Our Degrees

Why Lancaster?

First Year Courses

Sociology Years 2&3

Media & Cultural Studies Years 2&3

Student Profiles

Visit Us

Living in Lancaster

How to Apply

We live in a multicultural society and as part of a media-saturated world. As global citizens we are surrounded by a huge variety of messages, texts, images and representations communicating a host of competing ideas, opinions and values. Most of what we know about the world comes to us through the media – but how much do we know about the media themselves? Whether sources of information, producers of entertainment or modes of creative self-expression, contemporary media are all too seldom subject to intense scrutiny and critical interrogation, except during feverish moments of scandal, crisis or panic. Our Media and Cultural Studies programme will provide you with the theoretical insights, analytical skills and wide-ranging knowledge needed to explore the production, meaning and consumption of media and cultural products, to investigate their social, economic and political significance, and to recognise their key role in shaping who we are, what we think, and what we value.

How is the Degree Made Up?

You will now have completed Part I in Media and Cultural Studies (MCS) and so will have a good grounding in what MCS. Your first year will have provided you with a firm foundation for examining media and cultural forms and practices today and you will now be familiar with some of the competing theoretical ideas and concepts in these fields. You will be increasingly confident in the critical analysis of media images and cultural texts.

Over the course of the next two years you will be encouraged in this active learning approach through lectures and seminars, through carrying out research and through writing dissertations.

What can I study?

During your Part II studies, you will take a total of eight full modules (or equivalent), four in each year. There are three compulsory modules (two in Year 2, one in Year 3) providing you with a strong foundation in theory and methods and then the opportunity to undertake a guided research project (final year dissertation). You can choose the other modules from the range of specialist options available.

Given the wide range of options on offer, students will often select all eight modules from the Sociology Department’s portfolio, but you may also choose some listed modules from other departments and even one or two modules offered by other departments in which you completed your first year.

Media & Cultural Studies @ Sociology Lancaster

The Media and Cultural Studies Degree is now based in the Sociology Department at Lancaster which is renowned for its innovative interdisciplinary research and teaching. The Department has long specialised in exploring culture and media in contemporary society with pioneering research in areas such as: media and cultural theory; representation, gender and the body; multiculturalism; film, television and photography in society; new media and mobile media; information society; advertising and consumer culture; urban cultures; youth cultures and subcultures. Our insights influence policy, technology design and everyday life through collaborations with politicians, designers, scientists, engineers and members of the public. We invite you to join us in informing change in today’s society.