This unit offers an introduction to the history and theory of media and communications studies. Students will gain a foundation in key concepts, methodologies and theorists in the field. They will also explore the interdisciplinary roots of media and communications studies and acquire basic research skills. By the end of the unit students should be familiar with major shifts in the history and theory of media and communications studies and with basic concepts and methodologies in the field.

Digital media and communications landscapes teaches students to map and analyse media policy, industry change, and user engagement. Within this framework, it explores concepts of labour and practical responses to workplace dynamics. Students will review their digital media footprint and develop professional branding strategies.

This unit will give students foundational skills in information gathering and writing for media, with a focus on news and journalistic styles. Students will be introduced to the principles of interviewing and journalistic research.

This unit provides an introduction to the theory and practice of media production. It combines a holistic investigation of contemporary media practices with an exploratory first-hand account of media production techniques. Students will have the opportunity to create mixed media production using a variety of technologies. They will create a major media piece by the end of the semester and will also reflect critically on their practice.

This unit introduces radio broadcasting and podcasting by exploring the principles of sound design, production and distribution. Students will learn to plan, produce and publish their own radio and podcast segments using state of the art studios, portable recording tools and hosting services.

This unit introduces students to the history, theory and practice of video production. The unit will equip students with practical skills in planning and researching a video, as well as skills in digital camera operation, video recording, lighting, sound and digital non-linear video editing. The unit emphasises factual, non-fiction video.

How we eat, sleep, talk, love, shop, work, play, learn and die are all shaped by digital media. Everyday digital media focuses on the transformation of self and society through the digital mediation of everyday practices. How do we organise our social lives and engage creatively in online realms? What are the opportunities and risks of sharing and self-presentation in networked publics? How are communities reconfigured in a digital context? This unit introduces theories of digital culture and identity and applies them to our everyday experiences and interactions with social media, participatory culture, locative media, computer games, virtual reality, smart homes and connected cities.

The Internet is at the heart of major digital transformations in industry, society and culture. This unit introduces key skills in analysis and critique of the technologies involved in networked change, exploring internet imaginaries, histories and emerging phenomena.

This unit of study introduces students to strategic public relations: the use of effective communication to build mutual understanding and positive relationships between organisations (or individuals) and their publics. Students learn to develop a public relations campaign using appropriate strategies and tactics, and objective measurement metrics. Core topics include: media relations, issues management, crisis communication, communication plans, public relations strategies and ethical practice.

This unit will introduce students to the area of media, law and ethics through discussion of key legal, ethical, and cultural issues relevant to journalism and the professional fields of public communication. Students will be given an introductory survey of the main ethical theories in Western thought to establish a framework within which to examine specific ethical issues that relate to media. They will also be introduced to those aspects of the law that impinge on the work of media professionals.

The unit examines the social, political and economic dynamics of media and communication in global settings. It considers the interplay among the global,regional and local in communication systems as well as the role that new technologies play in contemporary formations of global media. It assists students in consolidating their critical understanding of the factors that play the greatest role in shaping the globalisation of informational capitalism.

This unit is designed for third year students to undertake a project that allows them to work with one of the University's industry and community partners. Students will work in teams on a real-world problem provided by the partner. This experience will allow students to apply their academic skills and disciplinary knowledge to a real-world issue in an authentic and meaningful way.

Interdisciplinarity is a key skill in fostering agility in life and work. This unit provides learning experiences that build students' skills, knowledge and understanding of the application of their disciplinary background to interdisciplinary contexts. In this unit, students will work in teams and develop interdisciplinarity skills through problem-based learning projects responding to 'real world problems'.

MECO3606 aims to further develop students' writing, research and interviewing skills. The course is framed around the exploration of different feature genres of journalism that have developed in the print media (magazines and newspapers) and are now evolving online. We will explore various types of feature journalism via close reading and student writing. The unit aims not just to teach students how to write in various journalistic genres, but to think about journalism critically and creatively in order to respond to the challenges the profession is facing in the 21st century..

The unit gives students an advanced understanding of the foundational traditions in communications, media, and digital cultures. It relates these traditions to contemporary innovations, rethinking ideas to grasp present and future media and communications forms, practices, structures, and meanings. The unit features detailed reading and analysis of key ideas, texts, thinkers, and contexts.

This unit will develop students' knowledge of key research methods used in media, communications and digital cultures research. Students will be introduced to a range of research techniques and methods, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods, and will have the opportunity to reflect critically on these methods through practitioner presentations and directed discussion. The assessment tasks will help students develop their skills to design and undertake a supervised research dissertation and enhance their abilities as researchers and practitioners.

Research towards and preliminary writing of an Honours thesis of 18 000-20 000 words, in collaboration with a supervisor approved by the Honours Coordinator.

In this unit students complete and submit a substantial, independent research project in Media and Communications. Regular meetings with a supervisor approved by the Media and Communications Honours Coordinator will guide their progress. Students will continue to submit drafts at agreed times, and develop their expertise in relevant research methods and analytical skills as well as in the subject matter of their specialist topic.