Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

This module introduces students to the history of the mass media (the newspaper press, cinema and broadcasting) in twentieth-century Britain, and to a range of issues and debates relating both to the mass media themselves and the social, cultural and political histories of Britain which they form a part. Over the course of the module, through a series of broadly chronological lectures and topic-based seminars, students will be learning about the structural development of the media over the course of the century and the impact of both technology (i.e., changing means of media production and distribution) and competition (i.e., other media) on their character and role. They will consider the relationship between media and audience and the importance of the media as providers of information, education and entertainment to the British people. They will also assess the influence of the mass media on twentieth-century British social and cultural values; the function of the mass media in projecting images of national identity and national unity; and the complex interrelation between politics, the media and the electorate.

This module offers students an exploration of the role and function of the mass media in twentieth-century Britain, set within a wider exploration of key themes and events in modern British history. It complements the department’s wider offerings in the field of modern and contemporary history, as well as linking to wider departmental research interests in this relatively new field of historical enquiry.