Module Directory

The module charts the period of intensive developments in new communication technologies from the latter part of the nineteenth century through to the inter-war years and considers the impact of these new mass media on social and cultural life in Britain and the wider Atlantic world from the 1860s through to the present day.

From the emergence of new forms of print culture, through the impact of radio, cinema, television to the mass production and distribution of recorded music, the module explores the role of these new media in shaping distinctive forms of mass culture. A central ambition of the course is to historically chart the formation and development of these forms of mass culture and also to reflect upon the public debates associated with their emergence. The course is framed by a concern to grasp the importance of the modern mass media at a point when new technological developments in the means of communication are signalling its dissolution.

The aims of this module are:

• To develop an historical understanding of the modern mass media


• To develop an understanding of the social and critical context of their development


• To develop an understanding of the relationship between media forms and distinctive types of mass culture


• To develop an understanding of the way questions of national identity were bound up with public debates about mass culture in Britain and the wider Atlantic world

By the end of this module students will be expected to be able to:

1. Grasp the importance of the modern mass media at a point when new technological developments in the means of communication are signalling its dissolution.

Most modules in Sociology are divided into lectures of around 50 minutes and a class of around 50 minutes. Some are taught as a 2hr seminar, and others via a 50-minute lecture and 2-hr lab. Lectures classes labs and seminars will be taught face-to-face (assuming social distancing allows this).

Please note that you should be spending up to eight hours per week undertaking your own private study (reading, preparing for classes or assignments, etc.) on each of your modules (e.g. 32 hours in total for four 30-credit modules).

The lectures provide an overview of the substantive debates around the topic of the week, while the classes will give you the opportunity to reflect on your learning and actively engage with your peers to develop your understanding further. The weekly classes will take place face-to-face (unless there is a change in the current COVID safety measures).

You are strongly encouraged to attend the classes as they provide an opportunity to talk with your class teacher and other students. The classes will be captured and available via Listen Again. However, if you want to gain the most you can from these classes it is very important that you attend and engage. Please note that the recording of classes is at the discretion of the teacher.