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Pre Requisite Comment

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Co Requisite Comment

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Aims

Material Media: Bodies, Technology, Culture provides a distinctive approach to studying both the materiality of media technologies themselves and their entanglements with bodies, emotions, and the senses - understanding these as productive assemblages where contemporary political struggles as well as societal and personal decisions take shape.

Our approach is radically interdisciplinary, weaving together lived experience, critical theory, and cultural artifacts - from games and film to smartphones and data centres - to understand how bodies, technologies, and cultures are always already entangled and what such does.

We may explore data cultures and health narratives, filmic and gaming bodies, sensory media like smell and touch, AI and surveillance threatening bodily autonomy, emotions fuelling contemporary politics on social media platforms and in news media, sporting bodies amplified by media technologies, and the energy demands of digital infrastructure. Throughout, we ask: how do age, class, sex, gender, and race shape these entanglements? Where does power operate, and how can we intervene?

Through lectures and creative interactive seminars - sometimes including sessions with industry and government guests - you will develop sophisticated understanding of how assemblages of bodies, media technologies, and culture are inseparable from contemporary politics and decision-making - both personal and collective.

The learning experience is deliberately embodied, creative, and multi-sensory. You don't just read about these entanglements; but work with them directly through hands-on methodologies that engage smell, touch, sound, and movement alongside critical analysis. This approach builds practical skills for professional contexts where media literally matters: policymaking and political institutions navigating data governance and surveillance; educational settings addressing digital wellbeing and embodied learning; media organisations creating inclusive, accessible content; healthcare environments deploying wearable technologies and health data.

Key aims:

-Develop both theoretical knowledge and practical capabilities needed to contribute to understanding and influencing how Material Media: Bodies, Technology, Culture are understood, experienced, and treated in contemporary society.

-Learn to navigate complex institutional landscapes while developing collaborative project management skills that can be applied across multiple sectors and contexts. For example: media production, creative and cultural industries, healthcare and wellness delivery, sports industry development, education, politics, media infrastructure planning, digital media and infrastructure access, and environmental sustainability.

Outline Of Syllabus

The topics covered address Bodies, Technology, Culture in theory and practice, and may include the following:
-Media Infrastructures e.g., data centres, internet cabling
-Data, Health, Wellness, and Sporting Bodies
-Social Media, Filters, and Body Augmentation
-‘Toxic’ Bodies and Media Energy
-Sport, Media Technologies and Bodies
-Posthuman bodies
-Datafied bodies
-Virtual bodies
-Emotions, Bodies, and Contemporary Politics
-Bodies and Artificial Intelligence
-Surveillance and Bodies
-Violent Bodies
-Sensory media - smell, touch, taste, sound, vision
-Filmic bodies - beyond representation
-Gaming bodies - beyond representation
-Cultures as Data, Data as Cultures

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Students completing the Physical Cultural Studies module will develop comprehensive capabilities across several key areas. Through these learning outcomes, students emerge with both theoretical understanding and practical capabilities for engaging with body-related issues across multiple professional and social contexts. You will:

K1. Cultivate sophisticated analytical skills to examine bodily experiences through multiple lenses, demonstrated through their writing, collaborative projects, and detailed analysis of texts and cultural artifacts.
K2. Establish a thorough grasp of how 'body politics' manifests across various sectors - from media and healthcare to education and sports, including governmental and community-based initiatives.
K3. Equip yourself with practical skills for conducting interdisciplinary projects aimed at fostering more equitable and inclusive social arrangements for bodies, considering both local and global contexts.
K4. Gain hands-on experience in creating media content that critically engages with contemporary bodily experiences and their relationship to various institutional and political frameworks.
K5. Develop reflexive awareness of your own embodied experiences and critical positioning within broader systems of organisation and control. This self-awareness encompasses understanding how bodies relate to and are influenced by both local and global power structures, fostering a deeper appreciation of their role within these complex networks.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Upon completing Material Media: Bodies, Technology, Culture, students will develop four key competencies:

S1. The ability to experiment with diverse media formats to effectively analyse and communicate insights about entanglements of material bodies, technologies, culture, and politics to various stakeholders, including governmental bodies, community organisations, and industry partners. This practical skill enables them to translate complex concepts into accessible and impactful communications.
S2. Proficiency in independent research and writing, showing their ability to critically analyse and articulate various aspects of body politics. This independent scholarship helps build their unique voice and perspective on the topic.
S3. Through hands-on experience, develop expertise in conducting and presenting collaborative, interdisciplinary research that addresses body-related challenges in both local and global contexts. This collaborative capability prepares them for real-world contexts where complex problems require multi-faceted solutions.
S4. Gain the confidence and skills to communicate within research teams and to diverse audiences about material media. This includes the ability to present findings, facilitate discussions, and engage with stakeholders across different cultural and institutional contexts.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Learning in Material Media: Bodies, Technology, Culture is structured through several complementary approaches:
Lectures: On-campus lectures serve as the foundation, introducing students to fundamental theories, concepts, and methodological frameworks. These sessions provide the theoretical groundwork necessary for deeper exploration.

Small group learning: The seminar component offers a dynamic, interactive learning environment where students actively engage with weekly themes and readings. Here, students are assisted to creatively apply theoretical knowledge to chosen examples, drawing from both academic literature and media sources. These sessions foster peer learning, creative method learning, and critical thinking in a supportive environment. Students develop their analytical voice while receiving guidance on their assessments and works in progress. These workshops serve as collaborative spaces where students can test ideas, receive feedback, and refine their understanding of complex concepts and global and local issues.

Assessment preparation and completion: Time is specifically allocated for assessment preparation and completion, ensuring students can effectively demonstrate their learning through their assignments.

Guided independent study: The module also emphasises guided independent study, where students develop their autonomous learning skills. This encompasses both structured activities like assigned readings and preparations, as well as self-directed research and analysis. This independent work allows students to deeply engage with topics that interest them while developing crucial research and time management skills. Whether working on specific assigned tasks or pursuing their own lines of inquiry, students learn to navigate academic and non-academic resources and develop their scholarly independence.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The summative assessment combines two elements that demonstrate students' competency in both content and professional skills in addressing body politic issues.

First, students create an academic poster on selected topics (chosen in consultation with teaching staff). This format challenges students to conduct focused research in their areas of interest while developing crucial skills in communicating complex, evidence-based arguments to specific audiences in appropriately targeted ways.

The second component, a group presentation (20 minutes), simulates real-world professional environments by requiring students to engage in collaborative project management and interdisciplinary research. Students must navigate team dynamics while combining traditional and creative presentation methods, mirroring contemporary progressive practices in industry, government, and community sectors.

Through this combination of collaborative work and personal reflection, students develop both practical skills and deeper awareness of how embodied experience shapes research, analysis, and communication in professional contexts.

General Notes

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