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FS30400

Academic Year 2026/2027

Race & Migration in Media (FS30400)

Subject:
Film Studies
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Diretnan Dikwal-Bot
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module examines how media construct, contest and police race, migration and national belonging in Ireland and beyond. Using Irish case studies including asylum coverage, Direct Provision, 'integration' debates, and media responses to the Dublin and Citywest riots, it situates Ireland within wider European and US struggles over borders, security, citizenship and migration. Across news, television, film, social media and AI-generated content, students will analyse how 'the immigrant,' 'the refugee' and 'the nation' are racialised and made governable. Topics include the racialisation of crime and protest, platformed racism, algorithmic bias, deepfakes, automated moderation, biometric surveillance, and the use of AI in migration and border control. Drawing on critical race, postcolonial, feminist and intersectional theory, the module also examines whiteness, post-racialism, migrant self-representation and digital resistance. Particular attention is paid to media power: who owns platforms and news organisations, whose voices are amplified or excluded, and how commercial, state and technological interests shape what can be seen, said and heard.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate understanding of key theoretical and critical concepts and debates around race, media, social justice and relevant theories related to race and identity.

Develop a more sophisticated understanding of the media culture by analysing various processes: production, textual analysis, and reception.

Improve critical skills when analysing media messages and develop a greater ability to participate in constructive dialogues over the relationship between the media, race, and ethnicity.

Develop an understanding of the connections between race, ethnicity and other social divisions – gender, class and sexuality.

Develop well-structured and supported arguments using appropriate academic conventions and scholarly practices.

Contribute to class discussions about race, social justice and media, drawing both from key theoretical concepts and their own personal experiences and observations.

Indicative Module Content:

Introduction: Race, Migration, Media and Assessment
Key Concepts: Race, Racialisation and Racism
Whiteness, Colonial Legacies and the Construction of Irishness
Intersectionality: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality
Media Ownership, Racial Capitalism and the Politics of Production
Representation, Stereotyping and the Racialised Gaze
Migration, Asylum and the News Agenda
Crime, Protest and the Mediation of Border Security
Platformed Racism, Digital Culture and Counterpublics
Algorithmic Discrimination and Generative AI
Anti-Racism, Decolonisation and Migrant Self-Representation

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Tutorial

24

Specified Learning Activities

70

Autonomous Student Learning

156

Total

250


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures
Reflective learning
Engaged and critical reading
In-class peer/group activities
Social media use and engagement

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Exam (In-person): Use relevant theories and concepts from the module syllabus to critically analyse the case(s) presented. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
Graded No
70
No
Individual Project: Students will analyse and discuss assigned case studies aligned with key topic areas. Week 7 Graded No
30
No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Fri 11:00 - 12:50