Media Studies pathways

In Media Studies you can focus on different areas by including courses from our suggested pathways, such as television, news and politics, or popular culture.

The suggested pathways on this page are made up of groups of complementary courses, and all contribute to the Media Studies major in the Bachelor of Arts.

Television

This pathway explores the operations, influence and ongoing significance of television. It allows students to examine how television functions in contemporary society, and how it has responded to industrial, cultural and technological changes, through the analysis of relevant:

  • contexts and industries
  • institutions and policies
  • genres and forms
  • audiences and representations.

These courses could complement study in Film or Public Policy.

Suggested courses:

Media and identity

This pathway examines the role of the media in relation to identity construction by analysing cultural production, media representation, social norms and reception by media audiences. A range of identity categories is covered, including:

  • gender and sexuality
  • race and ethnicity
  • indigeneity and national identity
  • age, disability and class.

These courses could complement study in Sociology, Anthropology or Māori Studies.

Suggested courses:

Media politics and news

This pathway explores the relationships between the media, society and public. It analyses the media’s role in providing different groups in society with news and information. Topics include:

  • political and commercial influences on media
  • news production and representation of world events
  • civic engagement and the public sphere
  • media policy and regulation.

These courses could complement study in Political Science, International Relations or Public Policy.

Suggested courses:

Visual culture

This pathway examines visual media, including television, digital media, news media and advertising. The importance of the visual in cultural and social life is examined through:

  • the close analysis of images and other media texts
  • theory explaining the significance of vision and visual media
  • analysis of specific attributes of key visual media industries.

These courses could complement study in Art History or Film.

Suggested courses:

Popular culture and music

This pathway focuses on popular culture and popular music in relation to numerous dimensions of everyday life. They are examined with reference to various areas:

  • individual and collective identities
  • cultural production and consumption
  • culture as a site of negotiation and resistance
  • the role played by technologies and new media.

These courses could complement study in Sociology, Music or History.

Suggested courses:

Digital media and technology

This pathway allows students to interrogate the role of digital media in contemporary societies. By analysing a range of technologies and associated platforms, industries, policies and uses, students examine the relationship between digital media and a variety of sociocultural issues, including:

  • identity and community
  • citizenship and democracy
  • surveillance and privacy
  • production, consumption and labour.

These courses could complement study in Design, Information Studies or Computer Science.

Suggested courses:

Media in Aotearoa New Zealand

This pathway offers students a focus on the media produced in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It allows students to examine New Zealand media within global and historical frameworks and analyse:

  • narratives of nationhood surrounding New Zealand media
  • media institutions, media policy and media texts
  • the relationship between media and national identity, indigeneity and migrancy.

These courses could complement study in Māori Studies, Pacific Studies or History.

Suggested courses: