Identify and provide a critical assessment of the key academic literature in the area of media audiences.

The aims of the course are:

■ To develop students` knowledge and comprehension of the range of theoretical approaches to understanding media audiences and to contextualise them in the evolving digital culture.

■ To develop students` critical skills in media research across a broad range of methodologies.

■ To examine the appropriateness of a range of methods including content analysis, audience reception, focus groups and data analysis journalism for tackling specific areas of research

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Identify and provide a critical assessment of the key academic literature in the area of media audiences.

• Evaluate the role of the media in the construction of public understanding, and its impacts on social action including policy formation.

• Apply appropriate theoretical and empirical methods to critically analyse media production, content and reception.

• Use a range of methods for identifying and measuring the consumption patterns and responses of different audience groups.