Overview
Create the future of communications. A dynamic course that critically explores cultural trends and media industries. Engage with all forms of mass communication: the internet, social media, television, radio, popular music and cinema.
Get hands-on and create photographic essays, blogs and podcasts. Design a talk programme for a radio station. Invent and pitch a lifestyle TV concept.
Work alongside practicing professionals from social media, marketing, TV and and magazine production in state-of-the-art social learning spaces.
Graduate with a recognised degree and employable skills across all current and potential future media platforms.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: 38% of our research was judged to be world leading or internationally excellent in the Communication, Culture and Media Studies, Library and Information Management unit.
Through inspired teaching and intellectual debate, plus day to day interaction with award-winning authors and playwrights, a rolling programme of media industry professionals, published lecturers and world-renowned researchers, we will nurture your passion by developing your creative and critical thinking.
Then we will open your mind to the wide range of opportunities to pursue a career you love, be it anything from writing and teaching, through journalism and copywriting, business and marketing, to research and publishing.
Leeds is the Northern heart of culture and the arts. Your campus sits in the very centre of the city,surrounded by over 18 museums, 10 art galleries, 17 theatres, 4 film production companies and 3 recording studios (plus the odd bar, restaurant and club!). We work directly with Leeds museums and galleries and many regional events, including the Ilkley Literature Festival and the Leeds West Indian Carnival.
Our research and teaching explore a diversity of topics, from South Africa under Apartheid to the cultural impact of the LGBTQ community and from on-line racism in football to 21st century genres. We?re also very hands-on: from regular conferences, seminars and events organised by our Centre for Culture and the Arts, to collaborations with institutes and cultural organisations.
Take a look at the opportunities we provide to study abroad.
We understand that full-time study does not suit everyone. That’s why we offer courses which give you the opportunity to decide where, when and how you can get involved in learning. Studying a distance learning course offers the convenience and flexibility to make education work for you. Whether you’d like to fit your studies around childcare, develop your skills while working or, quite simply, want to learn from the comfort of your own home, we can help you gain a qualification at a time and pace that suits your lifestyle.
Like our students on campus, you will have the same excellent teaching and learning resources, however you’ll find these online instead of in a lecture theatre. Not only are all the modules taught online, but you will also have access to an online community and more than 140,000 books and journals in our online library.
This course offers the opportunity to take a ‘sandwich’ year – a year of paid employment in industry which will build your skills and experience. This is usually taken between the second and third year of your degree, typically making your course four years in total.
Students who choose the sandwich route find it helps with both their studies and getting a job after graduation. It can build your confidence, contacts, and of course your CV. Leeds Beckett advertise lots of placement opportunities and provide support in helping you find the right placement for you.
Course Features
- Part-time study available
- Study abroad option
- Expert careers service
- 24/7 Library
- University accommodation
- TEF Silver Award
Cultural Studies & Humanities School video 2018
BA (Hons) Media, Communication, Cultures Students
Being Human Festival
Being Human Festival City Maps
Being Human Festival City Tour
Entry Requirements
Additional Requirements
GCSEs:
GCSE English Language at Grade C or above (Grade 4 for those sitting their GCSE from 2017 onwards) or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.IELTS:
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.Mature Applicants
Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. We usually require some evidence of recent academic study, for example completion of an access course, however recent relevant work experience may also be considered. Please note that for some of our professional courses all applicants will need to meet the specified entry criteria and in these cases work experience cannot be considered in lieu.If you wish to apply through this route you should refer to our University Recognition of Prior Learning policy that is available on our website.
Please note that all applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, variations to this will be listed on the individual course entry requirements.
Additional Requirements
GCSEs:
GCSE English Language at Grade C or above (Grade 4 for those sitting their GCSE from 2017 onwards) or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.IELTS:
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.Verify your qualifications
If you are an international student, we can help you to compare and verify your qualifications. Please contact our International Office on +44 (0)113 812 1111 09.00 to 17.00 Mon-Thurs / 09.00 to 16.30 Fri GMT or email internationaloffice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.Need to improve your English Language skills?
Don't worry if you don't have the level of English required for your chosen course. We offer a wide range of courses which have been designed to help you to improve your qualifications and English language ability, most of which are accredited by the British Council. Check your English and find out more about our English courses.More questions?
No matter what your questions, we are here to answer them, visit our International website to get more information and find out about our online open days.Careers
Careers
BA (Hons) Media & Popular Culture (now Media, Communication, Cultures)
“"My course gave me the knowledge and desire to succeed in my career. I studied all aspects of the media, but particularly enjoyed learning about children's television and how it can shape their personalities. Everything I've done since graduating, from working as a support assistant at a Leeds media centre to my role creating props and costumes for CBeebies, has been shaped by my degree."
Teaching and learning
Develop the skills to make informed critical responses to media, communication and cultures. Your studies will give you a broad-based foundation before you specialise through option modules in your second year. The tabs below detail what and how you will study in each year of your course. The balance of assessments and overall workload will be informed by your core modules and the option modules you choose to study – the information provided is an indication of what you can expect and may be subject to change. The option modules listed are also an indication of what will be available to you. Their availability is subject to demand and you will be advised which option modules you can choose at the beginning of each year of study.
We regularly review our courses to ensure we are offering you the best educational experience. This course is currently being reviewed for 2019 entry, therefore the information below is correct for students joining us in 2018/19 but there may be changes for students who wish to join us in 2019/20. These will be confirmed in the course specification made available to new applicants on this page from January 2019.
Core Modules
- Interpreting New Media
Gain an introduction to the critical techniques you will need to study new media. You will develop your ability to interpret media technologies and practices, and you will hone your analytical and theoretical skills. You will be introduced to a range of challenging and topical case studies and to recent modes of interpretation through training in critical analysis, research, debate and presentation.
- Cultural Studies
This module will introduce you to the central debates and critical concepts in cultural studies. You will explore key issues such as the nature of `culture?, how media products work, how audiences experience culture, how cultural products make meaning, how the media represents the social world, and the role the media plays in cultural politics and power.
- Media Interactions
Develop an understanding of theories and debates in contemporary and 'new' media with a particular focus on the transition from analogue to digital media. You will discuss how people experience, consume and interact with the media forms they encounter in everyday settings.
- BBC Radio: Cultural Talk, Public Purposes
Gain an introduction to the organisation of cultural talk on contemporary BBC radio. You will explore the way cultural talk is administrated to fulfil the BBC?s public purposes.
- Cinematic Identities: Gender, Class & Race
This module uses American cinema from the 1940s to the present as a prism through which to investigate questions of history, gender and representation. You will use gender as the key organising principle but also examine issues of class and race.
- Researching Television
You will study key approaches to researching TV texts, audiences and institutions. Your studies will equip you with the skills to critically apply models from TV studies to the content and consumption of 21st-century TV.
Core Modules
- Media: Past & Present, Where & When
Explore the variety of resources, questions and contexts that underpin the historical, political and geographical development of media and cultural studies. You will study the 'modern' media culture and look at a range of historical and analytical issues associated with this complex arena. You will gain a historical, political and geographical grounding and context for your studies, as well as broader perspectives on current issues in the study of media.
- Media Theory
Study a range of theoretical perspectives on media in their mass and social communications forms and develop skills in critical thinking and analysis. You will focus on the original work of theorists whose ideas continue to be significant to the study of media, communications and culture today.
- Popular Music & the Moving Image
Explore the relationship between popular music and the moving image by looking at the use of music in silent and sound cinema, Hollywood musicals, Disney and Bollywood, popular music and television, promotional video, music and advertising, new media and `live? performance. You will learn to analyse the economic, technological and cultural elements which influence the production and consumption of popular music and its visual representation.
- Researching Media & Culture
Gain a detailed overview of research methods including qualitative and quantitative methods. You will understand the ways in which media and cultural studies research can be carried out.
Option modules may include:
- Comedy, Media, Diversity
Examine comedy in contemporary media and society. You will explore the analytical and theoretical literature on comedy's purposes and structures before exploring up to three forms of comedy in detail. Firstly, you will study stand-up, secondly the sit-com genre on television and, thirdly romantic comedy in cinema.
- Youth, Crime, Culture
This module will see you explore the relationship between young people, crime and media culture. You will approach the study of youth and crime cultures through various historical, theoretical and sociological perspectives and address a range of themes including deviance, resistance, labelling, policing, violence, and crime as a fiction/film genre. You will critically consider these themes in relation to different theories of youth and criminality including delinquency, antisocial behaviour, countercultures, subcultures, club cultures, gangs, drug use and surveillance.
- Media Professionals' Workshop
Explore some of the features of professional working practices within the media and cultural industry sectors. During this module you will have the opportunity to work on a practice-based project and learn from visiting tutors who are working in areas such as online marketing, publishing, television and radio production. You will also undertake a series of online-workshop reflective tasks covering aspects of a range of professional skills to help you identify your strengths, develop your skills and prepare you for your future career.
- Applied Humanities: Live Brief Learning
Understand the way that humanities disciplines and skills intersect with a range of professional working contexts. You will complete 36 hours of live-brief learning to gain first-hand experience of planning, delivery and evaluating a professional working brief set by an industry partner organisation. You will work as a group across 10 weeks alongside a tutor to design, deliver, present and evaluate the brief to industry standards. As well as conducting a reflective case study of your brief, you will complete a CV, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and undertake a recorded mock interview.
This course offers the opportunity to take a ‘sandwich’ year – a year of paid employment in industry which will build your skills and experience. This is usually taken between the second and third year of your degree, typically making your course four years in total.
Students who choose the sandwich route find it helps with both their studies and getting a job after graduation. It can build your confidence, contacts, and of course your CV. Leeds Beckett advertise lots of placement opportunities and provide support in helping you find the right placement for you.
Core Modules
- Dissertation
You will demonstrate a full range of skills, knowledge, and competencies developed over three years of study. This module provides an opportunity for you to choose and explore a field of study that has particularly engaged your interest.
Option modules may include:
- New Media Geographies
You will use the work of Leeds-based filmmaker Louis Le Prince as a starting point for an exploration of the interpenetration of media, space and place. You will draw on a range of core themes such as modernism, postmodernism, the local and global, and the public and private to understand the transformation of material and symbolic spaces and places that media technologies now enable. Studying this module will place the new media debate in historical context and assess key transformative moments in media history and the implications this has for the cityscape. You will explore a range of media and cultural texts to examine the tensions between the representation and the lived experience of space and place, using Leeds and its cultural venues alongside your own personal media technologies throughout to interrogate critical and theoretical debates.
- Genre Bending, Genre Blending
Build on your learning from years one and two to complete an in-depth study of genres, their relationship to visual texts, audiences and institutions, and role in everyday life. This module will investigate key studies in film and television and explore ways in which these studies can be linked with broader areas of cultural theory. You will be equipped with the skills to critically analyse models of genre in visual studies and explore the role of genre in making meaning from media texts.
- Race, Culture & Media
Explore 'race' as a mechanism used to justify oppression, slavery and genocide. But what exactly is `race'? How do racisms manifest and change over time? How can we challenge racial discrimination within the media and wider society? These are some of the important questions that this module critically investigates. You will examine and understand the historical and contemporary significance of `race', ethnicity and culture before beginning to apply your knowledge to different aspects of popular culture such as film, TV, social media, advertising and fashion, music, and sport.
- Sports Media
Examine the complex relationship between media and sport at both the industry and audience level. You will understand the role sports coverage plays across print, broadcast and online media in all contexts: local, regional, national and global.
- Popular Music, Dissenting Cultures
Explore the historical connection between popular music and the dissenting voice through a series of indicative case studies beginning with bar-room ballads, soldiers' songs and worksong traditions that include non-Anglophone sources. You will also look at 20th-century modes of dissent including popular song, folk, rock, jazz and soul models. Alongside post-1970 modes of protest, you will look at the use and abuse of sound and technology such as radio and new music media to convey protest.
- Lifestyle, Media, Identity
This module draws on recent social theory and on the work of Pierre Bourdieu as a means of examining how identities of class and gender are represented in contemporary media culture. You will use ethnographic case studies to look at the ways audiences consume and interact with lifestyle texts.
- Media Celebrity & Film Stardom
Gain a critical introduction to celebrity studies and literature on film stardom. It also explores their recent cross-overs, hybridisation and yet continuing distinction in the contemporary world. Media celebrity gives focus to television, radio and new media; the dynamics of contemporary celebrity and the theory, analysis and research necessary to make sense of contemporary media celebrity. Particular use is made of the journal Celebrity Studies to explore the cutting edge of developments in ideas and research and methods. Historical contexts of film stardom are addressed yet the key focus is on recent developments of such stardom and research exploring its contemporary dynamics.
- Digital & Media Cultures
Gain a critical overview of the historical, social, technological and cultural context surrounding digital media such as mobile devices, software apps and computer games. This module explores definitions and interpretations of the term 'digital reality' and how it is used in contemporary culture. You will be encouraged to critically engage with the issues surrounding digitally mediated experiences, especially in relation to interactivity, creativity, community and embodiment.
- Contemporary Genres
Study contemporary genres with an emphasis on their innovativeness and their interaction with socio-cultural developments of the new millennium. You will engage with cutting edge texts to consider their innovations in and interactions with the contemporary world.
- Cultural Crossings
Gain an understanding of the cultural connections between Africa and the African Diaspora through the analysis of a range of key literary works. Through close reading and analysis of the modules primary texts and the interrogation of postcolonial theoretical debates, you will be encouraged to explore the intersections and tensions between issues of race, gender, identity, education and language within the contexts of slavery, colonialism, migration and exile.
- Life Writing
Study the autobiographical branch of creative non-fiction.You will complete a number of creative writing exercises and regular workshops to help you refine your work with feedback from fellow students and tutor feedback in class, online, verbally, and in writing. This module will see you read a range of exemplary works of autobiographical non-fiction with a critical eye to begin making connections between the techniques and approaches of published works and your own.
- Masculinity in the long 18th Century
Engage with debates about masculinity which took place during the long 18th century. You will read a range of literary texts, including novels and poetry and focus on important models of 'manliness' which were prevalent in the period. This module will encourage you to situate texts in relation to historical context, and also to engage with theory.
- Modern American Drama
Study a selection of American plays from the 1920s to the 1990s, focusing on the ways in which they dramatise the relationship between public issues and private concerns. This module investigate the ways in which American drama stages the enduring conflict between the search for individual happiness and the making of social and political bonds in a society based on an ideology of competitive individualism. The module will provide opportunities to refine your skills in collaborative work, oral presentation, guided research, and independent study.
- Postcolonial Cities
Understand how writers and film-makers have imagined city spaces and identities in a range of postcolonial locations. Through an exciting range of literary and cinematic texts, and drawing on theories of urban space, place, and postcoloniality, you will explore issues that are of central importance to the world many of us live in today, including migrant labour, asylum seekers, refugees, and illegal immigrants; crime, conflict, and policing; memory, history, and urban space, class, gender, race, sexuality, and the postcolonial city amongst others.
- The Gothic: Literature, Culture, Theory
Explore the development of the Gothic from its literary origins in the mid-18th century through to the mid-20th century. You will analyse the literary and cultural properties of Gothicism as it has shifted and diversified over this period and you will be encouraged to engage with Gothic novels alongside a range of forms across a wide cultural and historical spectrum. This module will also introduce you to theoretical and critical methods of analysing the Gothic such as Freud's concept of the uncanny and Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection.
- Writing in a Time of Violence
Examine the relationships between writing and the Northern Ireland conflict (1966?1998). You will consider the ways in which writing responds to serious and prolonged political and social crisis and how it offers insights into issues normally considered to be purely within the realm of party or national politics. This module will enable you to understand the way literature negotiates the tensions between the demands of artistic integrity and independence and the pressures to speak out or to contribute towards the resolution of violent political division. You will also look at texts produced after 1998, a time of somewhat uncertain `peace and reconciliation?.
You will explore the media in its widest sense and how it shapes the way we communicate and our social, political and cultural development. We encourage you to open your mind, follow your instincts and look at new areas with curiosity and interest.
Cultural Studies & Humanities School video 2018
BA (Hons) Media, Communication, Cultures Students
Being Human Festival
Being Human Festival City Maps
Being Human Festival City Tour
Fees & funding
See further information on financing your studies or information about whether you may qualify for one of our Bursaries and Scholarships.
Educational visits - The cost for these trips covers travel, accommodation and subsistence. The price varies year by year and attendance is optional.
Study materials - We provide core materials during your studies and you may choose to purchase additional materials. This is not compulsory and will depend upon the projects you undertake.
Tuition fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC, laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
Additional costs
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Course-specific optional costs
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence for optional educational visits
(The nature and cost of these visits will vary from year to year).
Other study-related expenses to consider: books (the library stocks books from your module reading list but you may wish to purchase copies for yourself); placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery; field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations); PC/laptop (provided on campus in social learning spaces and in the library. However, you may prefer to have your own); mobile phone/tablet (to access University online services); academic conferences (travel costs); professional-body membership (where applicable); and graduation (gown hire and guest tickets).
This list is not exhaustive and costs will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental or living costs are also in addition to your course fees.
See further information on fees and finance on our Financing Your Studies webpage.
Educational visits - The cost for these trips covers travel, accommodation and subsistence. The price varies year by year and attendance is optional.
Study materials - We provide core materials during your studies and you may choose to purchase additional materials. This is not compulsory and will depend upon the projects you undertake.
Tuition fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC, laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
Additional costs
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Course-specific optional costs
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence for optional educational visits
(The nature and cost of these visits will vary from year to year).
Other study-related expenses to consider: books (the library stocks books from your module reading list but you may wish to purchase copies for yourself); placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery; field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations); PC/laptop (provided on campus in social learning spaces and in the library. However, you may prefer to have your own); mobile phone/tablet (to access University online services); academic conferences (travel costs); professional-body membership (where applicable); and graduation (gown hire and guest tickets).
This list is not exhaustive and costs will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental or living costs are also in addition to your course fees.
Additional information
For further information on financing your studies or information about whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships, follow the links below:
Learning spaces
-
Online resources and collectionsWhether you want to analyse accounts of 17th-century criminal proceedings from the Old Bailey, sift through more than 355,000 works of English and American poetry, prose and drama or explore the world's largest archive of 20th-century popular culture, our Library's online resources provide easy access to a range of diverse collections.
-
Broadcasting PlaceOfficially one of the world’s best tall buildings and a big talking point in Leeds, Broadcasting Place is home to our cultural studies and humanities courses. It offers a space for students to join an academic community that plays an active role in shaping contemporary debates about the future direction of those disciplines.
-
LibraryOur Library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, providing you with access to specialist books and journals, learning spaces, computers, multimedia facilities and media equipment hire. Tens of thousands of our Library's digital resources, including ebooks, ejournals and databases, can be accessed online at a time and place to suit you.
Location
Broadcasting Place, City Campus
Broadcasting place is officially one of the world's best tall buildings (voted the world's 'Best Tall Building' in 2010 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat) and is a big talking point in Leeds. Home to our arts, design, architecture and built environment courses, it provides students with creative and contemporary learning environments, is packed with the latest technology and is a focal point for new and innovative thinking in the city.
