1. What are the arguments made in this short article in favour of retaining Media Studies?
2. What, according to Couldry, has Media Studies taught us, to date?
3. How should Media Studies be further developed?
4. The article argues that Media Studies should focus on power relationships. Do you agree?
5. Why is the transnational dimension of Media Studies important?

Morimoto, S.A. and L. A. Friedland (2011) ‘The Lifeworld of Youth in the Information Society’ from Youth and Society Vol. 43 No. 2.

1. According to the authors what role does the media play in the lifeworld of young people in the USA?
2. What in Morimoto and Friedland’s opinion are the social implications or consequences of changes in media forms, increased media use and media saturation generally?
3. The authors write of rapid increases in the degree of media saturation in the USA. What evidence do they use to support their arguments?  How convincing is the evidence?
4. The article refers to key concepts such as information society,  lifeworld (Habermas, Schutz); networked individualism (Wellman) and risk society (Beck). Do you understand what is meant by these concepts?  Can you relate them to your own experience?
5. Drawing upon the work of Sonia Livingstone, what do the author’s say about the ‘digital generation gap’?
6. Many of the findings of this article might usefully be compared to those in your Media Diary. In doing so try and identify some key comparisons and contrasts.

McQuail, D. (2010) ‘The rise of mass media’, in McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory. London: Sage, pp. 23–48.

1. What four main elements does McQuail identify as being socially significant in examining the key developments within media history?
2. What, according to this reading, are the key features (in terms of both medium and institution) of the book and the newspaper?
3. How, according to McQuail, are New Media to be distinguished from Old Media?
4. What arguments does this reading adopt in terms of (a) how media might be regulated and controlled and (b) audience power?

Fenton, N. (2007) ‘Bridging the mythical divide: political economy and cultural studies approaches to the analysis of media’, in E. Devereux (ed.), Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. What is the main argument made by Fenton in this reading?
2. How does the Political Economy perspective understand the role of the media?
3. What, according to Golding and Murdock (2000) are the key differences between a traditional political economy approach and a critical political economy approach to the media?
4. How do Herman and Chomsky (1994) view the role of the media in Western societies?

Breen, M.J. (2007) ‘Mass Media and New Media Technologies’ in E. Devereux (ed) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates London: Sage.

1. How does Breen characterize the debate about what constitutes ‘new media’?
2. Using the latest data from www.internetworldstats.com compare Breen’s summary of Internet statistics from 2003 to the current situation. Has much really changed?
3. Does Breen present a pessimistic or optimistic view of the Internet?  Compare his perspective with that of Curran and Witschge.

Curran, J. and T. Witschge (2010) ‘Liberal Dreams and The Internet’ in N. Fenton New Media, Old News, Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age. London: Sage.

1. According to Curran and Witschge does an International Public Sphere exist?
2. The authors argue that media content (especially news) is still quite localized in its focus. From your experience of watching television news, do you agree?
3. How has the e-zine Open Democracy contributed to the emergence of an International Public Sphere?
4. What sorts of influences have shaped the development of Open Democracy?

Karim, K. (2007) ‘Media and Diaspora’ in E. Devereux (ed) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. How does Karim define the word diaspora?
2. What does Karim mean by ‘globalization from below’?
3. What are, according to this reading, the most common form of Ethnic Media?
4. How does Bollywood operate as an example of diasporic media?
5. What are the key characteristics of diasporic media in a cyber-space setting?
6. Is Karim critical of the role played by transnational media conglomerates vis-à-vis the production and distribution of diasporic media content?

Croteau, D. and W. Hoynes (2007) ‘The Media Industry: Structure, Strategy and Debates’ in E. Devereux (ed) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. What according to Croteau and Hoynes are the key changes that have occurred in the media industry in recent times?
2. From a media industry perspective, what are the likely advantages of conglomeration?
3. What do Croteau and Hoynes mean by the terms ‘synergy’ and ‘segmentation and specialization’?
4. Having read Croteau and Hoynes chapter do you think that media ownership is too concentrated?
5. What according to Croteau and Hoynes are the implications for news in an era of heavily concentrated media ownership?

Fenton, N. (2007) ‘Bridging the Mythical Divide: Political Economy and Cultural Studies Approaches to the Analysis of Media’ in E. Devereux (ed) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates, London: Sage.

• How does the Political Economy perspective understand the role of the media?
• What, according to Golding and Murdock (2000) are the key differences between a traditional political economy approach and a critical political economy approach to the media?
• How do Herman and Chomsky (1994) view the role of the media in Western societies?
• What arguments can be made for and against the Political Economy perspective in terms of how it understands the role of the media?
• Does the Political Economy perspective hold out much hope for audience agency in the face of the considerable power held by media conglomerates?
• How does the Cultural Studies approach differ to the Political Economy approach?

Usher, N. (2012) ‘Marketplace public radio and news routines reconsidered: Between structures and agents’. Journalism

1. What according to this article are the most constraining structures in the production of news?
2. Usher offers a detailed description of the first wave of news ethnographies.  What, in your opinion, were their main strengths and weaknesses?
3. Usher refers to Giddens’ concept of Structuration. Do you understand what is meant by this term?  Does it help further your understanding of the interplay between structure and agency?
4. This article is based upon data gathered at Marketplace over a sustained period of time (resulting in what is sometimes referred to as a ‘Thick Description’).  Having read Usher’s article are you convinced by the advantages which an ethnography such as this can offer us in furthering our understanding of media production?
5. What are Usher’s main arguments about Structure and Agency in a media setting?

Willig, I. (2012) ‘Newsroom ethnography in a field perspective’ Journalism

1. What, according to Willig, are the weaknesses of the two waves of newsroom ethnographies?
2. Willig offers a detailed summary of Bourdieu’s work – how relevant are his ideas and writings for media studies?
3. Do you understand what Bourdieu meant by the concepts of ‘field’; ‘habitus’ and ‘capital’? How can these concepts help you in your understanding of news organisations?
4. Compare the Willig and Usher’s articles. Which of the two articles do you find more persuasive?

Philo, G. (2007) ‘News Content Studies, Media Group Methods and Discourse Analysis: A Comparison of Approaches’ in E. Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. How do the Glasgow University Media Group understand the terms ‘ideology’ and ‘discourse’?
2. What, according to Philo, are the limitations of taking a solely text-based approach to ideological or discursive analysis?
3. Which media genres have the Glasgow University Media Group focused on in their work on public knowledge?
4. Do you understand what is meant by the term ‘Ideological Square’?
5. What are the main elements involved in the News Game exercise as devised by Philo and his colleagues?
6. What are the strengths and weaknesses, in your estimation, of the News Game exercise?

Smith, P. and Bell, A. (2007) ‘Unravelling The Web of Discourse Analysis’ in E. Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. What do Smith and Bell understand by the term ‘discourse’? Does their understanding differ from that of Philo in your previous reading?
2. Who, according to Smith and Bell’s summary, have influenced the development of discourse analysis as a field of study?
3. What criticisms have been made of Critical Discourse Analysis?
4. The authors’ make a strong argument as to why we should analyze news discourse. Are you convinced by their arguments? Why?
5. Did you find the application of the discourse analysis approach to the Whale Wars story illuminating?
6. How different might the authors’ findings be if they had incorporated an audience reception element in their research?

Haynes, A. (2007) ‘Mass Media Representations of the Social World: Ethnicity and Race’ in E. Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. How does Haynes define ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’?
2. What sort of approach does Haynes adopt in examining media constructions of ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’?
3. What arguments does Haynes make in relation to the significance of understanding organizational cultures in order to comprehend more fully how ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ is constructed within media content?
4. How does Haynes understand the use of stereotypes concerning ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’?

Kitzinger, J. (2007) ‘Framing and Frame Analysis’ in E. Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. What does Kitzinger understand frames to be?
2. How do researchers use frames to analyze the content of media texts?
3. In the examples given in this reading, how are asylum seekers framed in a media setting?
4. What arguments does this reading make for the necessity to link textual analysis of frames to the reception of these frames by audiences?

De Kloet, J. and L. van Zoonen (2007) ‘Fan Culture – Performing Difference’ in E. Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. De Kloet and van Zoonen warn us against the dangers of making distinctions between fans of ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture.  Do you agree with their position?
2. Why is the tendency to pathologise fans short-sighted?
3. De Kloet and van Zoonen argue that we need to think about fandom in terms of three key dimensions – the cultural, the performative and the local. Do you understand what they mean by these terms and how in turn each of them help us to understand fandom more deeply.
4. The authors’ cite Baym’s work as an example of the analysis of fandom. What are Baym’s key arguments according to De Kloet and van Zoonen’s summary?
5. The article suggests that the (g)localizing aspects of fandom are important.  In the light of the evidence presented in the reading, do you agree?

Livingstone, S. (2007) ‘From Family Television to Bedroom Culture: Young People’s Media at Home’ in E. Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: Sage.

1. Do you understand what Livingstone means by the terms ‘Bedroom Culture’ and ‘Risk Society’?
2. What key changes in the domestic media space are identified in this article?
3. How are media used to define the boundaries of space and identity?
4. In asking younger media audience members to draw their ideal media environments, Livingstone makes use of a very creative form of research methodology (see Livingstone 2002).  From the summary presented in this article do you think that her approach is more beneficial than using more traditional research methods (surveys or interviews)?

Meadows, M. (2013) ‘Putting the citizen back into journalism’, Journalism, 14(1): 43–60

1. Having read this article do you agree with Meadows’ assertion that new media “...have changed the way we communicate but on the whole seem more closely aligned with celebrity rather than citizenship” (2013, 55)?
2. As used in this reading, what is meant by the terms  ‘community journalists’; ‘democratic deficit’ and ‘citizens media’?
3. What evidence does the reading present you with concerning community journalism in Australia?
4. On balance, do you think Meadows is optimistic or pessimistic about the potential for citizen journalism to inform the public and to contribute to a genuine unencumbered public sphere?

Ornebring, H (2013) ‘Anything you can do, I can do better? Professional journalists on citizen journalists in six European countries’, International Communication Gazette, 75(1): 35–53

1. Having read this article do you agree with the idea that there is a boundary dispute between professional and citizen journalists?
2. How do the journalists interviewed in this study demarcate or differentiate themselves from citizen journalists?
3. As used here, what does Ornebring (2013) mean by the term ‘journalistic authority’?
4. Think about the research methods used in this comparative study of journalists.  Why do you think that the chosen methodological approach was the most suitable in terms of attempting to answer the research questions being posed?