Media for Change

Overview

Media for Change invites students to explore how media storytelling can influence and inspire social, political, and cultural transformation. Through lenses such as gender, climate, sport, and politics, students will critically examine how meaning is constructed in media through visual and narrative storytelling and how audiences interpret and respond to it.

By analysing and producing media that address issues of representation, justice, and power, the course fosters and understanding of the media’s role in sustaining democratic debate and holding institutions accountable.

Through both theory and creative practice, students are encouraged to use media as a tool for awareness, empathy, and advocacy — developing the skills to tell stories that inspire reflection and contribute to sustainable social change.

The module integrates conceptual learning with hands-on creative practice, bridging the gap between advanced theory and practice by combining research-informed lectures with creative workshops. Here, students develop their own media projects responding to real-world socio-political issues and their critical analysis of the media landscape.

This approach encourages students to think critically about the media’s role in shaping public understanding while equipping them with practical storytelling and production skills. By the end of the module, students will have both a conceptual understanding of media’s power and a tangible creative output that reflects their perspective on societal change.

Weekly sessions combine lectures introducing frameworks such as framing, agenda-setting, and audience theories with seminars where students analyse, design, and produce their own short multimedia content.

By the end of the module, students will more deeply understand how meaning is created and communicated through media, and how stories can shape public understanding, and action, and drive social debate.

Learning Objectives

On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
- Critically analyse how media construct meaning and shape public understanding of social, political, and cultural issues.
- Apply theoretical concepts such as framing and agenda-setting to both media analysis and creative production.
- Apply media production skills in creating content that communicates a social or political issue effectively to an audience.
- Demonstrate awareness of how media production can contribute to, challenge, or represent change.
- Demonstrate awareness of ethical, representational, and creative considerations in media production.

Skills

Subject-Specific Skills:
- Critical and analytical understanding of meaning-making in media.
- Practical skills in multimedia storytelling, including scripting, recording, and editing.
- Ability to connect theoretical frameworks with creative expression.
- Awareness of ethical and representational dynamics in media practice.

Transferable Skills:
- Critical thinking and independent analysis.
- Collaboration and communication in creative and academic contexts.
- Time management and project planning.
- Reflective practice and adaptability in problem-solving.

Assessment