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The module will equip students with a foundational grasp of television genres and some of the attendant cultural issues that will offer a theoretical point of reference for later production and theoretical work.

The module will introduce students to the concept of genre and its application to television texts. The concept will form the basis of the study of a range of television programmes that will be explored in relation to their cultural functions. and meanings that are embedded within them. This module will examine a range of fiction and nonfiction television programmes including drama, soap opera, documentary and reality TV. The study of these texts will enable the exploration of a wider range of cultural and theoretical issues such as race, gender, class, realism, and representation. It will therefore constitute the beginnings of a critical look at how wider cultural and social issues shape television texts, and how television reflects those issues back to society. Academic writing and referencing skills will be covered in the module.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Are able to describe the key generic features of television
2. Understand the ways in which media texts are embedded in social life
3. Can debate specific issues in relation to specific television texts
4. Demonstrate analytical and research skills
5. Demonstrate discursive writing skills
6. Demonstrate skills of time management and meeting deadlines

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.