Saussure's theory of language - 'differences carry signification' - that
underpins structuralism and semiotics.
• Barthes's theory of myth that develops Saussure's ideas and shows
how signs operate within wider social and cultural - not just lin-
guistic - structures.
• Theories of ideology and hegemony in relation to the production
and reception of media texts - with particular reference to the
Encoding/Decoding model (Hall) and its subsequent application to
media audience research (Morley).
• The ideology of news (GMG) and ads (Williamson) - and how the
meaning structures of these media texts represent ruling political and
commercial interests.
• Hebdige's subcultural theory, including concepts of homology and
bricolage
as forms of resistance to dominant cultural structures.
• Foucault's theory of discourse in relation to the disciplinary
mechanisms of panopticism, and how this theory applies to media
surveillance.