MAC201

Assessment 12014

Overview

1. Assessment submission2. Assessment 13. Assessment 24. Extensions

2 essays

• Deadline for first assignment: Wednesday 19th Mar 2014 3pm (week 8)

• Deadline for second assignment: Wednesday 14th May 2014 3pm (week 13)

Submission

• A paper copy (the most important)

• A digital copy– Screened for plagiarism– Needs to be submitted too– Grade can be withheld unless provided

• Use the Dropbox button in Sunspace

Assignment 1 – Television Texts• Wednesday 19th Mar 2014 by 3pm (physical and digital

submission)• This assignment requires students to assess and critically analyse

one or two of the key issues, concepts or themes raised in the Television Texts section of the module. The assignment must address the above by paying specific reference to examples drawn from one of the following formats:

– Broadcast news (eg The Channel 4 News)– Political discussion show (eg Question Time)– Current affairs (eg Newsnight)– The talk show (eg The Jeremy Kyle Show)– Documentary (eg The War You Don’t See)– Reality television (eg The X-Factor)– Lifestyle television (eg How to Look Good Naked)

Guidance for students (1/3)• The essay should focus principally on one concept. It

can refer to others in passing if there is significant overlap - eg if discussing impartiality in broadcast news it may be appropriate to briefly mention balance or objectivity.

• Similarly, the essay should focus principally on one television example.

• If your analysis refers to specific episodes, you must ensure you reference the text in full (eg original date of airing, URL for online viewing, channel name, etc).

From 2011-12 student

• Question: “What is a concept?”

Guidance for students (1/3)• The essay should focus principally on one concept. It

can refer to others in passing if there is significant overlap - eg if discussing impartiality in broadcast news it may be appropriate to briefly mention balance or objectivity.

• Similarly, the essay should focus principally on one television example.

• If your analysis refers to specific episodes, you must ensure you reference the text in full (eg original date of airing, URL for online viewing, channel name, etc).

Guidance for students (2/3)• Be careful not to dilute your analysis by trying to cover

lots of areas superficially.

• The essay requires students to be critical rather than descriptive. Describing the narrative of a text achieves very little in isolation other than to pad out the word count inefficiently.

• Similarly, long general historiographies of concepts or formats are seldom conducive to critical analysis. Significant moments or developments are acceptable providing they pertain to the selected example.

Guidance for students (3/3)• The best work will demonstrate knowledge of the subjects,

contextualising relevant themes and issues in relation to historical shifts and the contemporary television landscape.

• The assignment should consist of your own analysis of a television text rather than paraphrasing an article by an established author. Higher grades will be awarded to work that is able to apply an argument/framework from one area and apply it to a different example – eg taking the work of Lunt and Stenner on The Jerry Springer

Show and applying it to The Jeremy Kyle Show or Higgins’ work on newspapers and applying it to television news.

Put simply

• Ideas, concepts, etc• News values• Ideology• Impartiality• Public sphere• Plurality• Celebrity• Celetoids• Propaganda• Distortion• ‘Dumbing down’• Infotainment• Discourse• Neoliberalism• Governmentality• Etc, etc

• Television formats• Broadcast news• Political discussion shows• Current affairs• Talk shows• Documentary• Reality television• Lifestyle television

1 or 2 of these 1 of these

Put simply

• Ideas, concepts, etc• News values• Ideology• Impartiality• Public sphere• Plurality• Celebrity• Celetoids• Propaganda• Distortion• ‘Dumbing down’• Infotainment• Discourse• Neoliberalism• Governmentality• Etc, etc

• Television formats• Broadcast news• Political discussion shows• Current affairs• Talk shows• Documentary• Reality television• Lifestyle television

1 or 2 of these 1 of these

NB: you can use more than one example from a given genre/format:•Big Brother and X-Factor •What Not To Wear and How To Look Good Naked•Geordie Shore and Made In Chelsea

Put simply

• Ideas, concepts, etc• News values• Ideology• Impartiality• Public sphere• Plurality• Celebrity• Celetoids• Propaganda• Distortion• ‘Dumbing down’• Infotainment• Discourse• Neoliberalism• Governmentality• Etc, etc

• Television formats• Broadcast news• Political discussion shows• Current affairs• Talk shows• Documentary• Reality television• Lifestyle television

1 or 2 of these 1 of these

Make sure you pick a concept that fits the format you are looking at.For instance, news values can be applied to broadcast news or current affairs content but less so with reality TV

Plan of action

• 100 hours allocated to Assessment 1• 6 weeks @ 3 hours contact = 18 hours (82)• 10 hours of screenings (72)• 60 hours of reading/researching/watching

(12)

• ~12 hours remain

Plan of action• Approx. 10-16 hours needed

21

WEEK 6

SUBMISSION

Week 6 end

Week 7 end

Sketch out essay plan:~ 500 words~ 1 hour

Identify and gather resources:~ reading 3 hours~ notes 2 hours

Rough draft #1:~ writing 2 hours~ redraft 1 hour

Rough draft #2:~ writing 2 hours~ redraft 1 hour

Rough draft #3:~ writing 2 hours~ editing 1 hour

Proof-reading:~ 1 hour

Cut-off point for advice from staff

WEEK 8

Assignment 2 – Audience Consumption

• 8th January 2014 by 3pm (physical and digital submission)• This assignment requires students to design a small-scale research project

seeking to investigate a form of media consumption of their choosing, whilst being sensitive to the appropriateness of the research.

• The assignment should include suitable space dedicated to a consideration of the following:– An appropriate area of media consumption and a rationale for investigation– The development of a key research question– A critical reflection upon and an engagement with relevant literature

regarding the study of audience consumption practices – An appropriate methodology to investigate the form of

consumption/engagement– A consideration of the limitations of the study (eg what will be considered?

What will be ignored? How justifiable is this?)– A consideration of indicative areas that might be difficult to engage with and

the measures required to address these concerns (eg how might you gather data regarding consumption of internet pornography given that respondents might difficult to obtain?).

Guidance for students (1/2)• Depending on the area of media consumption the intended

sample size may be subject to negotiation with your seminar/module leader.

• Students should be mindful of the different methods that can be employed to undertake research – eg qualitative research, quantitative research, participant observation, self-selection, etc – background reading is essential

• Audience research can be time and labour intensive – you will need to provide a feasible time-frame for the data gathering, processing and summary of findings.

Guidance for students (2/2)• You are encouraged to reflect upon the type of

questions you build into the project:– Are ‘open’ or ‘closed’ questions appropriate?– Are multiple choice questions appropriate?– Do the questions presume a specific behaviour rather

than seek to identify that behaviour?– Are the questions consistent in delivery?– Are the questions likely to cause offence?– How will the project be targeted?– Will the project involve focus groups, online surveys,

questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, etc?

Assessment 2

• We will cover this in more detail at the end of the first block of sessions (week 7)

Extensions

• AQH-F6-13• Regulations Governing

Extension of Assessment Deadlines and Consideration of Extenuating Circumstances

Extensions

• 1.1 All assignments have hand in dates set in advance and published in the module guide. It is a student's responsibility to meet these deadlines. If the assignment is not submitted on time the work will be failed.

Extensions

• 1.2 In all cases it is the student's responsibility to present to the University supporting evidence to justify their claim.

Extensions

• Maximum extension period = 72 hours

• Inclusive of weekends and bank holidays– Saturday submission

• NB: subject to module leader approval

Seminars