Paper presented at the 2nd Media literacy Symposium, Portugal, 20th April 2018

1. The change of focus and rationale in undergraduate
media degrees in UK universities
2nd International Media Literacy
Research Symposium
Portugal, 20th April 2018
Marcus Leaning

2. Introduction
• Research grew out of a project to understand how media production
lecturers understand the role of theory and analysis in their teaching:
• Theory is:
• “the ideas used to make film and TV, be they solid things or just, like, the
tricks people use. They are the reason we do things a certain way”.
• Differed from my own understanding and centrality of analysis and
‘theory’ so aim investigate how such a divergence in understanding can
occur in what are essentially related disciplines.
• Look at the history of university level media education in the UK, the
impact of Government policy (and how it has changed) and what insight
this offers media literacy outside of UK HE.

3. Pre-history of
undergraduate teaching
• One interpretation is that the study of the media at university level
evolved from the study of English and literary appreciation
(Buckingham, 2003).
• Thus it was a ‘sideways move’ for literary scholars to examine television
radio and film using existing methods of literary criticism – this arguably
developed / evolved into / was challenged by …
• British Cultural Studies
• established by Richard Hoggart at Centre for Contemporary
Cultural Studies at Birmingham University in 1964.
• Anti-Arnoldian and Anti-Adornian Frankfurk School approach –
challenge division between producers and consumers.
• Massive player in establishing British Cultural and Media Studies –
• closed by senior management in 2002 (boo hsss).
• 1966 Centre for Mass Communication Research at Leicester University.

4. At the same
time…Industry input
• British commercial television companies also played
a part.
• Granada - one of the Independent TV networks that
constituted ITV – established research centres at a
number of universities:
• First was Television Research Fellowship at Leeds
University 1958
• first chair Joseph Trenaman (followed by Jay
Blumler 1963).
• By 1963 they were sponsoring:
• A Chair of Drama at Manchester University,
• A Chair of Communication at Keele University,
• and an Annual Arts Fellowship at the University
of York.

5. Teaching…
• Growth of research centres and numerous independent
scholars.
• C courses in:
• Communications Engineering running from 1970 at
Plymouth Polytechnic
• Communications Studies at Lanchester Polytechnic
(now Coventry Uni) early 1970s and Sheffield
Polytechnic from 1974.
• Drew upon US based models of
communications.
• First undergraduate degree in Media Studies at the
Polytechnic of Central London in 1974/1975 (the
validation document is dated January 1975) .
• First award conferred in 1978.

6. Critical by nature…
• This degree set a template many later degrees
followed.
• Was explicitly focussed upon the academic study of
the media.
• Drew from sociology, textual analysis and ideological
studies.
• There was instruction in production techniques.
• This included to explicitly not to build technical skills
to train for industry but to drive critical
understanding.
• Technical skills were taught to raise awareness of the
practices that resulted in ideological framing.
• Practical skills were “not an end in itself but a
necessary means to developing autonomous critical
understanding of the media” (Masterman, 1985) .

7. Growth and new
species…
• Numerous other media studies courses
were established at other polytechnics
and universities the subject throughout
the late 1970s,1980s, 1990s:
• Sheffield 1977;
• Colraine, Sunderland and Stirling
1978;
• Goldsmiths 1979;
• NELP / PEL / UEL 1982;
First full Media Production degree was
at Lincoln in 1994.
Real growth of media production courses
took place in mid 1990s.

8. Media production –
alternative media education.
• Courses grew out of existing media programmes, making use of
staff expertise and resources.
• Soon started to recruit staff with specific experience in industry
practices to teach ‘independent’ media production -
documentary.
• A change in the amount of the degree that was concerned with
developing practical skills:
• Analysis reduced;
• Practice increased.
• Seen as an alternative strategy to deliver media education but
decried by the 1st generation media academics who saw little
value in production techniques:
• “Practical media production by students, a strategy widely
condemned in the 1970s, and still very much neglected by
advocates of media education now plays a much more central
role.” (Buckingham, 1990)

9. Political environment
• Change in the political landscape and HE
environment.
• 1992 HE Bill allow polys to become universities.
• Planned growth in student numbers from around
12% of 18-21 yr olds in late 1980s to 30% in early
2000 to 42% today.
• 1997 Labour administration.
• “Education, Education, Education”.
• Reduction, then withdrawal of grants
• Introduction of fees:
• £1000 (1998)
• £3000 (2002)
• now £9250 per year, ( + incur interest at 6%).

10. Cultural and Creative
Industries Agenda
• A big part of Labour programme.
• Drew upon “Cool Britannia” vibe –
YBAs, Brit-pop, post-Thatcher and
Major milieu.
• Creativity to drive economic growth.
• Cultural industries benefit from
‘instrumental’ funding – money to
drive their further impact on
economic growth – not funded for
the implicit value.
• Creative and Cultural Education
Report (1999).

11. Creative Industries and Universities
• Cox Report (2005) Universities to produce
creative entrepreneurs:
“Universities and industry need to collaborate
in order to ensure they effectively prepare
graduates for careers in the digital creative
industries” (van Raalte, 2013).
• Media education identified as a sector to do
this.
• Between 1996 and 2012:
• Number of institutions offering media
course increased by 300%.
• Student numbers up by 120%.
• Universities get into bed with sector
skills councils.

12. Post 2010: Accelerated marketization of HE
• No clear strategy – role of HE unclear.
• Concerns about too many students studying the wrong things at “4th rate
universities”
• Not enough STEM students;
• Juxtaposed to increasing marketization and student choice –
• fees,
• uncapped recruitment - students want to study media.
• Reflects internal contradictions within the Conservative party.

13. Media education in a weird position
• An educational subject sector with
momentum – numbers of media students
on increase.
• Seen as a success story of creative sector
and HE.
• Focus on employability – an emphasis on
education as a precursor to employment.
• Now one of the most employable subjects.
• But subject to on-going populist attack on
the study of popular culture – Mickey
Mouse “non-subjects”, not ‘rigourous’ but
also not vocational enough.

14. Impact upon media education
• The role / rationale of / for media education in HE is changing.
• A shift from producing students with high level critical media literacy to media practitioners
who will work within the media.
• Even Media Studies now heavy with employment focussed activities.
• The former used practice to inform theory.
• 1st gen media education model, practice to inform ideological analysis.
• Present still in Media Studies – but increasing under attack with the drive to
vocationalism.
• The latter uses theory to inform practice.
• Good production is the goal, industry standards, PSRBs.
• Theory is used so better texts are made.

15. Insights from this for non UK HE
experience.
• Skilled usage to produce is not really literacy so criticality is
essential.
• Working with industry (especially through industry
councils) reduces the ability to be critical of that industry.
• Industry does not tend to like overt criticality.
• So are we becoming complicit in the very thing we work to
challenge?