LAS496 Media and Public Communications in Japan

Spring Semester 2025/26

15/30 credits

Module Organiser: Dr Thomas McAuley (t.e.mcauley@sheffield.ac.uk)

Overview

Media and communications are a central aspect of contemporary public life, and permeate all our activities. Their influence is pervasive, and yet sometimes we forget their constant presence. Media is also entertaining and informative, and assists us in realising our aims, ambitions, and desires. Media organisations, technologies and environments are also constantly and rapidly changing. Japan is at the forefront of all developments in media and communications, and Japanese media organisations are some of the most innovative and influential worldwide.

The module will begin by introducing the Japanese media environment, providing students with a broad understanding of the structure, function, value, impact, and control of the media industry in Japan. From there students will develop an understanding of how Japanese media functions transnationally and an awareness of the key issues relating to the globalisation of media. Teaching will normally consist of a mixture of lectures, seminars, and films. Students will be expected to participate in presentation and discussion during seminars. Clips, articles and discussion questions will be provided to facilitate this. Some required reading will also be given.

Topics Covered

• Mainstream and Mass Media in Japan 1: Broadcasting 

• Mainstream and Mass Media in Japan 2: Newspapers 

• Media and Politics in Japan 

• Media and Information Literacy: Foreign Reporting on Japan 

• Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture 

• TV Advertising in Japan and the UK 

• Popular Media and Society in Japan 

• Popular Media and Environment in Japan

Skills Development

• Academic Writing will be developed via the end-of-term essay & supplementary activities.

• Communication Skills will be developed during in-class & online participation, and in written assignments.

• Critical Ability will be developed through discussion of assigned readings & films, and analysing issues in written form for assignments.

• Cultural Agility will be developed via in class and online discussions & participation, and student assignments of comparative environment & development in Western and East Asian settings.

•  Independent Learning will be developed through out-of-class tasks, literature & information search, and writing for the bibliographic essay assignment.

•  IT Skills will be developed through data analysis and presentation in formative learning tasks and the summative assessment.

• Knowledge will be developed via the lectures & seminars, assessments, readings and viewings on the module.

• Practical Skills will be developed via the formative learning tasks, such as information visualisations.

• Presentation Skills will be developed via in-class tasks and assessments.

• Teamwork will be developed via group discussions and formative learning tasks.

Study Hours

The University recommends that you spend 150 hours working on a 15-credit module. This will include:

• Lecture: 10 hours

• Seminar: 10 hours

• Independent study hours: 130 hrs