TMC Academy

Final Year Top-Up Degree
Awarded by: University of Hertfordshire 

The University of Hertfordshire has always been considered to be the leading business-facing University in the UK.

The BA (Hons) Mass Communications degree examines the technological and cultural developments of communication through a multidisciplinary approach. It provides a variety of academic and vocational modules in digital publishing, film, media cultures and print journalism.

At the end of the programme you will have a portfolio of work to show to prospective employers including news and features articles you have written, examples of desktop publishing work, examples of websites you have designed and built, including web animations, and short samples from your film projects.

The degree consists of a total of 8 modules:

Compulsory modules:

Music, Celebrity and the Media

The module provides students with an understanding of communication theories and media content, identifying aspects of popular culture and their impact on media audiences. It also provides a critical assessment of popular media, media organisations and their methodologies. Students explore the various ways that popular music and culture are mediated through a range of different media. The module examines the history, genre and market segmentation of audience devoted to music; concept of the celebrity in the media, especially in the tabloids; the presentation of popular music on television and radio, with an emphasis on its relationship to market forces and consumption, and the contemporary construction and commodification of ‘Pop’ through programmes such as American Idol and its regional counterparts.

Assessment: 40% Exams/60% Coursework

Advertising

This module provides students with an understanding of how advertising works, identifying theories of communication and advertising, and how audiences construct meanings. It will look at the semiotics of advertising and the ways in which they attempt to construct desire for specific products. It also analyses the social function of adverts in relation to certain social categories such as gender, race and sexuality. The module also considers the use of advertising in the new media, with emphasis on SPAM, pop-up windows and banner adverts. Students will have opportunities during the module to interact with local advertising companies to learn how the advertising industry in Singapore works.

Assessment: 40% Exams/60% Coursework

Choose 3 of the following pairs:

Web Design for Publishing & Advanced Web Design

Web Design for Publishing
The aims of this module are to develop students’ understanding of web design and the development cycle, user’s needs, and multimedia as an approach to the web. It includes the use of a web editor (Dreamweaver) and other related software. Students will develop a complex mixed-media website that combines the use of some or all of the following elements: text, images, sound and animation.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

Advanced Web Design
The aims of this module are to prepare students to work on real world problems and to be able to develop a web-based solution. The module further develops students’ knowledge of web design and on-line publishing. Students are introduced to a range of complex web skills including; cascading style sheets, DHTML features such as timeline-based animation and accessibility issues. The module is project based, focusing on practical real life issues, which help develop students on-screen design skills, and develop invaluable experience that can be used as part of a CV portfolio.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

The New Hollywood & Film in the Global Age

US Cinema: Studio System to Digital Era
This modules concentrates on Hollywood films from the 1950s to the present. It explores ‘New Hollywood’ from the perspectives of film style, industry and social-historical context to examine how New Wave European films influenced a new generation of Hollywood directors. It also considers the relationship between Hollywood and other national cinemas. It enables students to communicate critical ideas effectively.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

Film in the Global Age
This module addresses the notion of ‘the global age’ and globalisation in relation to film. Opening up examples and debates of world cinema, it also addresses the concepts and realities of globalisation: of growth and unity, imitation and (a loss of) national identity, diaspora, fragmentation and isolation. It considers the changing relationship of US and World Cinema, and will analyse a series of contemporary films from around the world. Students are asked to cross and critique traditional theoretical and critical boundaries, and to question contemporary approaches to the study of film.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

Journalism Portfolio & The Journalist, the Government and the People

Journalism Professional Portfolio
This module provides students with the opportunity to develop a portfolio of specialist news and feature articles of a professional standard. It develops reporting and critical reflection skills in the context of a wide range of markets and styles. Students will develop their skills in researching; extracting, organising and selectively applying relevant information from a range of different sources; using ICT for word processing and on-line databases and internet searches; analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse; develop and advance arguments in a variety of formats.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

The Journalist, the Government and the People
This module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the ways in which society is governed and the interrelationship between the press and the Singapore political institutions. It exposes students to international cultural and communications polices. The primary focus will be upon the relationship between the press and government in Singapore.

Assessment: 50% Exam/50% Coursework

Marketing and Corporate Communications Management & Corporate Advertising and Media Relations

Marketing and Corporate Communications Management
The aims of this module are to develop greater understanding of the theories underpinning corporate communication, and recognise the principles upon which the profession is organised, practised and regulated in Singapore. Develop students' knowledge and skills in formulating and implementing integrated marketing communication plans and associated activities. Develop a sound understanding of how to manage marketing communications in a variety of different contexts. The module will also address critical issues relating to e-commerce and the Internet in Singapore.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

Corporate Advertising and Media Relations
The aim of this module is to develop a greater understanding of the theory behind corporate advertising and media relations. To be able to critically analyse the principles upon which advertising, PR and the media industries are organised, practised and regulated in Singapore. Develop a greater understanding of the tolls and techniques used, in a variety of contexts and a variety of audiences. The module engages students to explore advertising and new media in the light of globalisation, cultural identity and new technologies.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

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University of Hertfordshire

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