Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- How to consider the ethical implications of research involving human participants
- How to design a proposal for a short piece of audience research
- How to analyse your research findings with reference to relevant theories and debates about how audiences engage with film in particular contexts
- How to collect data on audiences using appropriate methods and sources
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Design a research proposal
- Present your findings in the appropriate format
- Deliver work to a given length, format, brief and deadline
- Collect data using appropriate methods and sources
- Analyse your research findings
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Theories and debates about film audiences
- The cultural and economic significance of audiences within film industries and cultures
- Methods and sources used to study audiences
- Contexts in which audiences engage with film
Syllabus
This module aims to examine the cultural and economic significance of audiences within film industries and cultures. We will explore various theories and debates surrounding audience engagement (e.g. uses and gratifications theory, reception theory, media effects theories), along with the different contexts in which audiences consume film (e.g. cinemas, the home). We will also explore different methods of audience research (e.g. questionnaires, focus groups, ethnography), with a view to students designing and carrying out their own short piece of audience research.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- Lectures, used to introduce key theories and issues
- Workshops, focusing on specific methods of audience research
- Individual consultations with tutor in office hours
Learning activities include:
- Independent study/research
- Designing a short research project
- Collecting and analysing research data
- Writing up the findings of a short research project
- Contributing to discussions in lectures and workshops
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Practical classes and workshops | 30 |
Lecture | 10 |
Independent Study | 110 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Virginia Nightingale (1996). Studying Audiences: The Shock of The Real. London and New York: Routledge.
Karen Ross and Virginia Nightingale (2003). Media and Audiences: New Perspectives. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Máire Messenger Davies and Nick Mosdell (2006). Practical Research Methods for Media and Cultural Studies: Making People Count. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Roy Stafford (2007). Understanding Audiences and the Film Industry. London: BFI.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Research Report | 70% |
Research proposal | 30% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Research project | 70% |
Research proposal | 30% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Research proposal | 30% |
Research project | 70% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External