MCH8054 : Researching Media, Journalism and Communications
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Bethany Usher
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
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;
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 11 | 3:00 | 33:00 | Interactive lecture materials introducing to a range of methods, critical contexts and research skills. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Present-in-person lecture. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 80 | 1:00 | 80:00 | Multimedia presentation and dissertation proposal reading, thinking and preparation time. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | Present-in-person seminars. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | Opportunities for drop in and non-synchronous discussion relating to assessment, as hosted on the MCH8054 Team Page. |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Working in small groups around defining and using research methods. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 12 | 4:00 | 48:00 | Interactive learning materials, documentaries, journalism and readings related to module learning |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Online seminar activity |
| Total | 200:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj | 1 | M | 25 | Group multimedia non-synchronous presentation |
| Research proposal | 1 | M | 75 | 2500-word research proposal (with 10% margin) |
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.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH8054's Timetable