Edinburgh Napier University

  This case study comes from the final year undergraduate course, Alternative and Radical Media, which is taught on BA (Hons) Journalism; BA (Hons) Cultural and Media Studies; BA (Hons) Publishing Media. When this module first began in 2002, it was, to the author’s knowledge, the first university course in the world to introduce students to a wide range of media produced by amateurs: citizen journalism, fanzines, personal websites, independent record production, blogs and other forms of non-professional cultural and political production. The rationale behind the module was to introduce students to what was, when it began, still an emerging field. The module leader (who also delivers all the classes) is an internationally recognised researcher in the field.
As a final year undergraduate module, and in common with most modules at this level, it requires a high level of theoretical and critical understanding from students. At the same time it forms part of a suite of options for degree programmes that balance vocational and theoretical knowledge; it is important, therefore, to encourage students to appreciate the linkage between the two. It is a very popular option module: it attracts the greatest number of students of all option modules in the school. Students are drawn from degrees in journalism, publishing media, and cultural and media studies. It is necessary, therefore, to design the module so that no students – whatever their academic knowledge and vocational skills – are excluded