to read widely and should not just stick to the required reading. Follow up references that look interesting, have a look through some of the key journals for recent articles and keep your eyes open for useful material in the newspapers. Remember that it is essential to make notes when you read, to write down reference details and to note page numbers for any interesting quotations. This can save you hours of searching when you want to use the material you have read.

Coursework essays
In first year courses, you are required to do coursework essays. This helps you to focus your reading and encourages participation in the seminars. It is also important preparation for your exams. The essay will be marked and returned to you with comments. The mark given by your seminar leader is to give you and the department an indication of your progress; the mark does not count toward your degree but is kept on file. If you do not do the coursework set, you will not be eligible to sit the exam for that course, so it is very important that you do the coursework required and hand it in at the proper time. Failure to do so can have serious consequences and you may be placed on probation. Always make a copy of your essay before handing it in and keep an electronic copy. Seminar leaders will return essays before the end of term so long as they are handed in on time. It is obviously most important that you keep your seminar leader and your personal tutor informed of any circumstances that may adversely affect your work. Staff will always give sympathetic consideration to genuine cases of illness and to the effects of difficult domestic problems facing a student. Your Personal Tutor and seminar leader have tutorial hours (see Tutorial Hours), when you can seek individual tutorials.

Handing in your coursework

Please hand in your coursework essay to your seminar leader ON or BEFORE the date specified in the course details. Please do not hand it in to the departmental office.

55

Practice Courses
UG Practice Co-ordinator Julian Henriques Practice Area Animation Illustration Interactive Media Script/Prose Writing Photography Print Journalism Radio Television Film UG Practice Options/Assessment Co-ordinator Jacqui Cheal Convener Andrew Kingham Andrew Kingham Andrew Kingham Judy Holland Nigel Perkins Angela Phillips Tim Crook Peter Lee-Wright Gerry McCulloch

MC51003A Induction to Media Practice

Autumn 2011

15 cr

This course provides students with an overview of media production work in five of the following areas: Animation, Illustration, Interactive Media, Script with Prose Writing, Photography, Print Journalism, Radio and Television through ten workshops and seminars. Students will be actively involved in production exercises in the 2 day sessions. As any absence is liable to prevent the completion of all coursework, you are required to explain any absence in writing, by the following week, to Jacqui Cheal NAB 208. Examination: Production Essay. For details see page 75. Two copies (clearly marked with your candidate number only) must be handed in 06 January 2012 10.00am - 2.00pm Course starts 10.00am Thursday 6 October. See notice boards for groups and locations. Option choices for Spring & Autumn 2012 Your options for MC51004A and MC52006A will be chosen at the end of the Autumn Term. Details will be given nearer the time.

MC51004A Media Production - Option 1

Spring 2012

30 cr

An introduction to media practice in one of the practice options offered each year by the Department. Production skills will be applied in the creation of small scale projects. Critical skills will be developed through the analysis of excerpts of work produced in each medium. Examination: Work to be completed by 4.00 pm on the last taught day of the course and clearly marked with appropriate information - Name(s), title of work, running time (where appropriate) and course code. Students working in groups will share the project mark, but must hand in individual production logs. For details see page 76. Two copies (clearly marked with your name and candidate number) must be handed in 26 April 2012 10.00am - 2.00pm Course starts 10.00am Thursday 12 January 2012. See notice boards for locations.

56

MC52006A Media Production Option 2

Autumn 2011

30 cr

An introduction to media practice in one of the practice options offered each year by the Department. Production skills will be applied in the creation of small scale projects. Critical skills will be developed through the analysis of excerpts of work produced in each medium. Examination: Work to be completed by 4.00 pm on the last taught day of the course and clearly marked with appropriate information - Name(s), title of work, running time (where appropriate) and course code. Students working in groups will share the project mark, but must hand in individual production logs. For details see page 76. Two copies (clearly marked with your name and candidate number) must be handed in 06 January 2012 10.00am - 2.00pm Course starts 10.00am Friday 7 October. See notice boards for locations.

MC52007A Media Production Specialisation

Spring 2012 30 cr

Students specialise in one of the practice areas studied earlier in their programme and apply further technical and creative skills in the creation of course projects/portfolios.Full details of each course will be made available prior to option selection which takes place in week 6 of the Autumn Term. Examination: Work to be completed by 4.00 pm on the last taught day of the course and clearly marked with appropriate information - Name(s), title of work, running time (where appropriate) and course code. Students working in groups will share the project mark, but must hand in individual production logs. For details see page 76. Two copies (clearly marked with your name and candidate number) must be handed in 26 April 2012 10.00am - 2.00pm Course starts 10.00am Tuesday 10 January. See notice boards for locations.

MC53034A Media Production Project

Aut 2011/Spr 2012 60cr

Students are required to undertake the research, planning and production of a major piece or a portfolio of work in the practice area in which they specialised in MC52007A. Projects will be agreed in conjunction with tutors. Examination: Project/Portfolio work to be completed by 4.00 pm on the last taught day of the course and clearly marked with appropriate information - name(s), title of work, running time (where appropriate) and course code. All students are required to hand in Production Essays. See page 76. Two copies (clearly marked with your candidate number only) must be handed in 27 April 2012 10.00am - 2.00pm Students working in groups must also hand in individual production logs. For details see page 77. Two copies (clearly marked with your name and candidate number) must be handed in 27 April 2012 10.00am - 2.00pm Course starts 10.00am Tuesday 4 October 2011. Course continues on Tuesdays until the end of the Autumn Term. No meeting during week 6. Limited access to production facilities may be arranged in consultation with your tutor/Practice Manager. Course MOVES to Wednesdays in the Spring Term . No meeting during week 6. Limited access to production facilities may be arranged in consultation with your tutor/Practice Manager.

57

Course Organisation
Autumn & Spring Terms
With the exception of MC51003A all practice courses follow the same structure: Week 1 to 5 5 hour practice lectures, seminars and workshops 10am to 4pm

Reading Weeks* (7 -11 November & 13 - 17 February) 7 to 11 5 hour practice workshops from 10am to 4pm

NB: MC51003A consists of ten x 5 hour practice sessions from 10.00 - 4.00pm in different practice areas, on Thursdays in the Autumn Term. * There is no access to facilities during Reading Week, with the possible exception of 3rd year students where arrangements to use facilities must be agreed in advance, with your course tutor and the Practice Manager.

Attendance

Attendance is compulsory for all practice sessions and any non-attendance (with the exception of illness or severe personal difficulties) may result in students being unable to proceed to the assessment stage of the course. This means that a mark of 0% would be recorded at the Examination Board, which could have very significant consequences for the student concerned. It is clearly in your own interest to always quickly inform the Undergraduate Secretary, on 020 7919 7639 or 7698 or by email to media-ug@gold.ac.uk, if you are unable through illness, or other severe domestic difficulty, to attend any session. If you are sick for more than 6 days (including Saturdays and Sundays), or miss an assessment or examination deadline, you must provide a written explanation together with a medical certificate. You can be withdrawn from the programme if you fail to attend your courses. Please note these extracts from general regulations: 8.2 Students failing to notify the appropriate office of the central administration within two weeks of their last date of attendance shall be liable for payment of fees in full and shall not be eligible for any refund of fees paid. 9.7 Students who absent themselves totally for more than two weeks from their programme and have not supplied a medical certificate or other evidence acceptable to the College to cover such an absence shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the College. 10.3 Students failing to notify the appropriate office of the central administration of making a change to or interrupting a programme within two weeks of that change being effective or their last date of attendance shall be liable for payment of fees in full and shall not be eligible for any refund of fees paid. The Department carefully monitors student attendance on a weekly basis. If no satisfactory explanation is given for absences, the Senior Tutor, Richard Smith will put you on probation. If you are having problems with any course, talk to the course leader or your Personal Tutor. Please don't just 'drop out. Were here to help.

58

Technical Support
Technical Advisers assist course tutors in the planning and evaluation of courses in which they are involved as well as contributing to the evaluation of student performance. In structured teaching, technical advisers support course tutors by demonstrating the safe operation of equipment, by advising students on the effective use of technical resources and techniques in workshops and exercises. Students should also consult them prior to any project work to ensure that the appropriate equipment has been booked and is available at an agreed time. As technical staff work to busy schedules of course support, access to them can only be guaranteed on timetabled course days. Otherwise, mutually agreed arrangements have to be made for appointments at other times.

59

Practice Options Selection

MC51004A & MC52006A Media Production
The Department currently offers practice work for first and second year students in Script with Prose Writing, Animation, Illustration, Interactive Media, Photography, Print Journalism, Radio and Television. Course details are distributed to all students at the end of the first year Autumn Term. Students are asked to give their first option preference and two others and the Department does its best to provide the first course preference and one of the other two options. Tutors will give advice as to the most useful combination of courses in preparation for the specialisation courses. Please remember that animation and television are group-centred courses and students are advised to opt for other courses if they do not wish to work closely with others. However, you should bear in mind that all media practice involves an element of co-operation and successful interaction with others. All students in groupcentred courses are also required to produce Production Logs as part of their assessment in which they make clear their individual contributions to each production and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the finished work.

MC52007A & MC53034A Specialist Courses

The Department currently offers specialist courses in Electronic Graphics and Animation, Illustration, Interactive Media, Film Fiction, Photography, Print Journalism, Radio, Scriptwriting with Prose Writing and TV Journalism/TV Documentary. Course details are distributed prior to a group meeting with the course conveners held in Monitoring Week of your second Autumn Term. EGA, Film and Television are group-centred courses and students are again required to submit Production Logs. When choosing your introductory options, please bear in mind: Which prerequisite course you need to have taken before specialisation Which other course would be particularly relevant to your proposed area of specialisation.

PLEASE NOTE In the event of over subscription to any course, the Department will make a decision as to whether it can accommodate the additional numbers on a case by case basis. Clearly there are finite limits to available practice accommodation and equipment access and it may become necessary to reduce the size of a group to manageable proportions. In this case the Departments policy is to reward students who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to their overall work across their programmes. To this end, reference will be made to the students record of theory coursework completion and to attendance at practice and theory sessions up to that time and selections made accordingly.

60

Staff give the following advice about your choice of introductory options:

MC52007A Media Production Specialisation

Specialisation Electronic Graphics & Animation Prerequisite course Animation Other particularly relevant courses Scriptwriting with Prose writing is very useful, all courses have relevance TV, Radio, EVA

Scriptwriting with Prose Writing Film Fiction

Scriptwriting with Prose Writing Television

Scriptwriting with Prose writing is very strongly encouraged TV, Radio, or Photography, but all courses have relevance Any visual medium but all courses have relevance Journalism, Scriptwriting with Prose Writing Journalism is very strongly encouraged, or Radio Any visual medium but all courses have relevance Any visual medium but all courses have relevance

Print Journalism

Journalism

Photography

Photography

Radio

Radio

Television Journalism TV Documentary (Year 3)

Television

Illustration

Illustration

Interactive Media

Illustration/Animation

61

EXAMINATIONS - What You Need To Know

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ENROLLED 2010 or 2011
Degree Regulations for First Year Students The College has adopted a credit framework for its programmes which came into effect in 2010-11. The following paragraphs set out briefly the requirements for passing courses, progressing on your programme and for the award of your degree (the regulations in full can be found at: http://www.gold.ac.uk/regulations/ ) DEGREE STRUCTURE Your programme is split into three levels, each of which corresponds to a standard full-time year of study. Each level has a total value of 120 credits, and is normally made up of courses which have a value of 15 or 30 credits. PASS MARK In order to pass a course you will need to obtain a mark of at least 40%. PROGRESSION As a minimum requirement, you will need to have passed courses to a total value of at least 90 credits in order to progress from one level to the next. You must pass all 'core' courses, in order to progress and be awarded your degree, irrespective of the total credit value of the courses you have passed at a given level. RESITS AND COMPENSATION If you fail a course (i.e. receive a mark of less than 40%) you are allowed two further attempts to pass it. If you receive a mark of between 35% and 39% for a course that is not deemed to be core to the programme and your mean average mark for the level is greater than 45%, then you may be awarded a compensated fail for that course. This means that, although the course has not been passed, it will be treated as if it has for the purposes of the award of your degree. However, this compensation may only be applied after you have used up all of your permitted further attempts. No more than 30 credits can be compensated at a single level and no more than 60 credits across the whole degree. Core courses can not be compensated. AWARDS AND CLASSIFICATION In order to be awarded an honours degree you will need to have passed or received a compensated fail for ALL courses on the programme (360 credits). If, at the end of your programme, having used up all your permitted further attempts to pass a course or courses, you have passed courses to a total value of less than 360 credits but of at least 300 credits you will be awarded a Pass degree. If, at this point you have passed courses to a value of less than 300 credits you will not be eligible for the award of a degree though you may be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate.

62

STUDENTS ENROLLED PRIOR TO 2010

Students enrolled on Course Unit Degree programmes are required to take a total of 12 course units. Full-time students taking a three-year course will normally take 4 course units in each year of study. Full-time students will be required to have passes to a minimum value of 3 course units at the end of the first year of study, prior to being permitted to proceed to the second year. Passes to a minimum value of 3 course units are required in the second year of study prior to being permitted to proceed to the final year. A candidate enters the examination in the academic year in which he or she follows a course. Except for those parts of an examination on any course, which may be held during that course, written and practical examinations shall normally take place once a year during the College designated examination period. Failed units need to be taken again (a re-sit). The mark awarded after a re-sit will be the mean of the mark gained in the re-sit and the pass mark of the course. In order to be considered for the award of an Honours degree, students are required to pass a minimum of 10 course units (nine course units for those enrolled on the programme before 2005). The assessment of a candidate for honours is determined by a scheme of weighting for the three years of the degree of 1:3:5.

Students MUST, however, satisfactorily complete 12 course units.

All students need to satisfy the department of their successful completion of coursework before being permitted to proceed to the examination of a course. Successful completion of Coursework means satisfactory attendance/participation in seminars/all practice sessions and the completion of coursework essays and practice work.

ALL STUDENTS

Seen and unseen examination papers

Please see individual course descriptions for details of examinations for all courses, including the length of the examinations. The date for the publication of the SEEN papers for the relevant exams is given in the section Important Dates at the beginning of the handbook. Regulations on handing in Examined Essays & Production Essays/Logs This method of examination is used for a number of courses. You write an essay on a topic selected from the list of questions provided and hand it in on a specified day. Examined essays must be treated like a formal examination paper; missing the deadline is the equivalent of not turning up to an examination and could prevent you from continuing your programme of study or getting your final degree.

TWO COPIES of the essay must be handed in to a location that will be advertised well in advance, on days shown in the individual course listings in this handbook. A receipt will be issued to you. You are now also required to hand in an electronic version of your essay (normally CD) which must be in an appropriate envelope/case clearly marked with your student number and the course code. The following formats are acceptable: rich text (rtf); word (doc);
portable document format (pdf); postscript (ps); html (html); plain text (txt).

YOU MUST ALSO KEEP A COPY OF YOUR ESSAY. We cannot return or make copies of marked essays.
63

The Deadline
The deadline is by a set time on a set date. If you do not give it in by the time and date indicated, the essay is late and must be handed in with accompanying explanatory information (e.g. medical certificate). Late essays must NOT be left in pigeonholes or given to individual members of staff.

Extension of deadlines for third year Autumn Term options only

If a third year Media & Communications student is doing three or more third year theory options in the Autumn term, the student concerned may nominate one essay which can be handed in four weeks after the normal date, providing you do the following. However, there are no extensions for Spring term courses. you must submit you request to the relevant course leader and the Examinations Officer in writing before monitoring week (week 6) in the autumn term that you want to do this for a particular course the essay must be given in on the due date. Late essays will be treated in the usual way other essays must be given in at the correct time.

Granted Extensions & the handing in date will be on the notice board. REMEMBER Students are responsible for applying to have this provision invoked. It is not up to the Exams Officer or the personal tutor or the course leader to initiate this. If you do not submit the letter required before the due date, you will be required to submit all your option essays on the normal day. If you think that you will have any problems handing in your assessed coursework by the published deadline, please tell your tutor as soon as possible so that we can discuss the situation.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of the views of other authors and experts as if they were your own; it is cheating and must be avoided in all essays at all costs. You can of course present those views either in your own words or in quotations, as long as you clearly indicate the source in the text of the essay. If you are using web sites, you must give a web site address. Downloading material without acknowledgement is plagiarism. See the advice on references and Bibliography in the section on Essay Essentials for advice on this because you can be guilty of plagiarism even if you do not intend to deceive. Ask for guidance from your seminar leader or Personal Tutor if you are in any doubt. Essays are now likely to be subjected to JISC plagiarism detection software. CASES OF SUSPECTED PLAGIARISM IN EXAMINED ESSAYS HAVE TO BE REPORTED TO THE UNIVERSITY AND IF FOUND TO BE SO, ARE DEALT WITH VERY SEVERELY.

64

Deferred Assessments
These are held in late August or early September and are normally offered to students who are unable to take an exam on the due date for medical reason. The decision to offer a deferred assessment is taken on the basis of evidence supplied by the student. The decision will be taken by the Board in June and no

agreement to offer deferred assessments can be made by individual members of staff. http://www.gold.ac.uk/student-services/assessments/ Results
The classification of the final year students are displayed on the Examinations Office notice board, by candidate number and NOT name, in late June or early July. For continuing students, their marks are also displayed at the end of June or in early July. The Examinations Booklet you receive will have the exact dates. A detailed transcript will be send by post in July/August, so please make sure that Student Records have your correct address.

In Debt to the College?

If you are in debt to the College, at the time the results become available, you will not automatically receive your final transcript. If you wish to obtain information concerning your results you can do so by making a Data Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act (1998), for which a fee will be charged. The letter from the Examinations Office informing you that your results are being withheld will tell you how to do this, and under the Data Protection Act you will be entitled to receive your result (not in the form of a transcript) within 40 days of submitting the Data Subject Access Request and fee.

Requests for transcripts or confirmation letters

Students will be issued a set of transcripts following completion of the year or their programme of study. Additional copies of transcripts and/or confirmation of award are available from Student Services on payment of a small fee. For further details please see:

http://www.gold.ac.uk/student-services/transcripts-archives/

65

Examined Essay Regulations

I M P O R T A N T

If examined essays or production logs/essays are not handed in on time, they will not be considered by the examination board, unless accompanied by a medical certificate and an explanatory letter. Address your letter to the chair of the Examination Board and hand in all three items as soon as possible after the deadline. If you do not hand in work by the deadline and do not provide an adequate explanation, you will be awarded a mark of 0% and required to re-sit the examination.

Computer failures are NOT an acceptable reason for late delivery of an examined essay. ALWAYS keep a backup copy of your work in case the original is lost or damaged.
Allow plenty of time for printing if you are using computers in the college. NO arrangements about extensions can be made with course leaders or personal tutors. If you have serious problems, discuss them with your personal tutor who will liaise with the Examinations Officer in the Department. Work submitted by email or fax will NOT be accepted. A mark of 0% will be awarded unless there are medical reasons for non-submission.

No work produced within the Department may be published, reproduced or disseminated by any electronic or mechanical means, without the permission of the Head of Department. For work produced on Practice Courses, this permission can be obtained by discussion with the Course Convener. In other circumstances, full written details should be submitted to the Head of Department.

66

Writing essays in exam conditions

Some courses are assessed by examinations in May. You will receive a booklet about exams from the Examinations Office - read it carefully. See the notice board for when they become available. The Exams timetable will be in the booklet - check it carefully. Help yourself by turning up at the right place at the right time and allowing plenty of time for public transport to do its worst to make you late. All these exams require you to write a number of essays in a limited time. Writing essays in a timed situation obviously is a rather different experience from writing essays in your own time but the same principles of good planning apply. The following points may help. Make a plan for each essay The less time you have the more important this is. Sketch out the main points you want to make, the key references and the broad conclusions before you start. You will have to give this in so identify it clearly as rough work. Answer the question The exam is not so much a test of what you know, but how you can use what you know so make sure you direct your material to the question. Some questions may have two or more parts; make sure you have a go at answering all of them. Time your answers You should give more or less equal time to each of the questions you are required to answer. Do not devote a lot of time to the question you know most about, leaving yourself too little time to sort out the others which may be more difficult. Keep an eye on the time and make sure you are in a position to move on. Style Allowances will be made but don't let handwriting, punctuation, sentence structure etc. completely disintegrate. In this situation, you might use shorter sentences and less complex formulations. Examples Prepare some of your own examples to use in different areas of the exam e.g. youth subcultures, advertising, television fictions, the press so that you can show that you can use the ideas you have read about. References Obviously we do not expect detailed references in this situation but it helps if you can attach ideas to the correct author and if possible to the correct book. This is particularly important if you want to write about someone who changed their mind e.g. you might refer to Barthes in Mythologies or Barthes in S/Z. You don't need to learn reams of quotes but being able to quote a short phrase directly is always useful. Come to a conclusion Always write a concluding paragraph even if you are running out of time so that the essay does not just trail away.

67

Hand-in Essays
Examined essays and coursework Essay writing is an important skill, which you will need to develop so that you can demonstrate your knowledge in a particular subject area and express your own ideas. This is particularly important for courses, which are examined by an essay, but you should use coursework to practise your writing techniques for all courses. Inevitably, since you are engaged in academic study, there are some rules and conventions, which you must adopt if you are to do well in academic examinations. Many of these skills however will be useful to you later on if you are writing reports, summaries, position papers or other documents in a wide range of institutions. So get into good habits right from the start and take note of the following points. Timetables Hand your essay in on time. This means that if you have a number of essays to write as well as practice work to do, you must make a timetable for your work and stick to it. Missing a deadline for handing in an examined essay is the same as turning up days late for a sit-down exam. Handing in late can mean that you will fail the examination concerned. Legibility Please word-process or type your essays or make sure that they are clearly legible. Student word processing facilities are available in College, and this is an invaluable skill for working in communications. Teachers have the right not to mark illegible essays and to ask for them to be re-presented in legible form. Make sure the course code and student number is on the cover sheet. Planning Because you need a structure it is essential to plan your work. You must know roughly what conclusions you are going to draw before you start the essay. Make a plan and tell the reader what the plan is in the first or second paragraph. . . "I will argue this and then demonstrate that . . .". Sub-headings can be helpful in organising material but don't use too many or the essay will not 'flow'. Writing can help thinking but be prepared (and give yourself time) to redraft. Using your own ideas Don't be afraid to develop your own ideas. Think about what you have read on your courses and apply it to the music, television programmes, films, magazines, newspapers etc. that you know. Make an argument; don't just describe other people's views. Use your own examples from your knowledge of the media. Structure Make sure that your essay has: An introduction - laying out what you intend to discuss and the ideas, readings and authors you will draw upon or write about. A middle - the substance of the essay in which you develop in more detail the ideas and material you are working on. A conclusion - in which you summarise what you have done and show how you have answered the question. In thinking about the structure, it is helpful to read the question carefully and make sure this leads you to an answer. Look at key words in the question and make sure you cover all aspects of the question. Make sure this structure is clear to the reader and that you signpost it as you go along.
68

Length Stick to the word limits you have been given. It is a good discipline to be able to write within fixed limits. Again, planning will make sure you get down the main points in the words available. You can be penalised for writing too much as well as for writing too little. Give the number of words you have used at the end of your essay. Style Pay attention to developing a good writing style that flows well. Some of the writers you will be reading use very complex styles, which you should be careful about taking as models. Aim for clarity and avoid waffle. Vary the length of your sentences and do not make them so long that you (and the reader) lose track of the subject. Paragraphs are not just used to break up the page; each paragraph should focus on a particular idea or issue and paragraphs are therefore normally longer than a single sentence. Pay attention to how you get from one paragraph to another by making a link between them. Remember that you are writing your essays in an academic context, so do not use the same style as you would for a letter to a friend. Avoid slang and write in an objective style which enables you to make a reasoned argument not just assert an opinion. Grammar and punctuation Grammar and punctuation are important because they help to make your meaning clear. It is sometimes hard to understand essays because basic rules have not been followed. You must pay attention to sentence structure and avoid careless mistakes. Reread what you have written before you hand it in and check for spelling, punctuation, missing words, apostrophes in the wrong place etc. Sloppy writing style tends to make the reader think that the ideas in the essay are also sloppy. If you have problems with your writing style or with grammar, spelling or punctuation, especially if you are a foreign student with these difficulties, you should see your personal tutor who will advise you of courses available in College (see English Language Training) to help. It is best to seek help on this early in the year. Note taking When you are reading, you will save a lot of time if you take the bibliographical details of the book or article right at the start and keep a note of the page numbers for quotations. Otherwise you can waste hours trying to track down the source of a quotation you have found on an odd scrap of paper. Using your reading Use the reading you have done, but make sure you direct it towards answering the question. Be concise in summarising other writers' views and try to comment on what you have read. Do not use other writers work as if it were your own. Always give references - see the sections on Plagiarism, Bibliography and Quotations.

69

Bibliography Every essay should have a bibliography at the end. A bibliography is a list of the readings (articles and/or books) that you looked at in order to write it. This does not have to mean an enormous list but it must include all your main sources. The bibliography acts as a map of the readings and ideas that you have digested and incorporated into your thinking. For books, your bibliography should include: the author's name; the book title; the publisher; the date of publication which you will find on the title pages of the book eg Geraghty, C., Women and Soap Opera, Polity Press, 1991. For articles, your bibliography should include: the author's name; the title of the article; the source of the article i.e. the journal it comes from; the number and date of the journal eg Kember, S., Cyborgs and the Body, Feminist Review, No.13, April 1997. For essays in books, you should include: the author's name, the title of the essay, the source i.e. the title of the book it is in; the editor(s) of the book; the publisher; the date of publication eg B. Schwarz, Television and Civil Rights, in OShea, A. (ed) Culture and the Modern World, Routledge, 1999 The title of books and journals should always be underlined but the title of essays or articles should be given in inverted commas e.g. Born, G., Music, modernism and signification, in Benjamin, A. and Osborne, p. (eds.), Thinking Art, Routledge,1991. List your books in the alphabetical order of the authors' surname. A poor bibliography will lose you precious marks. Sort out how to do it with the help from your tutors. Quotations When you use direct quotes from books or articles in your essay, they must always be accompanied by a reference saying exactly where the quote is from: the page number(s), and the book or article. A good way is to give the page number, author's name and the date of the article/book right after the quote, like this: ".... ( Quote ) ...." (p. 24, Curran, 1991)

and then to give the full reference to that author's book or article in your bibliography at the end of the essay thus: Curran, J., Mass Communications and Society, Routledge, 1991.

70

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ENROLLED 2010 or 2011

Essay Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria for essays are in general: the extent to which the specified course learning outcomes have been achieved the originality, ambition, scope and relevance of the essay in terms of the topic being addressed. the structure and form of the essay. the presentation of the essay in terms of attention to clarity of expression, clear print/handwriting, spelling and punctuation.

Essay Grading Criteria - Some Guidelines

0% Non submission or plagiarised assessment a categorical mark representing either the failure to submit an assessment or a mark assigned for a plagiarised assessment. 1-9% Very bad fail a submission that does not even attempt to address the specified learning outcomes (shall be deemed a non-valid attempt and unit must be re-sat). 10-24% Bad fail represents a significant overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of very poor quality that demonstrates little or no originality and ambition and is extremely weak in content, language and structure. 25-39% Fail represents an overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of poor quality that demonstrates little or no originality and ambition and contains significant flaws in terms of content, structure or language. 40-49% Pass represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a threshold level. Work of an overall satisfactory standard although little originality and/or ambition is demonstrated. The work is mainly descriptive and refers to only a limited range of ideas/examples. Although the work lacks a fluent argument, it exhibits some critical awareness of the topic. 50-59% Good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a good level. Work of an overall good standard. It will demonstrate an overall effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will show some originality and ambition together with evidence of background reading and comprehension of the topic. The analytical dimension will not be fully developed and the reading may be limited to a few texts only. 60-69% Very good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a very good level. Work that overall achieves a high standard and that demonstrates the effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will have achieved its goals and will demonstrate a significant degree of originality and ambition with a very good level of analytical precision, very sound preparation and an awareness of different critical perspectives. 70-79% Excellent represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an excellent level. Work of excellent overall quality. It will demonstrate an excellent application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will contain evidence of a broad and systematic understanding of the subject, together with the ability to engage with complex ideas and develop original perspectives in a fluent and clear manner.
71

80-100% Exceptional Represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an exceptionally accomplished level. Work of outstanding overall quality. It will demonstrate an extremely effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will contain evidence of a highly developed and systematic understanding of the subject, of an ability to engage with complex ideas and to develop distinctively original arguments and perspectives.

STUDENTS ENROLLED PRIOR TO 2010

Essay Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria for essays are in general: the extent to which the specified course learning outcomes have been achieved the originality, ambition, scope and relevance of the essay in terms of the topic being addressed. the structure and form of the essay. the presentation of the essay in terms of attention to clarity of expression, clear print/handwriting, spelling and punctuation.

Essay Grading Criteria - Some Guidelines

0% Non submission or plagiarised assessment a categorical mark representing either the failure to submit an assessment or a mark assigned for a plagiarised assessment. 1-9% Very bad fail a submission that does not even attempt to address the specified learning outcomes (shall be deemed not a valid attempt and unit must be re-sat). 10-24% Bad fail represents a significant overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of very poor quality that demonstrates little or no originality and ambition and is extremely weak in content, language and structure. 25-34% Fail represents an overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of poor quality that demonstrates little or no originality and ambition and contains significant flaws in terms of content, structure or language. 35-39% Pass represents the overall achievement of the MAJORITY of the appropriate learning outcomes to a pass level. Work that demonstrates minimally acceptable levels of originality, clarity, planning and understanding. The work barely answers the question(s) set and is largely descriptive and unstructured. The work will however demonstrate some critical awareness of the topic and will ensure overall achievement of the MAJORITY of the outcomes. 40-49% Threshold represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a threshold (satisfactory) level. Work of an overall satisfactory standard although little originality and/or ambition is demonstrated. The work is mainly descriptive and refers to only a limited range of ideas/examples. Although the work lacks a fluent argument, it exhibits some critical awareness of the topic. 50-59% Good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a good level. Work of an overall good standard. It will demonstrate an overall effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will show some originality and ambition together with evidence of background reading and comprehension of the topic. The analytical
72

dimension will not be fully developed and the reading may be limited to a few texts only. 60-69% Very good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a very good level. Work that overall achieves a high standard and that demonstrates the effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will have achieved its goals and will demonstrate a significant degree of originality and ambition with a very good level of analytical precision, very sound preparation and an awareness of different critical perspectives. 70-79% Excellent represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an excellent level. Work of excellent overall quality. It will demonstrate an excellent application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will contain evidence of a broad and systematic understanding of the subject, together with the ability to engage with complex ideas and develop original perspectives in a fluent and clear manner. 80-100% Exceptional Represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an exceptionally accomplished level. Work of outstanding overall quality. It will demonstrate an extremely effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will contain evidence of a highly developed and systematic understanding of the subject, of an ability to engage with complex ideas and to develop distinctively original arguments and perspectives.

73

Examination Requirements in Practice

You are examined on the project/portfolio which you hand in to the course tutor by the advertised deadline - normally the last session of the course. If you are involved in group projects which are assessed in areas such as television, film and animation, you are also required to submit a Production Log. Production Essays are required from all third year students. See Departmental Notice boards and below for details of the hand-in arrangements.

Production Log and/or Practice Essay Submission Details

MC51003A Induction Essay 2 copies of the Essay location TBA

10.00am - 2.00pm 06 January 2012

MC52006A Animation, Television Production Log 2 copies of the Production Log location TBA

10.00am - 2.00pm 06 January 2012

MC51004A Animation, Television Production Log 2 copies of the Production Log location TBA

10.00am - 2.00pm 26 April 2012

MC52007A Film, TV Journalism Production Logs 2 copies of the Production Log location TBA

10.00am - 2.00pm 26 April 2012

MC53034A Production Essays ALL students Production Logs Film, TV Documentary, EGA 2 copies of the Log and/or Essay Location TBA

10.00am - 2.00pm 27 April 2012

PLEASE NOTE that BOTH copies of LOGS must have your NAME as well as your candidate number. BOTH copies of ESSAYS must have your Candidate Number ONLY. These are formal examination deadlines and the rules about submitting work on time apply equally to this work.

74

Details of Practice Production Essays & Logs

MC51003A - Induction to Media Practice 1,500 to 2,500 words
Following the completion of the coursework assignments, students are required to produce a Production Essay: Describe a media production you would like to produce in one of the areas of media you have studied in the Induction courses. Explain how you would adapt and produce the same idea for one other medium that you have studied on the course. Any issue or topic, such as: Shopping, homelessness, tipping, body image, food in the canteen, gang culture; health, wealth, happiness, germs could be treated in a factual way for a TV documentary/a piece of journalism/a series of photographs/a radio production OR treated in a fictional way, for animation/script and prose/radio/a series of illustrations, then adapted to a contrasting medium. Example: An article written for Smiths magazine on an issue about germs personal or general or MRSA or specific to college. Adapt this to an animation which uses the factual information gathered for the article, adapted to a dark, horror animation about the dangers that lurk in drains/on hands/up noses/under Goldsmiths toilet seats! This is an academic essay so it requires discipline with respect to presenting and concluding arguments, attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. If you quote any existing publications you are obliged to notate them and to include them in a bibliography at the end. You must hand in TWO copies of the essay, both clearly marked with your candidate number ONLY.

Essay Assessment Criteria

Each of the four criteria are equally weighted: The creativity of your idea and its expression. How effectively you compare and contrast the treatment of your idea in relation to the media you have studied. Quality of presentation in terms of spelling, grammar, use of English, and clarity of expression. References to instruction, handouts and recommended reading during the induction courses and the quality and depth of the research you have undertaken for the subject of your proposed media production. The aim of this essay is to encourage and inspire your creative thinking and ambition. You are asked to match your learning during the induction course with your imaginative aspiration in creating a production in the medium of your choice. You are also being asked to analyse how you would produce your idea in another medium you have experienced and studied.

75

First and Second Year Production Logs for students in Animation, Film and Television
MC51004A, MC52006A and MC52007A 1,500 to 2,500 words
If you have been involved in a group-based area, you are required to submit a log recording the progress of your specific contribution to the creative process together with a portfolio of appropriate paperwork, as directed by the tutor. The log should include your contribution(s) to the production process from the origination of the idea through its conceptual development to its final realisation. Optionally, also include at the end of your log, your assessment of the creative and organisational contribution of yourself, and other members of your group, to the completion of your project. List beside each group members name, whether you consider their contribution to be average (on a par with everyone else) or above or below average.

Log Assessment Criteria

When marking the Production Log, examiners will look in detail at your engagement in the creative process and for evidence of the application of the following abilities and skills: Practical and conceptual skills & abilities in the research/planning, organisation and production of materials Communication and where appropriate, teamwork skills The ability to be flexible and to adapt through problem solving Enterprise and resourcefulness, self-reliance and independence Presentational skills Further details of the log assessment criteria can be found in the course description. Individual students working in groups throughout the programme will share the project/portfolio mark given to the work, and will receive another mark for the Production Log which records the contribution of the individual to the project/portfolio. When marking the Production Log, examiners will look in detail at your engagement in the creative process and for evidence of the extent to which you have achieved the course learning outcomes in the production process If there is a significant discrepancy between the project/portfolio mark and the Production Log mark, which leads Examiners to believe that the sharing of the project mark by the whole group would be unfair, then marks may be deducted from the project mark for a particular individual. MC51004A, MC52006A, MC52007A Your final mark for the course will be made up of the shared group mark (50%) and a mark for the individual contribution of each group member (50%).

Third Year Production Essays & Logs

MC53034A Production Essay
2,000 to 2,500 words You are required to chose one of the following essay titles:

EITHER Analyse the development and realisation of your practical work and, where appropriate, your contribution to the creative process.
76

OR Consider the ways in which your theoretical understanding has directly or indirectly influenced your practical work. In your essay you may wish to consider other aspects of the creative process such as concept, subject, development, treatment, genre, narrative conventions, audience and market. You may equally wish to discuss such issues as representation, identity, realism, signification, subjectivity, media ownership, theories of mass and high culture. You are expected to use references and include a bibliography. Please refer to the guidelines on essay writing (see Essay Essentials). The essay must be typed.

Third Year Essay Assessment Criteria

The five criteria are equally weighted. 1 Analyse the development and realisation of your practical work and, where appropriate, your contribution to the creative process. Writing quality (presentation, grammar, punctuation, structure and style) Analysis of the development and realisation of the practical work Identification and analysis of the students contribution to the creative process Reflective insight into and critical appreciation of the students practical work Evidence of background reading and academic research to support this essay assignment, its relevant notation within the body of the essay and explanation in bibliography Consider the ways in which your theoretical understanding has directly or indirectly influenced your practical work. Writing quality (presentation, grammar, punctuation, structure and style) Defining the theoretical understanding from degree courses Analysis of the ways the theory has directly or indirectly influenced practical work Reflective insight into and critical appreciation of the students practical work Evidence of background reading and academic research to support this essay assignment, its relevant notation within the body of the essay and explanation in bibliography

Production Essays written by all third year students account for 33% of the final practice mark.

MC53034A Production Log

1,500 to 2,000 words In addition to the essay, if you have been involved in a group-based area such as Animation, Film or Television, you are also required to submit a log recording the progress of your specific contribution to the creative process together with a portfolio of appropriate paperwork, as directed by the tutor. The log should include your contribution(s) from the origination of the idea through its conceptual development to its final realisation. If you have already described & analysed your contribution in your essay then your log should list the dates of each meeting or activity together with details of who was present, the purpose of the activity, and the key decisions made or work completed. If you have not already described your specific contribution in your essay then you
77

should make clear your practical and conceptual input at every stage of the production. Your project mark for the course will be made up of the shared group mark (50%) and a mark for the individual contribution of each group member (50%).

Third Year Log Assessment Criteria

(Animation, Film and Television Documentary) When marking the Production Log, examiners will look in detail at your engagement in the creative process and for evidence of the application of the following abilities and skills: Practical and conceptual skills & abilities in the research/planning, organisation and production of materials Communication and where appropriate, teamwork skills The ability to be flexible and to adapt through problem solving Enterprise and resourcefulness, self-reliance and independence Presentational skills If there is a significant discrepancy between the project/portfolio mark and the Production Log mark, which leads Examiners to believe that the sharing of the project mark by the whole group would be unfair, then marks may be deducted from the project mark for a particular individual. You must hand in TWO copies of the essay, or essay and log, and any supporting material, all clearly marked with your NAME and candidate number (LOGS) or candidate number ONLY (ESSAYS).

78

Project/Portfolio Assessment Criteria

Each course description handed out at the start of a term will include the particular assessment criteria being used by examiners to judge the extent to which you have achieved the learning outcomes. Your tutor will discuss these detailed criteria with you at the start of each course.

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ENROLLED 2010 or 2011

0% Non submission or plagiarised assessment a categorical mark representing either the failure to submit an assessment or a mark assigned for a plagiarised assessment. 1-9% Very bad fail a submission that does not even attempt to address the specified learning outcomes (shall be deemed a non-valid attempt and unit must be re-sat). 10-24% Bad fail represents a significant overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of very poor quality exhibiting little or no originality or ambition and extreme weakness in content, structure and technical standard. Little or no evidence of original research or of a critical awareness of the medium. 25-39% Fail represents an overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of poor quality exhibiting little originality or ambition and weakness in content, structure and technical standard. Little evidence of original research or of a critical awareness of the medium. 40-49% Pass represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a threshold level. Work of an overall satisfactory standard although little originality and/or ambition is demonstrated. Technically it will be competent in quality with a reasonably successful overall structure and the achievement of its primary goals. It will be based on a degree of research/planning and exhibit some critical awareness of the medium. 50-59% Good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a good level. Work of an overall good standard. It will demonstrate an overall effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will show originality and ambition and the achievement of its primary goal(s). Technically it will be of good quality with a successful overall structure and the application of effective research/planning. 60-69% Very good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a very good level. Work that overall achieves a high standard. It will demonstrate the effective/very effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will have achieved its goals and will demonstrate a significant degree of originality and ambition with a very good level of technical competence in relation to the experience of the student. It will be based on an original idea and will be very well-structured. It will show significant evidence of effective research/planning. 70-79% Excellent represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an excellent level. Work of excellent overall quality. It will demonstrate an excellent application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will consist of an original and ambitious project/portfolio, which has achieved its goals with a good to high level of technical competence in relation to the experience of the student. It will be informed both by the strength of its original idea(s) and an appropriate and distinctive structure. It will have been very well researched/planned. 80-100% Exceptional Represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an exceptionally accomplished level. Work of outstanding overall quality. It will demonstrate an extremely effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will consist of
79

a markedly original and/or ambitious project/portfolio, which has very successfully achieved its goals with a high level of technical competence in relation to the experience of the student. It will be informed both by the strength of its original idea(s) and an appropriate and highly successful structure. It will have been very well researched/planned.

STUDENTS ENROLLED PRIOR TO 2010

Project/Portfolio Grading Criteria some guidelines

0% Non submission or plagiarised assessment a categorical mark representing either the failure to submit an assessment or a mark assigned for a plagiarised assessment. 1-9% Very bad fail a submission that does not even attempt to address the specified learning outcomes (shall be deemed not a valid attempt and unit must be re-sat). 10-24% Bad fail represents a significant overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of very poor quality exhibiting little or no originality or ambition and extreme weakness in content, structure and technical standard. Little or no evidence of original research or of a critical awareness of the medium. 25-34% Fail represents an overall failure to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes. Work of poor quality exhibiting little originality or ambition and weakness in content, structure and technical standard. Little evidence of original research or of a critical awareness of the medium. 35-39% Pass represents the overall achievement of the MAJORITY of the appropriate learning outcomes to a pass level. Work that demonstrates little or no originality or ambition and the need for a greater degree of research/planning. The Project is unlikely to have achieved all its goals although some reasonable attempt to achieve them must be evident. The work will however, demonstrate some critical awareness of the medium and the overall achievement of the MAJORITY of the outcomes 40-49% Threshold represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a threshold (satisfactory) level. Work of an overall satisfactory standard although little originality and/or ambition is demonstrated. Technically it will be competent in quality with a reasonably successful overall structure and the achievement of its primary goals. It will be based on a degree of research/planning and exhibit some critical awareness of the medium 50-59% Good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a good level. Work of an overall good standard. It will demonstrate an overall effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will show originality and ambition and the achievement of its primary goal(s). Technically it will be of good quality with a successful overall structure and the application of effective research/planning. 60-69% Very good represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to a very good level. Work that overall achieves a high standard. It will demonstrate the effective/very effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. The work will have achieved its goals and will demonstrate a significant degree of originality and ambition with a very good level of technical competence in relation to the experience of the student. It will be based on an original idea and will be very well-structured. It will show significant evidence of effective research/planning. 70-79% Excellent represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an excellent level. Work of excellent overall quality. It will demonstrate
80

an excellent application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will consist of an original and ambitious project/portfolio, which has achieved its goals with a good to high level of technical competence in relation to the experience of the student. It will be informed both by the strength of its original idea(s) and an appropriate and distinctive structure. It will have been very well researched/planned. 80-89% Outstanding represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an outstanding level. Work of outstanding overall quality. It will demonstrate an extremely effective application of knowledge, understandings and skills specified in the course learning outcomes. It will consist of a markedly original and/or ambitious project/portfolio, which has very successfully achieved its goals with a high level of technical competence in relation to the experience of the student. It will be informed both by the strength of its original idea(s) and an appropriate and highly successful structure. It will have been very well researched/planned. 90-100% Exceptional represents the overall achievement of the appropriate learning outcomes to an exceptionally accomplished level. In the views of the examiners, the work is such that it is clear that the outcomes have all been achieved to the highest possible level for an undergraduate.

81

Undergraduate Timetable
BA Media & Communications Year 1
Autumn Term
Day Time Course

2011-2012

Monday

09.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 10 - 16

MC51007A MC51007A MC51007A MC51007A MC51002A MC51002A MC51002A MC51002A MC51003A

Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Practice

Representation and Textual Analysis

Wednesday

Media, History & Politics

Thursday

Induction Course

Spring Term
Day Time Course

Monday

13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16

MC51005A MC51005A MC51005A MC51005A MC51010B MC51010B MC51010B MC51010B MC51006B MC51006B MC51006B MC51006B MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A MC51004A

Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminar Seminar Lecture 2hrs Seminars Seminars Seminars Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice

Culture & Cultural Studies

Tuesday

Introduction to Media and Technologies

Wednesday

Key Debates and Concepts in Media

Thursday

Media Production (Option 1) Animation Script/Prose Writing Photography Journalism Radio Television Illustration Interactive Media

Summer Term Please check notice boards for details of any revision sessions, which may be arranged. Check notice boards and seminar lists for further details of rooms and times

82

Undergraduate Timetable
BA Media & Communications Year 2
Autumn Term
Day Time Course

2011-2012

Monday

12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00

MC52003B MC52003B MC52003B MC52003B MC52003B MC52014A MC52014A MC52014A MC52014A MC52006A MC52006A MC52006A MC52006A MC52006A MC52006A MC52006A MC52006A MC51004A

Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Seminars Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice

Communications, Psychology and Experience

Thursday

Intellectual Foundations of Social Theory

Friday 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16

Media Production Option 2 Illustration Photography Script/Prose Writing Journalism Radio Animation TV Interactive Media

Spring Term
Day Time Course

Monday

09.00 10.00 11.00 12.00

MC52013A MC52013A MC52013A MC52013A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52007A MC52005B MC52005B MC52005B MC52005B

Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars

Media, Economy and Society

Tuesday 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16 Thursday 10.00 12.00 13.00 14.00

Media Specialisation Course EGA Photography Journalism Script/Prose Writing Radio TV Journalism Film Interactive Media Illustration Culture, Society and the Individual

Summer Term
Please check notice boards for details of revision sessions which may be arranged

Check notice boards and seminar lists for further details of rooms and times

83

Undergraduate TIMETABLE
BA Media & Communications Year 3
Autumn Term
Day Time Course

2011-2012

Monday

10.00 11.00 12.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 10 - 16 16.00 09.00 16.00 17.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 15.00 16.00 09.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 16.00 17.00

MC53021A MC53021A MC53021A MC53031A MC53031A MC53031A MC53031A MC53034A MC53046A MC53052A MC53052A MC53052A MC53046A MC53046A MC53046A MC53051A MC53031A MC53031A MC53053A MC53053A MC53053A MC53038A MC53038A MC53038A MC53038A MC53040B MC53040B MC53040B

Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Practice Lecture 2hrs Lecture Seminars Seminars Seminars Seminars Seminars Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Lecture 2hrs Seminars Seminars Lecture 1hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Lecture 3hrs Seminars Seminars

Political Communications

Media, Ethnicity and Nation

Tuesday Wednesday

Final Productions in all media Media Law and Ethics Representing Reality

Media Law and Ethics

Thursday

After New Media

Future Devels in Screen & Film Theory

Friday

Music as Communication

Strategies in World Cinema

Spring Term
Day Time Course

Monday

10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 10 - 4 10.00 11.00 12.00 14.00 15.00 16.00

MC53054A MC53054A MC53054A MC53049A MC53049A MC53049A MC53003A MC53003A MC53003A MC53039A MC53039A MC53039A MC53039A MC53034A MC53048A MC53048A MC53048A MC53023B MC53023B MC53023B

Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Seminars Practice Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars Lecture 1 hr Seminars Seminars

Promotional Culture

Screen Cultures

Tuesday

Political Economy of the Media Embodiment and Experience

Wednesday Thursday

Final Productions in all media Media Rituals Media Audiences and Geographies

84

Friday

9.00 13.00 14.00 15.00

MC53045A MC53045A MC53045A MC53045A

Lecture 3hr Seminars Seminars Seminars

Cinema and Society

Summer Term Please check notice boards for details of any revision sessions. Check notice boards and seminar lists for further details of rooms and times

85

BA Media and Communications

Programme Specification
Awarding Institution Teaching Institution Programme accredited by Final award Award Level Department UCAS code Relevant QAA subject benchmarking group The University of London Goldsmiths College n/a BA (Hons) H level Media and Communications P300

Communication, Media, Film & Cultural Studies

This draft specification was written in January 2002 & updated in August 2003 and August 2010. It is informed by the Communication, Media, Film & Cultural Studies benchmark statement, The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, The Goldsmiths Learning and Teaching Strategy and The Aims and Objectives of the Department`s Learning and Teaching.

Educational Aims
By bringing together media practice and communications theory, this programme explores a broad spectrum of critical perspectives on the media and introduces a range of contemporary media practices. It offers a solid basis of practical experience in media production, and an understanding of how the media function, drawing on a wide range of theoretical disciplines. We aim to provide an experience in which theory and practice elements can influence and enrich each other in the production of original work. For us, an understanding of the mass media and the relationship of the individual to the media is crucial in developing an engaged and questioning member of society. Our teaching encourages you to develop a critical understanding of your own motivation and identity within a broader cultural and institutional framework. We aim to help you to express yourself creatively and self-critically in theoretical and practice work; to understand from a variety of disciplinary positions how the media work; and to help you to develop subject specific knowledge and skills and a range of transferable intellectual, organisational and communication skills which can be applied in a wide range of professional occupations, including, though not exclusively, the media.

Admissions Criteria
The programme is particularly suitable for applicants who will enjoy the academic and creative rigour of both theoretical and practical studies and who will appreciate the opportunity to gain practice experience across the media before specialisation in the latter half of the degree. You will normally have gained at least two A-levels at Grade A, with either one A-level (At Grade B) or a combination of AS- and A-levels, equivalent to the standard of AAB at A-level. There are no specific subject requirements, but you will need to demonstrate practical experience in some aspect of creative work. Applications are also invited from mature applicants who can demonstrate their ability to study at this level.

Learning Outcomes
The programme`s subject-specific learning outcomes are devised by academic staff who are at the forefront of their field of study. However, you will also develop a wide range of transferable qualities and skills necessary for employment in a variety of contexts. The Quality Assurance Agency describes these qualities & skills as effective communications skills, the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility, decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations, and the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development. Transferable outcomes are identified with an asterisk in the two groupings of learning outcomes below knowledge and understanding, and skills and other attributes.

Learning Outcomes knowledge and understanding

By the end of the programme you should be able to apply: 1. A critical understanding of theories of society, culture and communication, drawing from different disciplinary traditions 2. A knowledge of the historical development of media forms and their role in organising contemporary culture 86

3. An appreciation of the distinctiveness of specific media genres, with the requisite skills of textual reading 4. A knowledge of the global dimensions of the modern media industries 5. An understanding of the contemporary forms of media organisations, and their relations to other social institutions, both public and private 6. An appreciation of the subjective dimensions of social identities in a mediated culture 7. An understanding of differing conceptual approaches to the study of verbal and visual cultures 8. A critical appreciation of current theoretical debate about media consumption and subjectivity 9. A competent to high level of conceptual and technical knowledge in the planning, structuring and production of media projects* 10. Knowledge of the key conventions and aesthetic and critical issues relevant to media production in your area of specialisation that will both enable you to be constructively critical of media products and inform your own practice* 11. Your understanding of the connotative potential of images, and/or sounds or the written word and how meaning is constructed in media artefacts*

Learning and teaching methods and strategies to support these outcomes

The acquisition of outcomes 1-8 is through weekly lectures and seminars so that core knowledge gained through reading and lectures may be reinforced through seminar discussion and debate. Guidance is given on appropriate preparatory and follow up reading and staff are available to provide tutorial support on a weekly basis. All courses require the research and writing of coursework so that your understanding can be progressed and feedback given prior to the completion of seen or unseen examinations or examined essays. The interdisciplinary concerns of the courses in all years of the degree mean that your understanding of the outcomes will be constantly advanced by your studies achieving greater depth in years 2 and 3. The acquisition of outcomes 9-11 is through small-group practice-based lectures, seminars and workshops and reinforced through the preparation and production of media projects. You have extensive contact with academic and support staff and feedback is provided throughout the practice learning process.

Assessment methods to test their achievement

Assessment of outcomes 1-8 is by a mixture of unseen and seen examinations and examined essays in the first and second years of the degree. In year three, your knowledge and understanding is tested by examined essays and, where appropriate, a dissertation. The assessment of outcomes 9-11 is by the completion, within each practice course, of media projects or portfolios. Evidence of the extent of the achievement of outcomes 9-11 will also be sought in the Production Logs, completed by all students in group-based areas and in the Production Essay, written by all students in their third year.

Learning Outcomes Skills and other attributes

By the end of the programme you should be able to apply: 1. A critical understanding of your own identity within a broader cultural and institutional framework* 2. Appropriate methodological skills in your research of issues and debates from a range of sources* 3. Skills in the analysis and lucid evaluation of alternative views in your engagement with major thinkers, debates and intellectual paradigms within the field* 4. An enhanced level of textual analysis* 5. Effective written communication skills in the formulation, structuring and presentation of coherent and persuasive arguments* 6. A competent to high level of conceptual and technical skills in the initiation, research, development and realisation of distinctive media projects that seek to be original and to maximise the potential of a medium to engage an audience* 7. An enhanced level of skills in the effective creative manipulation of sound and/or image and/or the written word* 8. Problem solving and editorial skills in often complex and sometimes unpredictable production contexts* 9. A competent to proficient use of appropriate production technologies* 10. An on-going self-reflexive approach to the constructive evaluation of your academic and practical work* 11. Further developed interpersonal skills in the giving and receiving of criticism* 12. An ability, to work productively with others in critical thinking and in the creative process* 87

13. The confidence, knowledge and skills to work independently, flexibly, responsibly and to deadline in the preparation, management & production of media materials and the research and writing of academic work *

Learning and teaching methods and strategies to support these outcomes

The acquisition of skills and attributes 1-5 and 10-13 are achieved by your full participation in the structured learning activities and the completion of course and examined work that will involve considerable further independent study. You will receive feedback from tutors throughout the programme in seminars and written feedback will be given on submitted coursework. The acquisition of skills 6-13 are achieved through your participation in practice lectures, seminars and workshops and the completion of a series of media projects or portfolios. Tutorial support is constantly available to advise you on your progress in skill acquisition in both theoretical and practice-based studies.

Assessment methods to test their achievement

Outcomes 1-5 are primarily tested through written course and examined work and 6-9 through tutorial supervision and marking of media projects/portfolios. Progress towards the achievement of skill outcomes 10, and 13 will be demonstrated in both written theoretical and practice submissions. Outcomes 11 and 12 are not formally assessed except in the examination of certain areas of practice work. However, the development of effective interpersonal and other oral communications skills are encouraged by staff in all practice and theory seminars and feedback is given in oral and written form.

Programme structure and requirements

The programme is only available for full-time study over three years, in which you take courses to the value of twelve units, four units in each year. In year one, you take five theoretical courses that introduce you to the major fields of study which are then further explored in four theory courses in year two. You are then able in year three to specialise in a number of different areas from the options offered by the Department. It is also possible for you to propose a topic for a dissertation. Following an induction to media practice course at the start of the programme, in which you experience work in six different practice areas animation, journalism, photography, scriptwriting with prose writing, radio and television you chose two of these areas for further study. After the first term of your second year, you will then specialise in one of these practice areas for the latter half of the degree. The courses, their unit weightings and modes of examination are listed below:

Year 1 (cr = credit value) MC51002A Media History and Politics MC51005A Culture and Cultural Studies MC51006B Key Debates in Media MC51007A Representation and Textual Analysis MC51010B Intro. to Media Industries and Technologies MC51003A Induction to Media Practice MC51004A Media Production - Option 1 Year 2 MC52003B MC52005B MC52013A MC52014A MC52006A MC52007A

15 cr Assessed Essay 15 cr Unseen Examination 15 cr Assessed Essay 15 cr Assessed Project 15 cr Assessed Project 15 cr Assessed Essay 30 cr Assessed project/portfolio

Communications, Psychology and Experience Culture Society & the Individual Media, Economy and Society Intellectual Foundations of Social Theory Media Production - Option 2 Media Specialisation Course

15 cr Assessed Essay 15 cr Seen examination 15 cr Assessed Essay 15 cr Assessed Essay 30 cr Assessed project/portfolio 30 cr Assessed project/portfolio

Year 3 Any combination of the following: Communications Theory option courses, (each 15 cr), offered by the Department to a total of 60 credits Examples of current options include: Political Economy of the Mass Media; Embodiment and Experience; Media Audiences and Media Geographies; Media Ethnicity and Nation; Music as Communication and Creative Practice; Future Developments in Screen and Film Theory; Media Rituals; Screen Cultures; Media Law and Ethics.

OR a Dissertation (30 cr) and two Theory Option Courses, (each 15 cr) 88

and MC53034A Media Final Production / Portfolio

60 cr Assessed project/portfolio and essay

NOTE
i)MC53034A Production Essays written by all third year students account for 33% of the overall mark for the 60 credits. The other two thirds of the marks are made up of the project/portfolio mark. In the case of students working in groups, the project/portfolio mark will be arrived at by adding the equally weighted shared group project mark and the mark for the individual contribution of each student (including the required Production Log of between 1,500-2,500 words, in which students detail their contributions to the group project). ii)MC51004A, 52006A, 52007A : Students working in group based practice areas such as TV or animation are also required to submit a Production Log detailing their contributions to the group project, which should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words. The final mark for the course will be made up of the shared group mark (50%) and a mark for the individual contribution of each group member (50%).

Supporting your learning

The Department recognises the importance of supporting your learning with high quality teaching on a predominantly small group seminar and practice group basis with significant levels of tutorial support. This enables you to receive frequent feedback on many aspects of your performance during the programme, including your understanding of core theoretical knowledge gained in lectures and in your reading . However, you have tutorial access to all academic staff involved in course provision and you are strongly encouraged to seek immediate tutorial help should you encounter difficulties with your studies. You will also have a Personal Tutor with whom you can discuss work or welfarecentred issues. In addition to working with established staff who are at the forefront of their discipline you will come into contact with other staff engaged in research and with visiting professionals from the industry who regularly share their production expertise as course tutors. Practice courses are also supported by technical staff who play a major role in helping you in your use of the available technology and related production techniques. The Department has up to date media facilities and, where possible, aims to use hardware and software which emulate current industry use. The College also provides a wide range of other student support.

Practice project costs

The Department pays for all reasonable equipment and material costs which you incur as part of your practice coursework. However, apart from the agreed use of College equipment and facilities, you fund the costs of your projects yourself, to enable the Department to concentrate its resources on the provision of high quality facilities, technical support and teaching.

Quality matters
Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of learning As part of the Departments Quality Assurance System, you take an active part in monitoring quality and standards by providing regular feedback, including questionnaires on the content, management and delivery of all courses. You also feedback to the Programme Monitoring System which consists of a staff student committee with the power to make recommendations about the quality and standard of programmes of study to the Colleges Academic Committee. However, our departmental policy is to encourage the resolution of any problems as quickly as possible so that learning is not impeded. Tutorial access to course tutors normally enables a speedy resolution to any such difficulties. Staff involved in the learning and teaching provision meet regularly to evaluate feedback from both students and the External Examiner prior to the start of each new session and amendments are routinely made to course design.

Graduate Employment and Exhibition

Statistics from the 2000 First Destination Job Survey suggest that approximately 60% of graduates were working in media related fields with 8% involved in further study. From our own research of past graduates published in 2000, a large majority appear to be successful in finding work in their preferred fields with over 70% in our survey employed in media production, Public Relations, marketing and management and 15% in other fields. However, due to the use of short term contracts 89

across the media industries it is still extremely difficult to be conclusive about long term media employment success. The programme should be realistically viewed as the starting point of what can often be a long and arduous journey to become established in the media industries. However, you will leave the programme with a very clear idea of your own strengths and weaknesses as a practitioner that is clearly fundamental to your decision making about your future. Each year the programme produces work of distinction and normally the best practice work achieves exhibition in festivals and competitions.

90

This handbook has been written with you in mind, and we would appreciate your feedback. This will help us when we produce next year's handbooks. You do not need to give your name. All information will be treated in confidence. 1. Your name (optional) _____________________________________________________________ 2. Your degree programme, eg, BA Anthropology, MA Screen Documentary, etc _____________________________________________________________ 3. Please indicate which year of study you are in by ticking the appropriate box 1st 2nd 3rd 4th other (please specify) _____________________________________________________________ 4. Are you (please tick the relevant box) a home/EU student an overseas student? 5. Are you (please tick the relevant box) full-time part-time 6. Please indicate how you received this handbook included in a Departmental mailing at Departmental Induction meeting at the beginning of term at first lecture from Personal Tutor other (please specify) _____________________________________________________________
91

7.

If you are a continuing student, did you receive a copy of last year's handbook? yes no

8.

If you are a student on a joint degree programme, have you also received a handbook from your other department? yes no

9.

What information did this handbook not provide which you would have found useful? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

10.

What do you think this handbook does best? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

11.

And, what do you think this handbook does least well? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

12.

Tell us how we can improve this handbook _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

Thank you very much for your time in filling in this feedback form. Please return it to your department or e-mail it to Internal Communications, int-comms@gold.ac.uk.

92

Goldsmiths
University of London New Cross London SE14 6NW 020 7919 7171 www.goldsmiths.ac.uk
93