Media Studies – Diploma in Arts

An introduction to theories of the media and communications. Particular attention will be paid to the concepts of representation and audience, the political economy of media products, and the social and cultural context in which they occur.

An in-depth study of the skills, formats, technique and terminology of professional script writing, with emphasis on the adaptation of traditional approaches across the diversity of contemporary media.

A study of the form and function of advertising in the context of consumer society, with particular emphasis on the conflict between advertising as a form of corporate manipulation and as a form of creative expression. Critical theories will be used to explore the role of advertising in relation to consumerism, capitalism, branding, art and agency.

A survey of cultural theories and debates in relation to modern mass media. A number of issues such as identity, representation and cultural politics will be considered in their historical contexts and in relation to a variety of texts from popular culture and the media.

An advanced introduction to producing digital media. This course uses hands-on, experiential learning to introduce techniques, concepts and processes for producing photography and video using industry standard hardware and software.

A study of the history of film using case studies and including a consideration of the ways in which social contexts, industrial conditions, technologies and individuals have influenced film narratives and film theory.

An exploration of the formal and textual features of film and television, and their relation to technological change, with an emphasis on how film and television have both shaped and been transformed by digital media.

A study of the genre of documentary (non-fiction) film. The course will provide students with a critical awareness of the theory, history and various forms relevant to the genre. Students will plan and produce short documentary films. NOTE: Students require access to their own video camera and editing facilities.

An exploration of the social, cultural, economic and technological transformations brought about by contemporary digital and networked media. Students will develop critical digital media literacies and learn to produce digital media.

An advanced study of theoretical approaches to the study of media and popular culture, with particular emphasis on how media are involved in the contestation, negotiation and maintenance of power relations.

A critical study of gender, race and ethnicity in the media, considered from a variety of theoretical approaches.

An examination of how the formal, socio-cultural, and technological characteristics of Hollywood Cinema have intersected with its industrial conditions across history.

The further development of skills and abilities in a chosen media area with particular emphasis upon the production of a major media project.

Prerequisites: 154204

This course explores how social media shapes identities, social relationships, work, politics and societies. From fake news to social media influencers, this course examines how digital technologies play a key role in shaping everyday life in the twenty-first century.

New media technologies and global patterns of media distribution have produced complex, emergent practices of transnational community formation, text-sharing and collaborative media production. This course examines these practices in relation to the maintenance and negotiation of cultural identity in the contemporary world.

A critical examination of the nature, role and meaning of popular music within contemporary Western societies. Particular attention will be paid to the political economy of the international music industry, music and technology, genre and musical texts, making music, stardom and auteur studies, and audiences and subcultures.

Restrictions: 154205

An exploration of the development of the New Zealand film industry with a focus on aesthetics and national identity. Key films are examined in relation to wider contexts, such as history, politics, economics, and culture, which have all contributed to the creation of a distinctive local film industry and film culture.

Restrictions: 154212