Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Researching Media, Journalism and Communications allows you to explore and develop your research passions and interests, learn how to make critical decisions relating to analysis and practice, and how to situate and articulate these things for both scholarly and industry audiences. You'll learn about a range of different methods and techniques for data gathering and analysis and how they sit within critical frameworks that explore the past, present and future of media, journalism and communication. You will also consider a range of global contemporary political, social and cultural contexts, offering opportunities to share your own ideas, interests and examples from around the world. Through a mixture of in-person, online and interactive digital learning, you'll be supported to come up with research ideas and questions and to develop the tools and techniques to answer them. In short, this module aims to help you develop both collaborative and individual tools and techniques of research and prepares you to undertake a major research project as decided and designed by you in collaboration and with support with expert scholars from the field.

Outline Of Syllabus

The topics addressed respond to contemporary research in journalism, media, culture and communication. They may include the following:

Integrated approaches to research design, methods and cultural contexts;
Quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis;
Interviews, ethnography, standpoint and epistemology;
Mixed and transmethodological case studies;
Textual and content analysis;
Researching media institutions;
Researching journalism and communication technologies, production and purposes;
Multimodal analysis of image, text, video and audio;
Networked and digital sphere analyses;
Cross-cultural and transnational media research;
Ethics and ethical positions;

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, student should have acquired:
K1. An understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data and information dissemination for media, communication and journalism;
K2. An advanced understanding and knowledge of the ethical responsibilities of media and journalism research;
K3. Effective problem solving strategies and high-level analytical and planning processes in order to begin the process of a research project;
K4. The capacity to define and formulate research problems, questions and hypotheses leading towards a final research project;
K5. The analytical and critical skills needed to assess and conduct current research and engage in advanced analysis;
K6. The ability to critically analyse key theoretical and practical concerns of research;
K7. The ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data and to extract information from relevant data sources for the purposes of media, journalism and communications research.

Intended Skill Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, students should have mastered:
S1. A sophisticated use of methods of evaluating a range of sources, texts and practices using theoretical frameworks that pertain to media, journalism, communication and cultural studies;
S2. The skills to communicate and present research findings effectively to specialist audiences;
S3. The skills of effective written and multimedia communication in relation to research methods;
S4. The capacity to manage research effectively, including planning, implementing and producing reports, assignments, and research projects on time;
S5. The skills to work effectively, both independently and as member of teams in an academic context.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Interactive digital learning materials and structured guided learning prepare students each week for in classroom or online scheduled learning activities and allow them to consider key topics at their own pace. Lectures consolidate key areas of learning and keep students on track through emphasising key critical contexts for their work. Seminars encourage interaction and the development of cognitive and key skills and the ability to articulate ideas and findings. In a peer-supported environment, students are encouraged to articulate their aims, develop their critical position on the seminar topic and set readings and discuss aspects related to the research, structure, writing, and presentation of their portfolio. Directed and independent research and reading is a core component of the teaching for this module (K1-K7).
Structured learning, online and non synchronous opportunities for conversation and support encourage students to articulate their aims, define their research ideas, and demonstrate their grasp of the material involved. These provide opportunities to provide advice to the student on all aspects of the research, content, structure and presentation of their writing and critical feedback on strengths and weaknesses of work in progress. These are responsible to student needs and individual ideas. Working as a small group independently also allows students to reflect on research skills and methods in a supported environment (S1-S5).

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Assessment 1 (25%) (Programme Outcomes: K2; K3; K7; D1; S1; S2; S4; S5)

A portfolio including a link to a group multimedia presentation including video, text, images as appropriate, a 250-word critical analysis of method (evidencing engagement) and a peer review document (weights by representing up to 5% of the mark for this assessment)

The task-specific assessment criteria for the group multimedia presentation are as follows:

Evidence of a theoretically and analytically rigorous definition of the topic, informed by engagement with and understanding of appropriate primary and secondary research.

Demonstration of how the chosen research methods facilitate meaningful studies of media, journalism, culture and society.

Analysis of research methods in order to make meaningful conclusions about its strengths and weaknesses for studying media, journalism and communications.

Coherence and structure of the presentation and critical analysis, including appropriate academic tone at postgraduate level and effective display of examples and analysis.


Assessment 2: Dissertation Proposal (Programme Outcomes: K1; K2; K3; K4; K6; S1; S3; S4; S5)

A 2,500-word proposed for a final research project. This should include clearly articulated critical context, research questions, a theoretical framework, a proposed methodology including discussion of the scope and duration of the data gathering and analysis, ethical considerations and a working bibliography.

Additional task-specific assessment criteria are as follows:

Methodological quality of the approach and design of proposed dissertation including how it aligns to the methodologies taught on the module and the ethical implications of the project.

Theoretical and research context and framework drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources.

Effective use of research context and theoretical framework to inform the production of clear and answerable research questions.

Coherence, structure and planning of the proposal including appropriate academic tone for postgraduate research and clear, correct referencing.

General Notes

N/A