Communications Challenges
| Module title | Communications Challenges |
|---|---|
| Module code | CMM1002 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Amelia Morris (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 90 |
|---|
Module description
This is a challenge-led module, which focuses on an aspect of social inequality in Western society from one of the following: class; race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; disability; or digital inequality. The module will introduce you to key aspects that define social inequality, such as media representation, histories of under-representation and omission, and the relationship between politics and language, uneven access to technologies and other resources, and unjust and exclusionary infrastructures. Using a combination of workshops, lectures (including guest lectures from industry professionals), and tutorials, students you will work in small groups to devise a campaign to address a specific, current problem or issue of social inequality. Examples could include: diversifying the representation of the female body in the local media; raising awareness of mental health issues amongst young men locally (18-21); a campaign to address gender stereotypes in university sports societies; a campaign to raise awareness of rural broadband initiatives. The module will guide students you step-by-step in developing practical digital design skills and applied skills including identifying a target audience, social media campaign strategies, determining appropriate voice and language, and how to judge the ethics of campaigning.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will provide you with a grounding in the practical skills and experience integral to creating a media campaign. It will teach you a range of practical skills in production design, schedule-building and give you guided experience of small-group teamwork in a variety of roles, with each student scheduled to spend time as a production manager, production designer, researcher, and communications director, over the course of the module.
Development of these skill sets will be embedded in the lecturer-guided and independently-guided exploration of a social issue (revealed at the start of the course), which each group will develop a campaign on. The course aims to give you a hands-on experience of negotiating issues of audience, tone, format, as you develop your outputs, which may include a podcast, an infographic, and a short video.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Identify and execute an effective campaign strategy, taking account of the target audience and aims
- 2. Apply the practical skills necessary to put a campaign into practice using relevant online tools and applications.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Synthesize and explain the tenets of a social issue
- 4. Interrogate and select evidence to build a case
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Demonstrate leadership and effective teamwork
- 6. Critically reflect on work processes
- 7. Communicate clearly and imaginatively in written and/or verbal form
- 8. Generously engage with methods and people who represent opinions and viewpoints different from your own
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that the focal topic each year will be a pertinent issue related to social inequality from one of the following areas: class; race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality, disability.
The module will cover some or all of the following topics:
- How to organize and execute a campaign
- The ethics of social campaigning
- How to make a podcast
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 267 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 11 | Lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 | Seminar/Workshop |
| Guided independent study | 245 | Private study, preparation for lectures and seminars, reading etc |
| Guided independent study | 22 | Campaign group meetings and preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | 10 minutes | 1-6 | Verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group creative portfolio | 60 | Students collaborate in groups to create portfolios that comprise numerous creative outputs that amount to a coherent creative portfolio. Outputs include: an exhibit in the Forum, 10-minute documentary; 5 minute podcast; an infographic; website. | 1-5 | Written |
| 6-page Zine | 40 | Students individually create a Zine on the subject of their creative portfolio, outlining a) why the topic is important, b) how students can get involved with the cause and c) the scholars and activists writing/protesting the issue. | 1-5 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio of campaign outputs | Portfolio of campaign outputs (individual rather than group-based) | 1-4, 7, 8 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Social justice activism (general):
Bennett, W. 2003.?. Information, Communication & Society, 6(2), pp.143-168.
Harrison, E.E. 2020.??(Doctoral dissertation, University of Sussex).
Norris, P. 2004.?. Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.(32p).
Anti-racism activism:
Bell, M.P., Berry, D., Leopold, J. and Nkomo, S. 2021.?. Gender, Work & Organization, 28, pp.39-57.
Dhamoon, R. 2015.?. Feral Feminisms, 4(1), pp.20-37.
He, B., Ziems, C., Soni, S., Ramakrishnan, N., Yang, D. and Kumar, S., 2021.?. In Proceedings of the 2021 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining (pp. 90-94).
McVey, J.A. and Woods, H.S., 2016.?. Present Tense, 5(3), pp.1-9.
Nummi, J., Jennings, C. and Feagin, J. 2019.?. In Sociological Forum (Vol. 34, pp. 1042-1064).
Srivastava, S., 2006.?. Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, pp.55-90.
Srivastava, S., Johnson, A., Luhmann, S. 2019.?. Feminist praxis revisited: Critical reflections on university-community engagement, pp.55-72.
Environmental activism:?
Bond, S., Thomas, A. and Diprose, G., 2023.?. Pluto Press.
Fernandes-Jesus, M., Lima, M.L. and Sabucedo, J.M. 2020.?. Journal of Social and Political Psychology. Journal of Social and Political Psychology. p.2195-3325
Jones, O. 2021.?. Retrieved from: The Guardian.
Kutner, L.A. 2000.?. Electronic Green Journal, 1(12).
O'Brien, K., Selboe, E. and Hayward, B.M. 2018.?. Ecology and Society, 23(3).?
Park, C.S., Liu, Q. and Kaye, B.K. 2021.. Social Media Society, 7(3), p.20563051211036059.
Pulido, L. 2018.?. Future remains: A cabinet of curiosities for the Anthropocene, pp.116-128.
Feminist activism:?
Broad, K.L. 2017.?. Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice, 38(1), pp.41-53.
Carr, J.L. 2013.?. Journal of Feminist Scholarship, 4(4), pp.24-38.
Chazan, M. and Baldwin, M. 2016.?. Feminist Formations, 28(3), pp.70-94
Faye, S. 2021.?. London. Penguin.
Hooks, B. 1997.?. Cultural Politics, 11, pp.396-414.
Koyama, E. 2013.?. In The transgender studies reader (pp. 698-705). Routledge.
Worker’s rights activism:?
Gourevitch, A. 2018.?. American Political Science Review, 112(4), pp.905-917.
Mahase, E. 2022.?. BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online), 379, p.2740.
Platform, T.S.S. 2019. Strike the giant: Transnational Organisation Against Amazon. Transnational Social Strike Platform Journal. Available at:
Seidman, G.W. 2007.?. New York. Russell Sage Foundation.
Disability rights activism:?
Barnes, C. 2007.?. Education, citizenship and social justice, 2(3), pp.203-221.
Davis, L.J. 1999.?. American Literary History, 11(3), pp.500-512.
McRuer, R. 2018.?(Vol. 1). New York. NYU Press.
Scotch, R.K. 1989.?. The Milbank Quarterly, pp.380-400.
Soldatic, K. and Grech, S. 2014.??Disability Studies Quarterly.
Trevisan, F. 2016.?. New York. Taylor & Francis.
Waldschmidt, A., Kara?i?, A., Sturm, A. and Dins, T. 2015.?. Moving the Social, 53, pp.103-138.
CRAFTIVISM READINGS:
Fountain, D. 2023. Introduction: Crafting Identity and Community. In?Crafted With Pride?(pp. 1-12). Intellect.
Greer, B. ed. 2014.?Craftivism: The art of craft and activism. Arsenal Pulp Press.
Mageary, J., 2020. Zines, the DIY ethic, and empowering marginalized identities. In?Craft in Art Therapy?(pp. 177-189). Routledge.
Schilt, K., 2003. “I'll Resist with Every Inch and Every Breath” Girls and Zine Making as a Form of Resistance.?Youth & Society,?35(1), pp.71-97.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE –
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 07/01/2020 |
| Last revision date | 07/02/2025 |