Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Unit Description

Purpose of this unit is to explore important theories of social influence in the light of the influence of media and communications within the prevailing culture.

We live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction and do our daily activities like work, entertainment, health care, education, personal relationships, travelling and anything else that we have to do. While this unit will examine the history and nature of media, its primary goal will be to study of the theory of how and why new ideas and technology spread through society. The unit will benefit participants who wish to understand how the media influences a person’s beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviour, and personal and societal outcomes.

A person’s “worldview” is influenced by their beliefs and faith, and also by other factors – their inherited characteristics and abilities, background experiences and life context, the values, attitudes, and habits they have developed, and more – and these vary from one person to another. This unit will explore the power of media to frame and shape worldviews.

The process of social change will also be studied within the context of theology and social theory at the individual, organisational, community, national and international levels. This unit aims to give participants the opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on socio-cultural change – change in beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviour. Participants will explore concepts like cultural ecology, cultural evolution, economic development, information societies and community development in order to grapple with the social implications of present technological innovations.

Teaching Strategies

The learning process consists of three phases: Reading, Residential, and Research. Each phase has a blend of individual and group learning, and subsequent phases build upon the learning of those that come before.

The first phase is a Reading phase, and lasts for 12 weeks. The learner, as part of a small cohort study group (3 to 5 members), is guided through a reading program to explore the current scholarship on the practice of “Framing and shaping worldviews”.

Reading assignments are compiled with the help of the librarian, the educational technologist, and administrative support staff. Required weekly readings are posted to the unit website once a week for downloading, utilising Tabor Victoria’s Moodle platform.

Students are also required to read the prescribed textbooks in this phase.

During this first phase learners in cohort groups embark on a guided social inquiry, resulting in a research project. Hands-on research conducted in context by each participant allows him/her to gain an understanding of specific, emerging ministry concerns/questions encountered by persons working in media.

Second phase is a residential phase: Equipped with the reading and research, learners then undertake a Residential phase of 40 hours’ worth (one week, full-time) of residential study. During the residency, all cohort groups gather in Media companies and/or organisations chosen because of a leader who is known as a thoughtful practitioner, and because the agency has a proven track record in “Framing and Shaping Worldviews”.

In the third Phase students complete a personal theology in which issues related to “Framing and Shaping Worldviews” are explored. Cohorts also plan and implement an intervention at a company or organisation. The intervention is a professional presentation that summarises findings and proposes a number of ways the agency might go about addressing the emerging questions. The intervention invites thoughtful practitioners into theological reflection and constructive thinking about the concern and what might be done to begin addressing it. Following the intervention, the small cohort study group reflects upon and assesses their collaborative work


Unit offerings

Face to face: (Every 3rd Year, Semester 2)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.