Communication and Media and Game Design Studies BA (Hons)

Program Overview

This program combines Communication and Media studies with Game Design, offering a unique approach to understanding interactive media. Students develop skills in media and communication forms, coding, and game design, preparing them for careers in content creation, journalism, and marketing. With a focus on the impact of media on society, this program explores the organization, representation, and production of media.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This program combines the popular BA Communication and Media with a Minor pathway in Game Design Studies, offering a distinctive approach to studying interactive audiovisual media.

Objectives:

• Provide a thorough introduction to the field of communication and media studies.
• Develop specialist skills in media and communication forms.
• Analyze how media is organized as text, represents the world, and constructs individual identity.
• Understand the organization of media industries for production and profit.
• Develop strong research skills through independent or collaborative research.
• Acquire skills in coding and programming, games scholarship, and creative design.
• Explore the history and development of gaming cultures, the complex nature of interactive media, and critical issues related to virtual worlds.
• Prepare students for employment in various industries, including content creation, publishing, journalism, and marketing.

Description:

The program focuses on the impact of media in various forms, including entertainment, culture, news, social media, politics, and promotion. Students can specialize in particular media and communication forms, gaining a deep understanding of their organization, representation, and production. The Game Design Studies component introduces students to the design and interpretation of games, covering topics such as the history and development of gaming cultures, the complex nature of interactive media, and the critical issues that accompany engagement with virtual worlds. The program also offers a Year in Industry option, allowing students to gain practical experience in a relevant organization.

Outline:

Year One:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Introduction to Communication and Media Studies B (COMM102): Introduces foundational knowledge in communication and media studies, including historical development and theoretical perspectives.
• Media Industries and Institutions B (COMM110): Explores issues and concepts surrounding media and communication industries, including political economy, regulation, globalization, and professional practices.
• Communication, Culture, and Media Analysis B (COMM112): Introduces key concepts and theories for analyzing communication, media, and culture, including screen analysis, cultural analysis, and social scientific communication studies.
• Digital and Social Media (COMM114): Provides an introduction to digital communication and social media, examining their role in culture, society, and democracy.
• GAMES AND MEANING (SOTA102): Introduces students to the semantics of video game design and techniques of close reading, examining how design elements create meaning.
• Creative Principles in Game Design (SOTA103): Provides an introduction to the principles and materials of game creation, highlighting creative pathways within game design.
• Optional Modules:
• INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATIONS (MUSI109): Introduces MIDI sequencing in Logic Pro and Ableton Live, covering topics such as recording, editing, and mixing.
• INTRODUCTION TO SOUND AND MUSIC IN AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA (MUSI170): Introduces the use and role of music in audiovisual media, focusing on film soundtracks and their historical and critical significance.

Year Two:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Communication and Media Research I (COMM207): Introduces the basics of academic research, including research methods, literature reviews, and ethical considerations.
• Communication and Media Research II (COMM208): Builds on the previous research module, introducing specific quantitative and qualitative research methods for studying media texts, audiences, and producers.
• Professional and Career Development (SOTA260): Prepares students for a work placement year and develops lifelong skills, attitudes, and behaviors for professional development.
• Optional Modules:
• Converged Media and Screen Entertainment B (COMM251): Examines key ideas and arguments in media industry studies, focusing on the production and distribution of commercial entertainment within a converged media environment.
• Introduction to Cultural Studies B (COMM254): Provides a foundational understanding of key approaches, methods, and theoretical perspectives in cultural studies.
• Digital Media and Data B (COMM245): Introduces the study of online media and platforms, with a focus on social trace data and online political communication policy questions.
• Global News, Media and War (COMM213): Explores the interplay between global news, media, and war in the context of evolving communication technologies and journalistic practices.
• PUBLIC RELATIONS, MEDIA AND DIGITAL SOCIETY (COMM240): Explores theoretical perspectives on public relations, including its role in media and digital society and the professional practice of promotional writing.
• THE CINEMATIC CITY (FILM201): Introduces cinematic representations of the city, through the study of films that deal with major global metropolises.
• WORKING IN MUSIC INDUSTRY (MUSI252): Introduces key jobs and roles in the music industry, covering recording, music publishing, and live performance.
• MUSIC IN GAMING (MUSI273): Examines the function and design of music in video games, considering historical development, technological advance, and the role of music in different game types.
• INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC PSYCHOLOGY (MUSI290): Introduces key topics and research in music psychology, including the origins of music, music and emotion, and music and cognitive performance.
• Introduction to Programming (COMM226): Introduces the core principles and techniques of computer programming, developing technical skills in coding and understanding the role of algorithms in society.
• GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD B: FROM FILM ART TO MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT (COMM203): Examines the transformation of Hollywood cinema from a distinct mode of film practice to a global media enterprise.
• IMMERSIVE MEDIA AND VIRTUAL WORLDS B (COMM211): Explores the histories, theories, and industries related to the production of immersive experiences, digital technologies, and virtual realities and worlds.
• Feminist Media Studies (COMM206): Introduces key concepts and debates relating to gender and its interaction with media and cultural practices.
• Mediating the Past (COMM256): Examines the role of the media and cultural industries in shaping narratives about the past.
• Understanding Documentary (COMM282): Examines the key purposes, forms, and approaches employed in documentary filmmaking, exploring notions of truth, ethics, and audience engagement.
• AI and Digital Media (COMM258): Explores Artificial Intelligence algorithms that influence the development of digital media systems and content, addressing social, political, and economic consequences.
• DIFFERENT PLAY (SOTA202): Introduces academic work that challenges the conventions of mainstream gaming, exploring the relationship between queerness and play.
• GAMES PLAYING ROLES (ENGL397): Examines the role of games in contemporary society and their reflection in contemporary literature.
• 3D Modelling and Animation for Games (SOTA203): Introduces materials and techniques related to creating objects and complex structures within game spaces, covering character rigging and animation.
• Composition for Digital Games (MUSI206): Provides an introduction to the design and implementation of sound and music in video games.
• Game Design Independent Project (SOTA204): Allows students to work on the development of an individual project within their chosen specialization.
• Foley and Sound Design (MUSI208): Introduces sound recording, audio editing, and sound transformation in the context of sound design for the moving image.

Year Three:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Students must choose one of the following modules:
• DISSERTATION (COMM401): A self-contained piece of original research, allowing students to study a topic in depth.
• Final Year Project (COMM335): Provides students with the opportunity to work on a final year project, which may include working on live academic research projects or practical outputs related to a specified task.
• VIRAL VIDEO (COMM342): Offers a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical production skills, enabling the design, production, and marketing of viral videos.
• SCHOOL OF THE ARTS WORK PLACEMENTS MODULE (SOTA300): Provides an opportunity for students to undertake a placement in a setting that matches their academic and career interests.
• Game Design Collaborative Project (SOTA303): Allows students to contribute to a large-scale design project with other members of their cohort.
• Compulsory Modules (Game Design Studies):
• Students must take either PHIL342 or COMM309 in semester 1.
• Students must take one of the following modules in semester 2: COMM318, COMM326, or COMM343.
• Optional Modules:
• Media and Human Rights (COMM317): Studies human rights through the lens of the media, exploring the changing nature of human rights representation and the role of media in responding to critical human rights issues.
• Games and Algorithmic Culture (COMM309): Investigates how videogames are responding and contributing to the current technological and cultural changes in the use of AI, data mining, and automation.
• Stardom and Media Celebrity (COMM303): Examines the contemporary media phenomenon of stardom and celebrity, investigating fame and public identity across a range of media contexts.
• Environmental Communication: Politics, Science, Activism, and the Media (COMM304): Explores the most salient fault lines of mediated environmental discourse, examining the challenges of communicating complex environmental issues to audiences.
• MEDIA AND CAMPAIGNING (COMM302): Explores the role of the media during electoral and other campaigns, examining the relationships between media, politics, and the democratic process.
• RESEARCHING DIGITAL CULTURES IN THE AMERICAS (HISP348): Develops research and critical skills when examining digital cultures with a particular focus on the Americas.
• SOUND STUDIES (MUSI322): Introduces various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of music and sound in their social and cultural contexts.
• Screen Industries and Sports (COMM326): Examines the complex relationship between screen media and sports, focusing on the ways in which the screen industries engage with sports as a commercial product.
• ISSUES IN PHOTOGRAPHY (COMM323): Investigates both early and contemporary photography, examining the role photography plays in remembering private and public events.
• Popular Culture, Language and Politics (COMM318): Explores how popular culture can be political by examining a range of popular cultural commodities discursively.
• YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE MEDIA (COMM343): Explores the relationship between children, young people, and the media with a focus on society and politics.
• ISSUES IN 'CULT' TELEVISION (COMM300): Focuses on debates about the nature, cultural television practices, and significance of 'cult' television.
• CURATION AND HERITAGE (MUSI353): Considers how popular music is presented as heritage in different contexts, examining the different ways in which popular music heritage has been represented, mobilized, and interpreted.
• THE FILM MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS (MUSI370): Examines the film-music output of the composer John Williams, considering his compositional style, historical development, and influences.
• THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF RHETORIC IN BRITISH POLITICS (POLI323): Examines the rhetoric of British political parties, rooting its theories and methods in classical schools of rhetorical analysis.
• MEDIA, POLITICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (POLI345): Looks at the manner in which a range of media engage with climate change and energy security, and the political and social implications that follow.
• Entertainment Media and Screen History (COMM328): Explores entertainment (specifically film and television) as an "unofficial" source of historical knowledge.
• PHILOSOPHY OF PLAY AND THE VIRTUAL (PHIL343): Introduces students to the major philosophical issues associated with play, games, and virtual worlds.
• GAMES PLAYING ROLES (ENGL397): Examines the role of games in contemporary society and their reflection in contemporary literature.

Assessment:

• Assessment methods vary widely from module to module and may include coursework projects, essays, blogs, reports, literature reviews, writing exercises, presentations, online tests, and unseen examinations.
• Dissertation and work placement modules involve more independent study, but always under the careful individual supervision of a member of academic staff.

Teaching:

• Weekly lectures and seminar discussions may be supplemented by screening sessions, presentations, and opportunities for group work.
• Expert speakers and practitioners are regularly invited to speak to students about their work.
• Some modules make use of specialist equipment or software.

Careers:

• The program opens doors to a myriad of jobs in media-related industries.
• Graduates have gone on to careers in social media, advertising, marketing, corporate communications, public relations, arts administration, political campaigning, management, government, the civil service, broadcasting, journalism, and teaching.
• 94.9% of communications and media students will go on to work and/or further study 15 months after graduation (Discover Uni, 2018-19).

Other:

• The program is taught by a friendly, close-knit department with well-established systems to support students.
• The department has a long-standing reputation for innovative research in media, cultural, and communication studies.
• The department has exciting partnerships with industry, arts, and key creative venues both in the city and internationally.
• The department is ranked 4th in the sector for outstanding (4 ) research impact, with 100% of its impact classified as either outstanding (4 ) or very considerable (REF 2021).
• The program addresses a wide range of questions about the modern media industry, news, communication, and social interaction in a lively and creative environment.
• The department's internationally-acclaimed research is casting innovative light on many aspects of the discipline and engaging with the very latest topics, such as social media, populism, artificial intelligence, global media events, fake news, and online harassment.

UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)

Full-time place, per year £9,250 Year in industry fee £1,850 Year abroad fee £1,385

International fees

Full-time place, per year £22,400 Year in industry fee £1,850 Year abroad fee £11,200