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COMMS 202: Audiences and Users

SEMESTER 2, 2020

15 points

 

Course Convenor:  Dr. Jenny Stümer

 Email - jenny.stuemer@auckland.ac.nz

 Office - HSB (building 201E), rm 526

Office Hour: Friday 11-12  (in person)

 

 

GTA: Emma Blackett

Email: ebla035@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Office Hours Wednesday 11-1 (on Zoom)

https://auckland.zoom.us/j/94788969555

 

ONLINE LEARNING AT A GLANCE

 

Course delivery format: 2 hr lecture plus 1hr tutorial 

Lecture: Thursday 3-5, General Library B15

Tutorial:  (Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 

Class reps:

Maryam Madawi: mmad928@aucklanduni.ac.nz

William Cooper: wcoo860@aucklanduni.ac.nz

student-led facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/COMMS202.2020/

 

Summary of Course Description:              

When you're playing a game, watching a video, or reading, what kind of action are you taking? How are you changed - and by whom? What kind of feelings are generated? As media and communication scholars we often focus on the texts and what they mean. This course will instead focus on the common but complex behaviors of the audiences and users who watch, listen, play, click, like and stream media. 
We will examine various ways that audiences have been conceived, addressed, and measured and examine how audiences and users are situated in particular contexts. We will find that members of the audience slip between roles: here a citizen, there a revenue source; here an active participant, there an unwitting target of surveillance and manipulation. 

We will examine the various ways that audiences have been conceived, addressed, measured and empowered by technologies of communication media. Theories and ideas to be studied include reception models, research methods, consumption, citizenship, fandom and identity formation. We will discuss different audiences and think about the political implications of their conceptualization (e.g. by considering race and gender). Students will study historical and contemporary context of audience and users research while conceptualising and critically evaluating their own audience project.

 

Course outcomes:

  • Conceptualise audiences within contexts of consumption, politics and culture
  • Interpret various genres/approaches/ theories of audience research
  • Critically evaluate producers' relationships to audiences and users
  • Critically analyse different areas of audience and users research
  • Critically evaluate ethical and political implications of audiences and users engagement
  • Conceptualise and conduct a research project (including proposal writing, pitch and interview design)
  • Critical self-evaluation and reflections on audience research

 

LECTURE SCHEDULE:

 

WEEK 1 Introduction: The People Formerly Known as the Audience

 

WEEK 2 Researching Audiences and Users: Conducting Your Interview Project

 

WEEK 3 Making Money: Consumers, Datafication and Surveillance

 

WEEK 4 Making Politics: Opinion, Citizenship and Publics

 

WEEK 5 Considering Gender: Romance, Selfies and Dating Apps  (Guest hour with Dr. Joe Lim)

 

WEEK 6 Considering Race: Black Twitter, Search Functions and Agency

 

WEEK 7 Streaming Audiences: Music, Netflix, Identity

 

WEEK 8 Active Audiences: Fandom, Fanwork, Affect

 

WEEK 9 Trolling Audiences: Ingroups, Dislike and Hate

 

WEEK 10 Embodied Audiences: Gaming as User Experience (Guest Lecture with Dr. Larry May)

 

WEEK 11 Wrap up and Final Project Workshop

 

WEEK 12 Drop-in Sessions

 

Assessment Summary:

Weekly Responses: 10%

Project Proposal: 20%

Project Pitch: 15 %

Critical Essay: 25 %

Final Project: 30%

 

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension will be penalised by loss of marks (1 mark/point per day). There should be a good reason for seeking an extension (e.g. illness, family emergency, etc.) and it will be up to your tutor or the lecturer to determine whether your situation warrants more time for the assignment. In general, we can only help you, if we know what is going on, so please come and talk to us.

Course summary:

Date Details Due