reading notes
Mills and Barlow, What is Theory?
A way of thinking about the world
Theory is a process that often has a purpose
Your role is to engage in that process
facts are generally accepted to be true
Three types of theory:
1. academic
discussed within the universities
has a purpose of investigation and criticism in order to make sense of the world
2. practitioner
theorising activities
3. common sense
theorising everyday things
Theory in science: theoretical models
Theory that helps explain the world: normative
Showing the problems: critical
Theoretical debates are ongoing and encourage more theorising
Theory must be published
Gender, race and ethnicity issues exist within media theory
Theory comes out of a context: people who write theory do so in response to
what is going on around them, it is useful to be aware of the context which may
have influenced their thinking and concerns
Theory i soften categorised by schools or fields
reading notes 1
, schools: made up of a number of academics, who are often categorised as a
group because they worked in the same place at the same time, on analogous
projects
Three criteria to define particular fields:
1. the object of study
2. the method of analysis
3. the history of the field.
Theory usually questions everything
Theory often refers to and responds to other theory
Theory often requires you to think hypothetically
Media studies is not just about examining television programmes, films, adverts
and newspapers. Instead, media studies places these phenomena in social,
historical and political contexts, and sees them as representative of, and often
upholding, much bigger systems
Power relationships are unequal; that is, the power exerted over the majority of
people is greater than that which they are able to exert back
Media is a way in which power is maintained and distributed
Theory is the core of studying media studies
Theory often useful transferable skills
Theory explores debates central to the media and creative industries
Theory helps develop you as a citizen and an individual
Take an active approach
At university, focus shifts from facts and answers to ideas and arguments
Before carrying out any reading, think about why you are reading it.
Why has your teacher insisted that you read this material?
What debates and ideas have you covered in class so far, and how might this
reading relate to it?
What are the aims of the course you are on, and how might this reading fit into
them?
Process of readings:
reading notes 2
Mills and Barlow, What is Theory?
A way of thinking about the world
Theory is a process that often has a purpose
Your role is to engage in that process
facts are generally accepted to be true
Three types of theory:
1. academic
discussed within the universities
has a purpose of investigation and criticism in order to make sense of the world
2. practitioner
theorising activities
3. common sense
theorising everyday things
Theory in science: theoretical models
Theory that helps explain the world: normative
Showing the problems: critical
Theoretical debates are ongoing and encourage more theorising
Theory must be published
Gender, race and ethnicity issues exist within media theory
Theory comes out of a context: people who write theory do so in response to
what is going on around them, it is useful to be aware of the context which may
have influenced their thinking and concerns
Theory i soften categorised by schools or fields
reading notes 1
, schools: made up of a number of academics, who are often categorised as a
group because they worked in the same place at the same time, on analogous
projects
Three criteria to define particular fields:
1. the object of study
2. the method of analysis
3. the history of the field.
Theory usually questions everything
Theory often refers to and responds to other theory
Theory often requires you to think hypothetically
Media studies is not just about examining television programmes, films, adverts
and newspapers. Instead, media studies places these phenomena in social,
historical and political contexts, and sees them as representative of, and often
upholding, much bigger systems
Power relationships are unequal; that is, the power exerted over the majority of
people is greater than that which they are able to exert back
Media is a way in which power is maintained and distributed
Theory is the core of studying media studies
Theory often useful transferable skills
Theory explores debates central to the media and creative industries
Theory helps develop you as a citizen and an individual
Take an active approach
At university, focus shifts from facts and answers to ideas and arguments
Before carrying out any reading, think about why you are reading it.
Why has your teacher insisted that you read this material?
What debates and ideas have you covered in class so far, and how might this
reading relate to it?
What are the aims of the course you are on, and how might this reading fit into
them?
Process of readings:
reading notes 2
