ATS2876 · Reinventing media: Creative solutions for a divided world

Overview

A series of large-scale, interlocking challenges are facing societies globally, and digital news and the media play a central role. Misinformation. News fatigue, avoidance and boredom. Climate crisis. Global population shifts. Political polarisation and fragmentation. The fracturing of traditional models of democracy. The decline of trust and engagement in traditional public spheres. In this unit, you will learn to think in critically engaged, historically informed and geographically specific ways about the nature and impact of these challenges. You will explore the role of media practices, representations, systems and technologies in supporting civic engagement and revitalising public communication. Across the unit, you will be asked to respond collaboratively and creatively to a call for revitalisation, reconfiguration and reinvention and be challenged to rethink the shape of existing news and media landscapes to consider: how do we move from the media we have to the media we need?

Areas of study: Communications and media

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. identify and analyse the significant global challenges that intersect with media, journalism and the digital communication landscape;
2. apply detailed knowledge of interdisciplinary scholarship in communications, journalism and media studies relevant to the unit’s key themes;
3. propose and develop innovative solutions to the media’s role in complex global challenges;
4. work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team to analyse, explain and creatively respond to complex media challenges;
5. communicate complex ideas and proposed solutions in a range of formats, and for a range of potential audiences.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.