Media Studies? Vital or wasteful?

[nino_savatte]

Ethics, history of broadcasting, etc. - I'm not saying this stuff isn't worth studying, just that I think it could easily be condensed into a week of learning, maybe two, tops.

Er, no, it takes longer than that. I'm used to hearing MS being denigrated but there is more to media studies than what you are suggesting.

 

[zoooo]

I did Media Arts, which included journalism, English literature and art.
But I can still see that 'pure' media studies could make up a respectable degree all by itself.

(Pure media studies! Am I the first person to ever use that phrase?..)

 

[Vintage Paw]

define waste?

is studying something ever a waste?

it may be unprofitable but it can't really be called a waste

Top reply.

If some people had their way universities would be training grounds for HR managers and marketing moguls.

Which is why we need media studies

 

[nino_savatte]

Top reply.

If some people had their way universities would be training grounds for HR managers and marketing moguls.

Which is why we need media studies

Learning for its own sake should be encouraged. There are too many people who think that you should only learn something if it is going to lead to employment. Depressing.

 

[Brainaddict]

Like a few people have said, I think it's potentially very important but should be taught to a high standard by people who know what they're talking about. In fact I think it could be compulsory at GCSE, but only with a tough curriculum that focuses on critical approaches to the media. It is, if we are honest with ourselves, far more important for people today to understand the media than to understand literature. One day we'll move on from this Victorian curriculum kids are saddled with, but judging by the voting on this thread it won't be anytime soon.

 

[nino_savatte]

When it was revealed last year that "noddies" had been used in interviews (these are cutaway shots where the interviewer appears to nod in agreement with the interviewee) and The Queen was seen to have said something inappropriate; and when these were revealed as popular editing tricks, many people in the country were outraged. What they didn't understand was this has been happening for a long time - ever since television came into being and more so since the advent of digital editing.

Which reminds me, is anyone really fooled by The Real Hustle?

 

[Vintage Paw]

Learning for its own sake should be encouraged. There are too many people who think that you should only learn something if it is going to lead to employment. Depressing.

My god yes. I can speak from personal experience on this one. My family hadn't sent anyone to university before, and I had no idea how it worked. I thought you had to choose a subject to study that would lead directly into a specific job. So I chose law, despite never having studied it before.

I hated it. I stuck through 2 years though, but didn't even bother going to my summer exams in the 2nd year. I was remarkably depressed by the whole thing. I'd always loved literature, but thought I could only study that if I was going to be an English teacher, and at the time, in the mid-90s, teachers were losing their jobs so I didn't think it was a good move. I took a year out after that 2nd year and found a lovely lit lecturer at the same uni who moved heaven and earth to allow my to use the modules I'd already done as a minor in legal studies, and I had to make up 2 years worth of major english, then do a final year combined. It was the best move I made.

Even then at the end of it I still felt a huge pressure from society and my family to do something, anything, afterwards that would make financially sound use of my degree. I spiralled into a deep depression, that continued until I stood up and proudly said I had no current clue of what 'profession' I wanted to go into, and I'd quite happily carry on working at the bookshop until I did. As soon as I made that pronouncement a weight lifted from my shoulders and I beat the depression.

It took maybe 3 years from them for me to decide I wanted to go on and do a masters in American lit and culture, with no fixed reason other than I enjoyed learning about it and researching it. Because I'd lost the feel for education I went back to do another degree in American Studies first, to get a good grounding in American lit and culture. I'm in the final semester of that right now.

People still get on my back expecting me to have a vision of my career. I'm 30 next month and I still don't really know. All I do know is that I want to carry on learning and researching within this area as long as I can, which is why I plan to carry on after the Masters next year to do a PhD in the subject. I'm passionate about this subject and get a real buzz at pushing the limits of my learning and the limits of the subject. That is important.

The pursuit of knowledge is important. When we all sit back and become ad men or managers then we sit back and stop thinking about our subjectivity in the world. Yes, I'm generalising, but the opportunity to learn for the sake of learning is crucial and should never, NEVER be taken away from us. This opportunity has been under attack for a long time now, and it's only getting worse.

Media Studies might not offer the rigourous training some other subjects do, but we already know not all degrees are made equal. I wouldn't begin to say my degree affords me the same knowledge someone studying medicine has. But that isn't the point. Degree qualifications are judged from within their own field. It is quite frankly nearly impossible to make an arts degree the equivalent of a medical degree, by nature of the subject and skills involved. However, to say, therefore, only some degrees should be offered above and beyond others is short sighted and preposterous.

 

[nino_savatte]

My god yes. I can speak from personal experience on this one. My family hadn't sent anyone to university before, and I had no idea how it worked. I thought you had to choose a subject to study that would lead directly into a specific job. So I chose law, despite never having studied it before.

I hated it. I stuck through 2 years though, but didn't even bother going to my summer exams in the 2nd year. I was remarkably depressed by the whole thing. I'd always loved literature, but thought I could only study that if I was going to be an English teacher, and at the time, in the mid-90s, teachers were losing their jobs so I didn't think it was a good move. I took a year out after that 2nd year and found a lovely lit lecturer at the same uni who moved heaven and earth to allow my to use the modules I'd already done as a minor in legal studies, and I had to make up 2 years worth of major english, then do a final year combined. It was the best move I made.

Even then at the end of it I still felt a huge pressure from society and my family to do something, anything, afterwards that would make financially sound use of my degree. I spiralled into a deep depression, that continued until I stood up and proudly said I had no current clue of what 'profession' I wanted to go into, and I'd quite happily carry on working at the bookshop until I did. As soon as I made that pronouncement a weight lifted from my shoulders and I beat the depression.

It took maybe 3 years from them for me to decide I wanted to go on and do a masters in American lit and culture, with no fixed reason other than I enjoyed learning about it and researching it. Because I'd lost the feel for education I went back to do another degree in American Studies first, to get a good grounding in American lit and culture. I'm in the final semester of that right now.

People still get on my back expecting me to have a vision of my career. I'm 30 next month and I still don't really know. All I do know is that I want to carry on learning and researching within this area as long as I can, which is why I plan to carry on after the Masters next year to do a PhD in the subject. I'm passionate about this subject and get a real buzz at pushing the limits of my learning and the limits of the subject. That is important.

The pursuit of knowledge is important. When we all sit back and become ad men or managers then we sit back and stop thinking about our subjectivity in the world. Yes, I'm generalising, but the opportunity to learn for the sake of learning is crucial and should never, NEVER be taken away from us. This opportunity has been under attack for a long time now, and it's only getting worse.

Media Studies might not offer the rigourous training some other subjects do, but we already know not all degrees are made equal. I wouldn't begin to say my degree affords me the same knowledge someone studying medicine has. But that isn't the point. Degree qualifications are judged from within their own field. It is quite frankly nearly impossible to make an arts degree the equivalent of a medical degree, by nature of the subject and skills involved. However, to say, therefore, only some degrees should be offered above and beyond others is short sighted and preposterous.

Same here. I was the first in my family to go to uni and I chose Drama as my first degree. I've been offered a place to do a PhD in September and when I told some folk that I was going to do a PhD, I got nothing but bemused comments and sarcy remarks.

When I left school at 18, I had no idea what I was going to do. I went to uni when I was 29 and it saved me from a life of drudgery in Hitchin.

You should do what makes you happy.

 

[Vintage Paw]

You should do what makes you happy.

Amen.

 

[dylanredefined]

Think it depends on the course content .Could be vital and teach lots of
skills or could be fairly soft option .Think people need to look into what the course consists of .Seen several youngsters waste their time at uni racking up debt to obtain degrees which are pretty pointless .

 

[nino_savatte]

Seen several youngsters waste their time at uni racking up debt to obtain degrees which are pretty pointless .

What is a "pointless degree"?

 

[Vintage Paw]

Again, what does 'pointless' mean?

I think for a lot of people the experience of simply being at university works as an important bridge between school and work. Yeah, sure, for others it's a 3-year doss. The implication that people should know where their lives are leading at the age of 18 is troubling, and can cause a lot of problems down the road.

And to reiterate, a degree should not be expected to lead to a career. The system as it stands (and I speak of 'the system' not only the way universities and FE/school education are organised, but a wider system of thought across society) does not encourage learning for the sake of furthering knowledge (in the main) and for personal improvement, unless that 'personal improvement' results in the individual taking that degree and using it as a stepping stone to a particular career. This is a fundamental problem with 'the system'.

 

[baldrick]

I've since learnt that there are lots of bursaries available to low-income students, which I didn't know at the time; all the same, given that the bursaries start after you've started the course, and they're not guaranteed, I may still not have considered Oxbridge.

That's a real shame. My ex went to oxford although his family has no money at all. It was a bit of a struggle, but every year he got a bursary plus reduced rent (i think) as he lived in the college. The terms are short too, so there's plenty of time to work in the holidays if you need to.

I actually think Cambridge/Oxford would be one of the better places to go if you're relatively poor, there's a lot of money floating around.

 

[likesfish]

as your paying for a degree these days its probably worth a bit of investigation if three years at UNI is really going to help you.
there are other options

 

[jbob]

Like a few people have said, I think it's potentially very important but should be taught to a high standard by people who know what they're talking about. In fact I think it could be compulsory at GCSE, but only with a tough curriculum that focuses on critical approaches to the media. It is, if we are honest with ourselves, far more important for people today to understand the media than to understand literature.

Very true. It strikes me that much of the uninformed comment here is from those who seem wilfully oblivious to just how much the world has changed in not just the last 20 years, but the last 10 years.

Having recently observed some Key Stage 4 lessons in media, it was apparent just how little some of the students realised they were being conditioned and manipulated by advertising and the mass media. Some, obviously, were more clued up than others; but to some of the students, it was like critiquing their religion - it simply wasn't believed.

It's an essential subject now because so many ideas can be drawn from it - ideology, manipulation, coercion, etc - as well as the more practical skills used within the media industry.

One day we'll move on from this Victorian curriculum kids are saddled with, but judging by the voting on this thread it won't be anytime soon.

Well, there's innumerable, and generally misguided attempts being made. Good point, though; perhaps the thing to do is to dispense with the national curriculum entirely, and allow the job of education to fall back into the hands of educators.

 

[Vintage Paw]

as your paying for a degree these days its probably worth a bit of investigation if three years at UNI is really going to help you.
there are other options

I don't know what type of support kids get these days when they are deciding whether to go to uni or not. I know in the mid 90s there was very little in the way of objective support.

It's difficult at the age of 17-18 to make an informed decision about HE, or, indeed, about the rest of your life. The option of spending 3 years at university simply studying a subject you enjoy is being taken away from people, more-so precisely because of fees (although the cost of fees themselves might not necessarily stop some going, because of the loans etc, the presence of them positions HE in a different role than before).

 

[DotCommunist]

Do journalism if you want to get into journalism. Media stdies is a crock of shite, and the people studying it (IME) are cunt-witted twats. Worse than philosophy students. At least philosophy students give good arguement (usually)

 

[nino_savatte]

Do journalism if you want to get into journalism. Media stdies is a crock of shite, and the people studying it (IME) are cunt-witted twats. Worse than philosophy students. At least philosophy students give good arguement (usually)

You'd have said exactly the same thing about Sociology back in the 70's. I've never seen such bigoted shite expressed about a single subject since sociology got it in the neck in the 70's.

 

[DotCommunist]

i might have a reasonable reply in a fewq hours when I've shaken this fucking hangover.

At the moment all I can think of is that skinny-jeaned braying twat from my writing for effect class who at this moment represents everytrhing I hate about meeja studies.

i'd like to poke him in the eye, hard.

 

[nino_savatte]

i might have a reasonable reply in a fewq hours when I've shaken this fucking hangover.

At the moment all I can think of is that skinny-jeaned braying twat from my writing for effect class who at this moment represents everytrhing I hate about meeja studies.

i'd like to poke him in the eye, hard.

I've met more than a few business studies students who were complete arseholes (and some fashion students...why is it that fashion students always wear the worst looking clothes?). But, as much as I hate the subject, I wouldn't suggest that business studies is "useless".

 

[Belushi]

i'd like to poke him in the eye, hard.

Do it! I'll tell the rozzers you were in the pub with me at the time.

 

[Vintage Paw]

i might have a reasonable reply in a fewq hours when I've shaken this fucking hangover.

At the moment all I can think of is that skinny-jeaned braying twat from my writing for effect class who at this moment represents everytrhing I hate about meeja studies.

i'd like to poke him in the eye, hard.

A reasoned, well-thought out reply would garner more sympathy, and be more likely to further discussion, than a rather hysterical one based on one person you don't like at university.

Go drink some black coffee

 

[Orang Utan]

I work in the media and have never worked with anyone claiming to have a degree in media studies!

 

[nino_savatte]

I work in the media and have never worked with anyone claiming to have a degree in media studies!

The media will never take media studies graduates (unless their uncle/father/brother/sister/mother/cousin/aunt is the controller or a commissioning editor) because they know how things work in the industry.

 

[tangerinedream]

I work in the media and have never worked with anyone claiming to have a degree in media studies!

Since I taught media studies I have become more suspicious and cynical about pretty much everything to do with the media industry.

 

[tangerinedream]

Do journalism if you want to get into journalism. Media stdies is a crock of shite, and the people studying it (IME) are cunt-witted twats. Worse than philosophy students. At least philosophy students give good arguement (usually)

So, say a day studying the writings of Chomsky, then another day looking at the inherant gender bias of hollywood cinema is something for 'cunt-witted' twats? I'm not arguing that it isn't, just wonder why those two topics (which are plucked off the top of my head) are somehow 'worthless.'

Then perhaps you could consider the media's role in creating hegemonic representations that reinforce class prejudice, then perhaps I dunno, do something practical that teaches you about the power of editing, by creating three documentories about the same topic, using the same footage just changing the editing and thereby actively learning about the process of mediation and also how to take control of meaning through using the increasingly prevalent and ever cheaper hardware available. Again, I can't see what is 'cunt-witted' about that, but feel free to explain.

Why are any of the above less valuable than exploring art, poetry, shakespeare or any of the other creative arts?

Still - if there isn't a job at the end of it, should probably do a course in supermarket checkout skills instead eh?

 

[tangerinedream]

Again, what does 'pointless' mean?

I think for a lot of people the experience of simply being at university works as an important bridge between school and work. Yeah, sure, for others it's a 3-year doss. The implication that people should know where their lives are leading at the age of 18 is troubling, and can cause a lot of problems down the road.

And to reiterate, a degree should not be expected to lead to a career. The system as it stands (and I speak of 'the system' not only the way universities and FE/school education are organised, but a wider system of thought across society) does not encourage learning for the sake of furthering knowledge (in the main) and for personal improvement, unless that 'personal improvement' results in the individual taking that degree and using it as a stepping stone to a particular career. This is a fundamental problem with 'the system'.

Quite.

 

[DotCommunist]

So, say a day studying the writings of Chomsky, then another day looking at the inherant gender bias of hollywood cinema is something for 'cunt-witted' twats? I'm not arguing that it isn't, just wonder why those two topics (which are plucked off the top of my head) are somehow 'worthless.'

Then perhaps you could consider the media's role in creating hegemonic representations that reinforce class prejudice, then perhaps I dunno, do something practical that teaches you about the power of editing, by creating three documentories about the same topic, using the same footage just changing the editing and thereby actively learning about the process of mediation and also how to take control of meaning through using the increasingly prevalent and ever cheaper hardware available. Again, I can't see what is 'cunt-witted' about that, but feel free to explain.

Why are any of the above less valuable than exploring art, poetry, shakespeare or any of the other creative arts?

Still - if there isn't a job at the end of it, should probably do a course in supermarket checkout skills instead eh?

you make it sound quite interesting.

But my actual experience of media students (the ones doing media and advertising, who are in my writing for effect class) is that they are cuntwits.

 

[Vintage Paw]

you make it sound quite interesting.

What did you think they studied? How many episodes of Neighbours there have been since it started? How to become a regular in the pages of Heat magazine?

There are utter wankers studying every single degree course offered in this country. It doesn't invalidate their subject though.

 

[DotCommunist]

What did you think they studied? How many episodes of Neighbours there have been since it started? How to become a regular in the pages of Heat magazine?

There are utter wankers studying every single degree course offered in this country. It doesn't invalidate their subject though.

from their inane chatter it seems they're studying MSN