The Digital Screenscape

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Total expected time commitment is 102-hours across the semester, including class time.

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CULS30001 The Digital Mediascape; 106-320 The Digital Mediascape

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject explores the impact that digital technologies have had in the world of screen media and in mediating the world around us. Film and television has, over the last century, become an integral part of our reality but, since the advent of the digital era, screen media have become even more integrated into the social sphere. This subject will focus on: applying diverse and interdisciplinary interpretative tools to analyse the impact of digital special effects on the cinema; the forms of player engagement made possible by the digital nature of video games; the advent of digital technology and the rise of the theme park; the phenomenon of the second screen and television viewing; the impact of screen media on the urbanscape.

On completion of the subject students should have:

• developed an understanding of the historical development of digital technology within the context of entertainment screen histories;
• accounted for the impact that digital technology has had on traditional media, including film and television;
• an understanding of how screen technologies have impacted on the social environment;
• a knowledge of key interpretative and theoretical models that have emerged in response to the digital screenscape.

An online blog equivalent to 1500 words 40% (due during semester), a written essay of 2500 words 60% (due in the examination period).

This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 75% attendance and regular participation in tutorials. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Readings will be available online via the LMS.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Students who successfully complete this subject should demonstrate:

• a capacity for critical thinking through the use of readings and discussion to develop an understanding of the considerations that underpin digital media studies;
• high-level written and oral communication skills through contribution to class discussions and the completion of assignments;
• skills in research through the preparation of class papers and assignments, including the use of online as well as print-based materials;
• skills in time management and planning through managing workloads for recommended reading, tutorial presentations and assessment requirements;
• a capacity for theoretical analysis through engagement with a range of texts that offer different perspectives on publishing as a component of the wider field of cultural practices.