Unit information: Deaf People in Politics and the Media in 2014/15

Unit name	Deaf People in Politics and the Media
Unit code	DEAF20034
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Ms. Smith
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Applied Community and Health Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit considers the importance of politics and the media to Deaf people. The key aims are to identify political discourse within the area of Deaf studies, and to engage in critical evaluation of media texts on issues relevant to Deaf people in society. The unit will explore the relationship of government and civil society to Deaf organisations and the Deaf individual; analyse the politics of Identity and Deafhood; and examine issues of class, power, and resources in relation to the Deaf world. Specific focus will be on campaigns for social and political change, with attention to the ways in which the media presents Deaf political activism. Topics on Deaf people in the media will include: how Deaf issues are portrayed in a variety of media; Deaf involvement and presentation in TV and films; and the ways in which Deaf people are engaging with the Internet, politically and socially.

Students will learn:

• to identify and analyse political discourse within the area of Deaf studies including the central issues and events of deaf politics and media and the impact of these on Deaf people and society in general;
• to engage in critical evaluation of media texts on issues relevant to Deaf people in society;
• the reflect upon the implications of both political and media issues in the past and present for today’s Deaf community, particularly relating to service provision;
• about approaches to the collection of information from archives and living informants by undertaking a small scale research project.
• the importance of considering the different interpretations of historical information will be emphasised.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to demonstrate their emerging knowledge and understanding of:

• key issues relating to circumstances and events of deaf politics and media;
• the impact upon Deaf people and society in general of deaf politics and media;
• methods of discourse analysis to identify differing interpretations of political information;
• the implications of both political and media issues in the past and present, and service provision for today’s Deaf community;

Students will demonstrate their developing skills in:

• collecting, analysing and evaluating information and sources from archives;

Teaching Information

The majority of teaching will be in the form of weekly lectures and seminars. Students’ awareness of political events will be raised through use of the internet and other media. There will be a significant reliance on the use of Moodle, since all powerpoints and lecturer notes will be available to students, as will the reading list and internet links. The forum will also be used to encourage student discussions.

Assessment Information

Formative assessments:

Short statement (250 words): ‘what does politics mean to you?’ Group presentation: ‘Undertake a discourse analysis of a media text and present your findings to the group’

Summative assessment:

2000 word essay based on the analysis of a media text to reflect the learning outcomes and content of the unit, assessed against the marking criteria in the BSc Deaf Studies Handbook (100%).

Reading and References

• Curran, J. & Seaton, J. (2003) Power without Responsibility: The Press and Broadcasting in Britain (6th Edition), London: Routledge
• Emery, S. D. (2006) Citizenship and the Deaf Community. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Central Lancashire
• Ladd, P. (2007) ‘Signs of change: sign language and televisual media in the UK’, in Cormack, M; Hourigan, N. (eds.). Minority language media: concepts, critiques and case studies. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
• Ladd, P. (2003) Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
• Roots, J. (1999) The Politics of Visual Language: Deafness, Language Choice and Political Socialization, Ontario: Carleton University Press
• Valentine, G. & Skelton, T. (2007) ‘The right to be heard: Citizenship and language’, Political Geography, 26, 2, 121-140.