Short Title:Political Economy
Full Title:Political Economy
Module Code:ECON H4007
  
Credits: 6
NFQ Level:8
Field of Study:Political Science and civics
Module Delivered in no programmes
Reviewed By:GLENN MEHTA
Module Author:CAROLINE EARLEY
Module Description:1. To introduce students to the study of political economy and how it can be applied to media analysis communication research. 2. To examine the relationship of the media to the broader structures of society; how media performance and media content shape class and social relations. 3. To examine the influence of ownership, concentration and government policies on media behavior.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module the learner will be able to:
LO1 Identify and critically discuss key concepts in field of political economy
LO2 Analyze and critique the relationship between media and the broader structures of society
LO3 Demonstrate an understanding and critical awareness of political economy as a useful and holistic approach to the analysis of the mass media in contemporary society
LO4 Apply a political economy analysis to a variety of media-related events and issues
Pre-requisite learning
Co-requisite Modules
No Co-requisite modules listed
 

Module Content & Assessment

Content (The percentage workload breakdown is inidcative and subject to change) %
Classical Political Economy
Classical political economy: historical evolution of the discipline; competing models of political economy - Adam Smith; John Stuart Mill, John Maynard Keynes; debates surrounding the social implications of capitalism. Criticism of capitalism; Marxism. 		20.00%
Political Economy of Communication
Media Globalization: national & international regulation & deregulation; corporate media, the role of the state & sovereignty implications; privatization and its consequences; commodification; concentration of media ownership and its effects on media performance, citizenship, and broader society. New Media & the ‘Information Age’: diversity, democracy & access; new technologies and the public interest. 		60.00%
Representations of Political Economy in Film
Cinematic representations of the themes and debates in Political Economy research. 		20.00%
Assessment Breakdown%
Course Work40.00%
End of Module Formal Examination60.00%
Course Work
Assessment Type Assessment Description Outcome addressed % of total Assessment Date
Assignment Academic essay and/or student presentation 1,2,3,4 40.00 n/a
End of Module Formal Examination
Assessment Type Assessment Description Outcome addressed % of total Assessment Date
Formal Exam End-of-Semester Final Examination 1,2,3,4 60.00 End-of-Semester

IT Tallaght reserves the right to alter the nature and timings of assessment

 

Module Workload

Workload: Full Time
Workload Type Workload Description Hours Frequency Average Weekly Learner Workload
Lecture No Description 3.00 Every Week 3.00
Independent Learning Time Reading, researching, 3.00 Every Week 3.00
Total Weekly Learner Workload 6.00
Total Weekly Contact Hours 3.00
This module has no Part Time workload.
 

Module Resources

Required Book Resources
  • Wasko, J., Murdock, G., Sousa, H. 2014, The Handbook of Political Economy of Communications, Wiley-Blackwell
  • Birkinbine, B, Gomez, R., Wasko, J. 2016, Global Media Giants, Routledge
  • Mosco, V. 2009, The Political Economy of Communication, 2nd Ed., Sage
Recommended Book Resources
  • Mosco, V 2017, Becoming Digital: Toward a Post-Internet Society (Society Now), Emerald Publishing Company
  • Flew, T., Iosifis, P., Steemers, J. 2016, Global Media and National Policies, Palgrave
  • Winseck, D.R., Dal Jung Jin 2012, The Political Economies of Media, Bloomsbury
  • Miller, T., Krudy, M,.M. 2016, Global Media Studios, Polity Press
  • Hardy, J. 2014, Critical Political Economy of the Media: An Introduction (Communication and Society), Routledge
  • Chomsky, N., and Herman, E.S. 2006, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, Vintage
  • McChesney, R. 2015, Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times, The New Press
  • Richey, S., Tayler, B. 2017, Google & Democracy: Politics and the power of the Internet, Routeldge
  • McChesney, R. 2008, The Political Economy of Media: Enduring Issues, Monthly Review Press
  • McChesney, R. 2014, Digital Disconnect, The New Press
  • Fenton, N 2009, New Media, Old News: Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age, Sage
  • Goode, L. 2005, Jurgen Habermas: Democracy and the Public Sphere, Pluto Press
This module does not have any article/paper resources
Other Resources