| CODE | CST3032 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Gender in Communications | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Media and Communications | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This is a level three study-unit. It is aimed at anyone intending to enter the media industry or media education - i.e. future journalists, producers, advertisers, media content creators, digital media marketers, critical readers of the media, media educators, etc. The aim of the study-unit is to raise awareness and strengthen critical ability in the analysis of media texts. It introduces theories of gender identity, feminist theory, and masculinities, and it explores the role the media plays in the social and cultural project around gender identity. It looks at gender portrayal in media output and gender equality and discrimination in the media industry. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - To introduce students to the key theoretical frameworks and critical debates in gender and media studies; - To develop students' analytical skills in interpreting how gendered meanings is constructed and communicated by the media; - To examine the role of intersectionality in media representations and access to media production; - To explore how digital technologies/platforms shape contemporary experiences and performances of gender; - To encourage students to critically assess their own media consumption and its influence on identity formation; - To promote creative and collaborative learning through the development of media-based projects; - To foster an appreciation of global and culturally diverse approaches to gender in media contexts. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify and evaluate gendered power structures within media production structures and employment trends, and the impact that these have on media consumption; - Recognise the importance of addressing gender issues in the media, and how these can be a consequence of social, political and economic factors; - Apply feminist, queer, and intersectional theories to contemporary media texts; - Identify strategies used by media outlets that have an impact on the shaping of social norms around gender and sexuality; - Reflect on their own media consumption through a critical lens. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically analyse the representation of gender, sexuality and identity in diverse media forms; - Create media-literate evaluations of digital culture, including news content, influencer content, memes and hashtag activism; - Apply gender-inclusive strategies to media content design. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Kosut, Marin, ed. (2012). Encyclopedia of Gender in Media (1st ed). Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. https://sk-sagepub-com.ejournals.um.edu.mt/ency/edvol/genderinmedia/toc. Supplementary Readings: - Kassova, L. (2020). The Missing Perspectives of Women in News. International Women’s Media Foundation. https://www.iwmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020.11.19-The-Missing-Perspectives-of-Women-in-News-FINAL-REPORT.pdf. - Merskin, Debra L., ed. (2020). The Sage International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Reference. - Women’s Media Centre (2021). The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2021. https://womensmediacenter.com/reports/the-status-of-women-in-the-u-s-media-2021-1. - Women’s Media Centre (2020). What online harassment tells us about our newsrooms: From individuals to institutions - A Women's Media Center report. https://womensmediacenter.com/reports/what-online-harassment-tells-us-about-our-newsrooms-from-individuals-to-institutions-a-womens-media-center-report. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Louiselle Vassallo |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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