Media, Gender and Culture King's College London

Overview

What role does media play in the formation of gendered subjectivities? How does media organise social and cultural life? What is the sexualisation of culture, and what does it mean for contemporary gender relations? How can we approach critical issues of power and agency in the analysis of post-feminism? Can media be used as a resource for contemporary cultural politics and activism? By whom, and in what ways?

Media, Gender and Culture at King's College London will explore these and other questions, introducing students to critical debates in the interdisciplinary domains of gender studies, cultural theory and media analysis.

Taking contemporary media culture as its critical focus, the course will examine issues of gender and social change; power and representation; culture and agency; intimacy and mediation; social critique and cultural politics. Students will engage with a range of theoretical perspectives and learn how to analyse a variety of media texts.

Outcomes

By the end of the program, students will have a good understanding of the concepts and principles that organize the field of feminist media studies today, and will be able to evaluate and apply theory in the analysis of media representations and practices.

Those interested in pursuing study in this area will be well placed to identify topics to take forward for further research and theoretical development, and will have the critical faculties necessary to independently examine and critically analyse contemporary media culture from a gendered perspective.