Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication)

Course summary for current students

Contacts

Division of Student Administration (DSA)
Student Information Centre
Tel 1300 334 733
enquire@deakin.edu.au

Further information

Arts and Education Student Support and Enrolment Enquiries

Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus
Tel 03 5227 3379 or 03 5227 2477

artsedstudentsupport@deakin.edu.au

Melbourne Burwood Campus
Tel 03 9246 8100

artsedstudentsupport@deakin.edu.au

Warrnambool Campus
Tel 03 556 33314
artsedstudentsupport@deakin.edu.au

Off campus
Tel 03 522 73387
artsedstudentsupport@deakin.edu.au

Course Director

Toija Cinque, +61 3 925 17470, toija.cinque@deakin.edu.au

Contact the Course Director for matters relating specifically to the academic content of this course - all enrolment related queries must go to the Student Support Office.

Key to campuses

B = Melbourne Burwood Campus
G = Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus
S = Geelong Waterfront Campus
W =Warrnambool Campus
X = Off campus

Award granted	Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication)
Campus	Offered at Melbourne Burwood Campus and Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus. (Offered at Warrnambool for continuing students only)
Duration	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
CRICOS course code	048014J
Deakin course code	A328

Course overview
Pathways
Fees and charges
Course rules
Course structure

Course overview

Deakin's Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) is specifically designed to enable you to graduate with a 'multiskilled' qualification appropriate for a rapidly evolving area in which skills, careers and job markets are increasingly transient. In this course, you can choose subjects that suit your specific interests and professional ambitions. You are encouraged to situate those interests and ambitions in a wider critical context of ideas, issues and developments in the media and communication industries in general.

The course offers you a wide range of unit choice which helps develop practical and professional communication skills within a broad context of critique and analysis.

You will learn about major research and policy debates concerning the various communication industries and integrate practical techniques in communication with a strategic overview of the industry.

The course will teach you about the range of research methodologies used to study communication texts, audiences, institutions and processes, as well as how to evaluate the social and economic significance of new technologies and existing laws affecting communication.

Specialisations offered through this course include animation, film studies, visual communication design (formerly graphic design), journalism, media and communication, photography, public relations and visual arts.

Pathways

This course has pathways from more than 20 Institutes of TAFE and universities in Melbourne and regional Victoria. Credit transfer and recognition is normally available from TAFE and university diplomas and advanced diplomas in arts, business, management, and humanities disciplines. Students with graded advanced diplomas from TAFE or equivalent will be eligible for up to 12 credit points of electives. Students with graded diplomas or equivalent from TAFE or equivalent will be eligible for up to 8 credit points of electives. There is also a pathway from Deakin University's Associate Degree of Arts, Business and Sciences to this course with up to 16 credit points depending on units taken.

On completion of this course you may choose to apply for an Honours degree or postgraduate study. These studies normally provide professional qualifications directed to a particular career. Students must have completed a major in the discipline or interdisciplinary area in which they wish to specialise in the honours course. Entry is based on a number of factors, including an average grade of Distinction or High Distinction in the Bachelor of Arts particularly in the discipline in which they want to study Honours and the availability of supervision. Further honours information.

Transition to University study
The faculty offers two units ASC160 Introduction to University Study and ALW117 Writing for Professional Practice which are specifically designed to ease the transition into university study. New students are encouraged to enrol in one or both of these units in their first year.

Fees and charges

Unit fees can be viewed within individual unit descriptions. You can search for a unit using the Unit Search.

Please be aware:

Fees are calculated on a per unit basis
Fees charged will depend on the individual units chosen
Fees per unit/credit point may increase annually due to rises in the cost of course delivery and services

Course rules

To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) a student must complete 24 credit points of study including:

at least 12 credit points from the areas listed under areas of study, including:

- core units ALC101 and ALC102, and

no more than 8 credit points taken outside the course-grouped units for the BA
no more than 10 credit points at level 1
at least 14 credit points at level 2 or above
at least 4 credit points at level 3

Course structure

Prerequisites
Because a number of disciplinary studies are cumulative in knowledge, technical competencies and/or study and research skills, there are prerequisites which direct students to take some units before others. Students must seek advice from Arts Student Support before enrolling in units for which they do not have the prerequisite or recommended units.

Areas of Study
Animation (B)
Film Studies (B)

Film and Video (B)*

Visual Communication Design (formerly Graphic Design) (B)

Journalism (B, G,W#, X)
Media and Communication (B, G, X)
Photography (B)
Public Relations (B, G,W#, X)

Visual Arts (B, G#, S)

* For continuing students only

# Full major is not available at nominated campus

Core units

Trimester 1

ALC101

Contemporary Communication: Making Sense of Text, Image and Meaning (B, G, S, X) *

Trimester 2

ALC102

Contemporary Communication: Making Sense of New Media (B, G, X)

* ALC101 also offered in trimester 3 - off campus only.

Details of Areas of Study

Animation - unit set code MJ-AU00011

The Animation area of study offers the opportunity to develop a moving image, graphic and animation practice within the expanding digital domain. Students will explore digital animation production and publication options that include web, CD and DVD publication possibilities, and develop the skills to work with and manage such technologies effectively. Students are encouraged to develop skills in all aspects and types of animation production and learn to write and think analytically about such creative work.

On completion of the Animation sequence of units students should have the following skills:

an ability to implement and manage all stages of production of a professional digital animation project.
an ability to develop a unique production path for a digital project for a variety of publication platforms.
an ability to think and write effectively about innovative moving image animation work and digital culture.
an ability to use advanced digital image production technologies.
an ability to work in collaborative and team settings on graphic moving image tasks.
an ability to work efficiently to deadlines in an industrial setting.

Level 1 and level 2

Trimester 1 or trimester 2

ACM138

3D Animation 1: Screen Space, Layout, Landscape (B)

ACN108

History of Interactive Entertainment (ONLINE)

Trimester 1

ACM132

Introduction to Animation (B)

ACM225

Effects, Graphics and Compositing (B)

Trimester 2

ACM133

Animation Principles and Practices (B)

ACM239

Digital Animation (B)

Level 3

Trimester 1 or trimester 2 or trimester 3

ALX321

Creative Industries Internship (B, G, W, X) *

Trimester 1

ACM327

Advanced Animation (B)

Trimester 2

ACM308

Delivering Moving Images (B)

* ALX321 - Internship units are normally undertaken in third level (or equivalent) and are subject to completion of specified prerequisite units and special application requirements. Interested students should contact Arts and Education Student Support and Enquiries on their campus for further information.

Film Studies - unit set code MJ-A000046

The Film Studies area aims to develop students' creative and critical thinking while providing a practical and theoretical grounding in the production and application of film, video and television. The sequence puts these media in the historical and social context of the institutions, technologies and artistic and personal forces from which they have emerged.

In level 1, students learn formal and theoretical concepts through analysis of case studies and a series of projects which demand individual input, team collaboration, as well as recording, filming, direction, and post-production techniques. Collaborative skills are extended in level 2 through investigation of team management, narrative, representation, editing, and audiences, as well as the relationship between the actor, director, producer and exhibitor.

Students also undertake case studies in genre and the creative practices and aesthetic approaches of significant practitioners or movements. The final level provides opportunities for students to develop unique and individual creative practices through units including Research in Production: Documentary which explores the use of actuality in narrative, as well as the Individual Production Practice, which explores non-representational, contemplative and oppositional structures, together with strategies that rework or synthesise conventional forms.

Level 1

Trimester 1

ACM120

Moving Pictures: Screening Film History (B)

Trimester 2

ACM112

Writing with the Camera (B)

Level 2 and 3

Trimester 1 or trimester 2

ACM217

Documentary Production Practice (B)

ACM237

TV Studio Production (B)

ACM318

Independent Production Practice (B)

Trimester 1

AAM319

Contemporary Australian Cinema (B) *

Trimester 2

ACM236

Mindscreen: Cinema, Psychology and Psychoanalysis (B)

AAM220

Cinemas and Cultures (B, X)

* AAM319 also offered at Burwood in trimester 3

Film and Video

For continuing students only

Level 1

Trimester 2

ACM111

Sound, Light, Motion (B)

Level 2

Trimester 1 or trimester 2

ACM213

Genre Form and Structure (B)

ACM237

TV Studio Production (B)

Trimester 2

ACM236

Mindscreen: Cinema, Psychology and Psychoanalysis (B)

Level 3

Trimester 1 or trimester 2

ACM318

Independent Production Practice (B)

Trimester 1, trimester 2 or trimester 3

ALX321

Creative Industries Internship (B, G, W, X) *

Visual Communication Design (formerly Graphic Design) - unit set code MJ-A000061

Note: Students who commenced studies prior to 2011 may need to contact Student Support office for course advice. Melbourne Burwood Campus Tel 03 924 43843 or 03 924 43910artsedstudentsupport@deakin.edu.au

Level 1

Trimester 1

ACG101

Design Fundamentals (B)

Trimester 1 and 2

ACG103

Design Skills (B)

Trimester 2

ACG102

Design and Typography (B)

Level 2

Trimester 1

ACG207

Professional Practice in Design (B)

Trimester 2

ACG204

Design and Society (B)

ACG208

Branding Design (B)

Level 3

Trimester 1

ACG305

Design Practice (B)

ACG307

Global Design Strategies (B)

Journalism - unit set code MJ-A000014

This area of study provides students with the skills and knowledge to become qualified journalists in the broadcast and print media. Initially, studies focus on the mass media and the extent to which journalists live up to the ethical standards set both by their profession and the expectations of the public. Comparative studies focus on the role of journalists and the news media in different political systems and cultures. Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical and practical elements of radio and television journalism, and the role radio plays as a communication medium. The laws of defamation and other legal constraints to which the profession of journalism is subject are examined in the final level. Students will also develop research techniques, practical skills and an understanding of the methods and techniques required for specialist writing. The writing component within the course is intensive, to bring students' work to a standard that can be published in a daily newspaper or mainstream magazine.

On successful completion of the Journalism sequence of units students should have the following skills:

an ability to write in academic style with adequate referencing
an ability to identify, research, write and construct stories suitable for print, broadcast and online media
an ability to interview for print, broadcast and online media and select material for inclusion in stories
an ability to analyse the social role of journalism both nationally and internationally and identify the theoretical issues raised by news, current affairs and feature publications and programs
an ability to appreciate the role of the production process in any media product
an ability to work in teams and to develop presentation skills in a group setting.

Level 1

Trimester 1

ALJ111

Contemporary Journalism A (B, G, W, X)

Trimester 2

ALJ112

Contemporary Journalism B (B, G, W, X)

Level 2

Trimester 1

ALJ216

Research for Writers (B, G, W, X)

Trimester 2

ALJ217

Editing and Design (B, G, W, X)

Level 3

Trimester 1

ALJ313

Media Law and Ethics (B, G, W, X)

ALJ318

Broadcast Journalism (Radio) (B, G, W, X)

Trimester 2

ALJ301

Multi-Media Journalism (B, G, W, X)

ALJ319

Broadcast Journalism (Television) (B, G, X)

Trimester 1 or trimester 2 or Trimester 3

ALJ321

Journalism Internship (B, G, W, X) *

ALJ322

Journalism Internship B (B, G, W, X) *^

* ALJ321, ALJ322 - Internship units are normally undertaken in third level (or equivalent) and are subject to completion of specified prerequisite units and special application requirements. Interested students should contact Arts and Education Student Support and Enrolment Enquiries on their campus for further information.

^ALJ322 - this unit may only be taken by students who complete ALJ321 and is not counted towards the Journalism major.

Media and Communication - unit set code MJ-AU00008

Media and communication is the world's fastest growing industry and is an area of rapid and continuous technological, political, economic, and social change. Much of the recent explosion in the stock of human knowledge is linked with developments in media and communication. Students will address issues and events in the industry at national and international levels through a combination of research, theory, analysis and practice.

Levels 2 and 3

Trimester 1

AAM219

Contemporary Australian Cinema (B) ***

ALC208

Researching Media: Texts, Audiences and Industries (B, G, X)

ALC209

Screening Contemporary Masculinities (B, X)

ALR276

Ethical Communication and Citizenship (B, G, W, X)

ASC346

Sociology of the Media and Popular Culture (B, G, X)

ALC313

Media and Communication Internship (B, G, X) **

Trimester 2

AAM220

Cinemas and Cultures (B, X)

ALC201

Exploring New Media: Users, Settings, Implications (B, G, X)

ALC314

Advertising: Designing Desires (ONLINE) *

ALC215

Globalisation and the Media (B, G, X)

ALC320

Approaches to Media: Audiences and Effects (ONLINE) *

Trimester 3

ALC383

Communicating the City: Understanding Global Media Industry Ecologies

* ALC314, ALC320 are offered in the wholly online teaching mode only. There will be no face to face teaching.
** ALC313 - Internship units are normally undertaken in third level (or equivalent) and are subject to completion of specified prerequisite units and special application requirements. Interested students should contact Arts and Education Student Support and Enrolment Enquiries on their campus for further information.

*** AAM219 is also offered in trimester 3

Photography - unit set code MJ-A000049

The Photography area of study is based around creative, critical and professional practice. Students can choose to develop their artistic, academic or professional aspirations.

Level 1

Trimester 1 or Trimester 2

ACM101

Still Images (B, S)

ACM102

Pixel to Print: Digital Imaging 1 (B, S)

Level 2

Trimester 1 or Trimester 2

ACM203

Photographic Practice (B, S)

ACM204

Contemporary Photography (B)

ACM207

Advanced Imaging (B)

Trimester 1, Trimester 2 or Trimester 3

ACM202

Advanced Digital Imaging (B, S)

Level 3

Trimester 1

ACM328

Shifting Focus: Experimental Photography and Creative Practice (B)

Trimester 2

ACM335

Studio and Professional Photography (B)

Trimester 1, Trimester 2 or Trimester 3

ALX321

Creative Industries Internship (B, G, W, X) *

Public Relations - unit set code MJ-A000021

The Public Relations major sequence is concerned with the management of communication between people, agencies and various publics. Students will study such areas as crisis and issues management, organisational public relations and public relations campaigns; and will develop the necessary skills for effective public relations.

On successful completion of the Public Relations major sequence, students should have the following discipline-specific skills:

an ability to explain the role of public relations in society;
an ability to differentiate between the various areas of public relations;
an ability to explain the legal and regulatory context of public relations;
an ability to prepare public relations strategies using traditional, internet and social media tactics;
the ability to write and communicate for public relations practice across a broad range of professional contexts.

Core units

Level 1

Trimester 1

ALR103

Introduction to Public Relations (B, G, W, X)

Trimester 1 or trimester 2 or trimester 3

ALW117

Writing for Professional Practice (B, G, W, X)

Select 6 credit points, including at least 2 credit points at level 2 and at least 2 credit points at level 3 from the following:

Level 2 and Level 3

Trimester 1

ALR276

Ethical Communication and Citizenship (B, G, W, X)