DIGITAL GAME DESIGN
Bachelor	TR-NQF-HE: Level 6	QF-EHEA: First Cycle	EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code	Course Name	Semester	Theoretical	Practical	Credit	ECTS
NMD3202	Media Critics	Spring	3	0	3	5

This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction:	English
Type of course:	Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level:	Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery:	Face to face
Course Coordinator :	Assist. Prof. MELİS ÖZBEK
Recommended Optional Program Components:	None.
Course Objectives:	This course aims to raise awareness of bias and ideology in the media that surround us daily. The course does not promote a particular political viewpoint, but challenges you to engage media critically, thereby becoming better informed citizens. Teaching method of the course: lecture, readings, group presentation, discussions, case studies

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
- Apply structuralist and semiotic approaches to analyze media texts, identifying key elements such as signs, signification, myth, discourse, and ideological structures.
- Examine media content using theories of representation, framing, agenda-setting, and discourse analysis, assessing how various groups and issues are portrayed.
-Utilize CDA methods to evaluate media narratives, particularly in relation to racism, ideology, and power structures in news coverage.
- Investigate how media portrayals shape public perceptions of minorities, refugees, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and racialized groups.
- Analyze journalistic practices in disaster reporting, considering ethical concerns, representation of victims, and media biases in coverage.

Course Content

This course aims to raise awareness of bias and ideology in the media that surround us daily. The course does not promote any political viewpoint, but challenges you to engage with media critically, thereby becoming more critical and literate on contemporary cultural, social, and political issues.

The primary objective is to let the students gain the knowledge and problem-solving skills to understand and criticize the patterns and processes that underlie modern media institutions, their production and practices, and the consequences of those patterns and processes on the way media audiences understand and interpret the world.

This course examines global media industries (film, television, news, new media, etc.) and their content through specific national and international case studies. It reviews cultural, media and communication theories to learn about the political and cultural roles of media.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	Introduction to the course
2)	Introduction to media criticism	Hartley: medium/media, news values, objectivity, literacy
3)	Medya metninin anlamını aramak: Yapısalcılık ve Göstergebilim	Easthope, A., & McGowan, K. (Eds.). (2004). A critical and cultural theory reader. University of Toronto Press. pp. 3-12. Bignell, J. (2002). Media semiotics: An introduction. Manchester University Press, pp. 5-16 Hartley: binary oppositions, language, functions of langue, meaning, myth, narrative, parole, rhetoric, semiotics/semiology, sign, signification, structuralism
4)	Medya metninin anlamını aramak: Göstergebilim, ideoloji ve söylem.	Easthope, A., & McGowan, K., pp. 33-42 & 94-102 Bignell, pp. 16-27 Hartley: discourse, hegemony, ideology, ideological state apparatus, interpellation, myth
5)	Approaches to analyzing the media content: Representation, framing, agenda-setting, discourse analysis	Bignell: pp. 79-104 Hartley: bias, content analysis, representation, gatekeeper, mass communication, stereotype, text/textual analysis Hall, 1997, Representation, pp. 79-104 Hall, 1980, Culture, Media & Language, pp. 117-128
6)	Eleştirel Söylem Analizi	Wodak, 2015, Critical Discourse Analysis. Fairclough, 2010, Critical Discourse Analysis, pp. 230-255 Van Dijk, 2000, New(s) racism - A discourse analytical approach. Van Dijk, 2008, News, Discourse and Ideology Van Dijk, 2015, Racism in the Press.
7)	Migration and media I: Minorities in Turkey	Koksal, 2016, Memory, Identity: The Turkish Context, pp. 1-25. Özbek, 2022, The Netflix Effect on Turkish Television, pp. 75-93. Supplementary course material will be announced through Itslearning.
8)	Midterm
9)	Migration and media II: Refugees and immigrants	Bingell, pp. 79-104 Hall, Representation, 1997, pp. 223-291 Supplementary course material will be announced through Itslearning.
10)	Race, gender, and media I: Sports and the new concepts of race and racism	Easthrope & McGowan; pp. 87-90 Hartley: Ethnic/ethnicity; race; subjectivity
11)	Race, gender, and media II: Media coverage on women and LGTBQ+	Easthrope & McGowan: pp.143-177 & 191-197 & 102-108 Hartley: subjectivity, gender
12)	Disasters and media I: Media outlets and journalistic factors	Supplementary course material will be announced through Itslearning.
13)	Disasters and media II: Coverage of victims: women, children, survivors	Supplementary course material will be announced through Itslearning.
14)	Evaluation of the term before final exam

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:	Bignell, J. (2002). Media semiotics: An introduction. Manchester University Press. Easthope, A., & McGowan, K. (Eds.). (2004). A critical and cultural theory reader. University of Toronto Press. Hartley, J. (2012). Communication, cultural and media studies: The key concepts. Routledge. Ott, B. L., & Mack, R. L. (2020). Critical media studies: An introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
References:	Bignell, J. (2002). Media semiotics: An introduction. Manchester University Press. Easthope, A., & McGowan, K. (Eds.). (2004). A critical and cultural theory reader. University of Toronto Press. Hartley, J. (2012). Communication, cultural and media studies: The key concepts. Routledge. Ott, B. L., & Mack, R. L. (2020). Critical media studies: An introduction. John Wiley & Sons.

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements	Number of Activities	Level of Contribution
Attendance	1	% 10
Presentation	1	% 20
Midterms	1	% 25
Final	1	% 45
Total		% 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK		% 55
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK		% 45
Total		% 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities	Number of Activities	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Course Hours	13	3	39
Study Hours Out of Class	14	6	84
Midterms	1	2	2
Final	1	2	2
Total Workload			127

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect	1 Lowest	2 Low	3 Average	4 High	5 Highest

	Program Outcomes	Level of Contribution
1)	Comprehend the conceptual importance of the game in the field of communication, ability to implement the player centered application to provide design.
2)	Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and ideas from various perspectives.
3)	Analyze the key elements that make up specific game genres, forms of interactions, mode of narratives and understand how they are employed effectively to create a successful game.
4)	Understand game design theories and methods as well as implement them during game development; to make enjoyable, attractive, instructional and immersive according to the target audience.
5)	Understand the technology and computational principles involved in developing games and master the use of game engines.
6)	Understand the process of creation and use of 2D and 3D assets and animation for video games.
7)	Understand and master the theories and methodologies of understanding and measuring player experience and utilize them during game development process.
8)	Comprehend and master how ideas, concepts and topics are conveyed via games followed by the utilization of these aspects during the development process.
9)	Manage the game design and development process employing complete documentation; following the full game production pipeline via documentation.
10)	Understand and employ the structure and work modes of game development teams; comprehend the responsibilities of team members and collaborations between them while utilizing this knowledge in practice.
11)	Understand the process of game publishing within industry standards besides development and utilize this knowledge practice.
12)	Pitching a video game to developers, publishers, and players; mastering the art of effectively communicating and marketing the features and commercial potential of new ideas, concepts or games.