Unit name | New Media Representation and Digital Literacies |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCM5810 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
Unit director | Mrs. Dourneen |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
'The Information Age' has heralded a proliferation of new forms of digital communication and new textual genres. As these texts tend to be multimodal, multilinear and interactive they pose significant challenges for analysis and raise many questions about what it means to be literate in the 21st Century. This unit encourages and argues for an eclectic approach to the analysis of such texts drawing on semiotics, discourse analysis, literary theory and film studies as well as studies of new media and new literacies. This unit will: introduce students to a range of different approaches to the analysis of digital texts and communication; provide an understanding of multimodality theories, non linear structures and interactive texts; provide students with the knowledge and skills required to reflect upon issues of literacy in the 21st century.
Aims:
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
The course will be taught face-to-face, but will be supported by a virtual online learning environment. All students will be required to use the VLE as standard, to communicate with fellow students, with the lecturing staff, to obtain administrative details about the course, to access course materials and, in some instances, for submission of coursework. Students will be encouraged to work in groups to support collaborative learning and to provide user feedback on design ideas. The principle teaching and learning methods will include the following:
Students will complete a 4000 word assignment which will require the analysis of digital multimedia text(s) in relation to a research question related to education, technology or society. Students will be expected to discuss their selected text(s) in relation to broader semiotic domain(s). They will draw on theories of communication and representation in the digital age to evaluate the implications of the text for literacy and/or for educational and social practices. The assignment will involve analysis of user interaction as well as analysis of the semiotic and structural features of digital multimedia texts.