38656   LC Media History and Technologies – Assignment 1

You should ensure that you understand the general requirements for submitting assignments to Department of Linguistics and Communication modules, including requirements for word counts, referencing style, etc. See the Department UG Handbook, available via theUG Canvas Hubfor more information.

Please note: within this module the use of generative AI, including ChatGPT or similar, is not    allowed. This applies to all assignments and assessments that contribute towards your overall module mark. It includes, but is not limited to essays, reports, and projects.

Using generative AI to contribute to your assignments and assessments within this module will result in you being in violation of the University’sCode of Practice on Academic Integritywhich may have implications for your future studies.

Assignment 1: 2,000-word written essay (60% of overall mark)

An individual academic essay of 2000-words (60% of the overall module grade)

This assignment assesses students’ understanding of core concepts and themes covered throughout the module. Students will demonstrate engagement with key writings and academic scholarship relating to media histories and technologies and showcase their ability to extract information from a variety of high-quality sources in order to build arguments.

Students are advised to discuss their ideas for the essay with their module tutor well in advance of the submission deadline.

Please choose one of the essay questions listed below (NOTE: please state the essay question chosen at the top of your submission):

1.   What is the role of books in today’s digitally mediated landscape? Your answer should

draw upon relevant theories on the history of books as a tool of mass communication and explore whether they are still relevant and play a role in a world where social media is ubiquitous. You should draw on relevant academic texts from the module to help develop your argument.

2.   To what extent do you agree with the claim that "podcasting as an audio medium [...] is

distinct from but institutionally connected to radio" (Berry 2020)? Your answer should show an understanding of the evolution of both radio and podcasting, from inception to the present day, and examine whether radio and podcasting are similar or distinct mediums. You should draw on relevant academic texts from the module to help develop your argument.

3.   What is ‘traditional television’ and how are digital streaming services, like Netflix,

changing or maintaining the medium of television? Your answer should draw on the history of television as discussed on the module, including any changes to television viewing following the increased capacity of the internet for the distribution and consumption of audio-visual media. You should draw on relevant academic texts from the module to help develop your argument.

4.   To what extent can news be said to bean ‘objective’ account of important (or

‘newsworthy’) events? Discuss with reference to the history of newspapers and news values as discussed on the module.  You should draw on relevant academic texts and theories from  the module to help develop your argument.

This element of the assignment helps students to meet the following learning outcomes of this module. Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical development of media practices in the past century

2. Apply critical concepts and terminology to a wide range of media practices

3. Demonstrate an ability to connect the emergence of media technologies to social, cultural and psychological change

This assignment assesses student knowledge of the history and theory of media and how different technologies relate to social, political and communicative changes.