BA (Hons) Digital Media and Sociology Bachelor's degree at Keele University

How can we mobilise our sociological imagination to make sense of the social divisions and inequalities that persist across time and are reproduced in different cultures and societies? This module introduces the theoretical foundations of sociological thinking, tracing its origins as a 'science of society' to its contemporary applications in understanding inequality. You will learn to recognise how classical theories illuminate social divisions around race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability,

The role of digital media in contemporary politics and society is a hotly debated topic, and one that aspiring digital content producers need to be aware of. This module will allow you to think critically about the challenges and possibilities of a digital world and your place and responsibilities within it, enabling you to think critically and creatively about the social context for digital content production. The module provides a transition to University study by developing foundational study

This module introduces you to key tools you can use to analyse the social contexts, cultures, politics, and economics of media industries. From huge corporations to content creators, go behind the scenes to find out how media is produced, funded, regulated, distributed, and made across the globe. You will learn how media ownership, profit, and work are changing, and the role they play in shaping the media that gets made. The module further develops your academic skills needed for success in your

This module transitions you to university scholarship and introduces the employability and professional skills that a social science degree provides through a range of action-focused activities. You will learn vital academic and professional skills and competencies that will allow you to thrive in the first year of your undergraduate studies and throughout your degree.

Imagining Social Order and Deviance explores societal norms, values, and the construction of deviance through a series of real-life case studies. You are invited to engage with diverse perspectives on what constitutes social order and deviant behaviour and consider the complexities of social control mechanisms, the stigmatisation of marginalised groups, and the dynamics of power in shaping perceptions of deviance. By fostering a deep understanding of the intricacies of social order and deviance,

How can we mobilise our sociological imagination to understand the complexities and challenges of the modern world and our place within it? This module rethinks classic sociological theories for the global digital world, considering post-structural, intersectional and non-Western perspectives. You will gain a critical appreciation of how competing sociologies have emerged as our understanding of positionality and difference has developed, and look to the ways in which the sociological project ha

Understanding media audiences and users is fundamental to analysing how meaning is communicated and negotiated. This module provides you with the concepts and tools you need to understand how audiences interpret and participate in media. You will learn about the methods and approaches media researchers use to find out about audiences' perspectives and experiences while gaining hands-on audience research skills. If you would like to do an independent research project in your final year, this modu

How do we draw on media texts, practices, and technologies to understand, construct, and represent who we are? This module develops your critical engagement with central questions in media studies about the mediation of identity, from the power of representation to selfies and self-branding. You will learn about how key concepts of the mediated self can be applied to analysis of media texts, participants, and creators, and even help you better understand your own mediated identity.

In this module we explore how socio-cultural narratives and practices around the intersections of race, class and belief influence notions of selfhood, belonging, and social cohesion. You will investigate the role of ritual in shaping individual and collective identities and explore faith, spirituality and the occult in diverse historical and cultural contexts. You will develop critical skills to understand these debates through an analysis of the influence of multiculturalism, secularism and co

Social Design is an interdisciplinary module exploring the interplay between societal structures, human behaviour, and crime, that equips you with the knowledge and skills to critically analyse, design, and implement interventions that foster safer and more inclusive communities. You will explore how social factors influence crime patterns and the efficacy of preventive measures. Depending on your subject interest you may explore the role of social policies in shaping community dynamics or desig

This module gives students studying subjects in the School of Social Sciences the opportunity to contribute to the world beyond the University, in any workplace where the specialist knowledge, research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of your Social Science degree can be used and can make a difference. The chosen workplace or volunteering opportunity may be, for example, with a local government agency or third sector organisation, a charity, a community group, a criminal j

This module offers you the chance to contribute to the world outside Keele either through completing a work placement, a project for a client (or a series of projects for different clients), or working as a team to deliver a successful festival or event. You will be trained to showcase your creative and collaborative skills and abilities effectively before applying for an opportunity advertised through the module (or you can source your own, subject to it meeting the module's requirements).

This module broadens your knowledge of the variety of career pathways open to you, enabling and enable you to identify, analyse, and showcase your degree skills and experiences effectively. Through completing and reflecting on problem-based tasks relating to different sectors, such as telling the story of a business, or writing a funding proposal to support a film festival, you will build your creative and collaborative skills and learn how to articulate them in ways that will be attractive to e

Study Southern US culture on location! The American South is a distinctive but difficult to define geographical and cultural entity, and attitudes to the South range from celebration to derision. Studying with others from a range of disciplines, you will think through historical and current constructions of the US South through its history, literature, film, and wider culture. You spend four weeks at one of our partner universities taught by Keele staff, shaping your own research project with th

What is society in a world governed by data and algorithms? How do we adapt to and influence social change? In this module, you will analyse how societies respond to and resist transformations wrought by the technological revolution. Considering a series of case studies relating to the big social challenges of our time, from the spread of misinformation and rise of conspiratorial thinking to the human response to climate change, you will apply your knowledge of sociology to provide a roadmap for

Your project is the culmination of everything you've learned on your degree, where you'll have the freedom to develop a project on a topic of your choosing. You can select from two pathways: a research project or professional content creation. On both, you'll develop independent project