AMU3021 Audience Studies: Sources and Methods

The unit has two primary aims: to introduce students to the variety of historical and ethnographic resources necessary to conduct audience research – such as fan magazines, census data, fire insurance maps and personal interviews – and, secondly, to provide an overview of methodological approaches that can be used to contextualise the primary material they gather. Students will design and deliver a research project centred on their chosen audience group. In the broadest sense, the projects will aim to either 1. reconstruct moviegoing of the past, or 2. investigate contemporary viewing practices in socially, nationally or ethnically-defined groups. Potential projects could, for instance, uncover the history of a specific movie theatre in KL, or to investigate the memories of moviegoing amongst elderly Chinese Malaysians. In planning their research, students will be given the opportunity to draw on their existing social networks and unique language skills. 

Upon completion, students will develop a set of transferable skills related to project management, which will further enhance their employability in media, communication, advertising and public relation sectors. The unit will be delivered through a variety of teaching and learning approaches with a strong focus on student-led projects, inside and outside the classroom.