Media and Communications (MA)

Module overview:

This module focuses on creative approaches to producing media content across various formats, with an emphasis on digital storytelling. It engages you with briefs designed to enhance your creativity through the integration of research, analysis, and digital production. The module bridges theory with practice by examining how to shape and present both factual and fictional narratives, encouraging you to apply theoretical concepts and real-world examples in your digital storytelling projects.
You will acquire practical skills in producing digital stories, including the use of professional, industry-standard equipment and software.

Teaching and learning:

You'll learn through weekly seminars and workshops. Seminars will focus on exploring key concepts, theories, and methods, while workshops will emphasise practical skills such as working with photos, videos, audio, and interactive storytelling tools like Figma. The majority of sessions will be workshop-based to prioritise the application of theoretical concepts and the development of practical techniques. Workshops will include digital and asynchronous support to build practical skills. 

Assessment:

The assessment for this module consists of two components: A 10-minute pitch worth 30% and a storytelling project worth 70%.

Module overview:

This module will prepare you for the media world. You will learn about how the industry is changing and adapting to new technology. This module is geared towards providing a deeper awareness of the changing media industry from both an academic and professional viewpoint. You will learn about critical developments and transformations in industry practices, providing an appreciation of issues and concepts that will be vital if you wish to thrive in your chosen workplace. 

The module provides the conceptual foundations for the programme, exploring the social implications of media and communications infrastructure, institutions and industries. Furthermore, this module serves as an introduction to qualitative approaches to media audience research. Following a case study approach, students will engage with topics including globalisation, glocalisation, media ownership and funding models (e.g., advertising, subscription, public service), alongside digital media platforms. 

Teaching and learning:

You'll learn through a weekly lecture and workshops. Lectures will cover the key learning material, key for graduate outcomes, professionally focused education and technology-enhanced learning.  

Assessment:

This module will be assessed using a case study worth 40% and an audience research project worth 60%.

Module overview:

This module equips you with the skills to develop communication strategies for marketing and campaigns by focusing on the analysis of "customer experience" and the creation of impactful narratives that achieve market objectives while conveying strategic meaning. It also explores purpose-driven campaigns and communications designed to deliver social benefits, emphasising the integration of meaningful messaging with market impact.

Teaching and learning:

You'll learn through a weekly seminar and workshop. Seminars will focus on exploring key concepts, theories, and methods, while workshops will incorporate case studies and materials (e.g., press releases, social media, videos, media kits) to support students’ practical skills.

Assessment:

This module will be assessed using a formative presentation, you will analyse an existing strategic communications campaign, providing a critical evaluation and suggesting an alternative approach.

The summative assessment for this module consists of two components: A research brief worth 30% and a campaign portfolio worth 70%. 

Module overview:

This module will help prepare you for a fast-changing media environment, by introducing you to some of the analytic skills involved in working in social media management.

Digital technology has changed the way news is produced, packaged, distributed, consumed and used by readers and audiences. You will consider some of the forces altering the foundations of the creative industries. The module is designed both for those of you who plan to work in the communication industries, particularly, as well as those interested in postgraduate studies.
 
In this module, you will learn how to research and reach audiences through digital platforms (social media, messaging, etc.), considering the specifics of social media platforms. We will use mixed quantitative and qualitative methods such as digital ethnography or netnography, use large social media datasets to analyse characteristics of discourse on specific platforms or around particular topics. Examples of practical applications include network analysis and sentiment analysis. 

A particular challenge presented by social media is the abundance of unstructured data (e.g., comments, tweets, posts, messages). Therefore, we will examine published research, case studies and “how-to” guidance on accessing, analysing and presenting findings from un- or semi-structured datasets (e.g., how to measure sentiment in a large collection of written comments). Alongside standard tools e.g., spreadsheets and visualisation software, we will consider commercial enterprise-platforms for social media monitoring. 

Teaching and learning:

You'll learn through weekly seminars and workshops. Seminars will focus on key concepts, theories, and methods. Workshop-sessions will focus on use-cases, offering supported hands-on application of techniques and tools to real-world audience-data problems. A majority of sessions are expected to be workshop-based, as the focus of this module is on the application of concepts and techniques to data. There will be time for individual tutorials.

Assessment:

This module will be assessed through a research project worth 70% and a case study worth 30%. 

Module overview:

This capstone module allows you to apply the knowledge, analytical tools, conceptual frameworks, and personal skills gained throughout the programme to tackle a specific organisational issue or challenge.

The Major Project builds on learning from the first two semesters, enhancing your ability to manage a project from its initial concept to the final output.

You will define and contextualise their project in the Research Plan and presentation, then implement it in the Practical Project. The final outputs may include a marketing campaign, multimedia narratives, academic research, or other relevant deliverables.

Teaching and learning:

You'll learn through weekly workshops. During these workshops, the module leader and programme team members will support you in defining the scope and objectives of your individual projects. Subsequent sessions will focus on collaborative technical and creative workshops tailored to the specific requirements of each project.

Your will determine the format of your project, which may include a dissertation, policy paper, marketing campaign, video, podcast, or a combination of multiple formats.

You will be assigned a supervisor, with individual supervisory sessions scheduled every 2–4 weeks, depending on the project's complexity and specific needs.

Assessment:

There will be a formative presentation where you pitch your major project portfolio ideas to receive constructive feedback from tutors and peers.

The summative assessment for this module consists of two components: A research brief worth 30% and a major project portfolio worth 70%.