MCH8199 : Dissertation for MA Media and Public Relations
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Jesus Salazar
- 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 3 Credit Value: | 60 |
| ECTS Credits: | 30.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
- To enable students to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of a selected topic in the field of Media & Public Relations
- To enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the research process by devising and conducting an original investigation in the field of Media & Public Relations
- To provide students with the opportunity both to extend their repertoire of methodological skills and demonstrate a capacity for critical reflexivity
- To heighten students’ awareness of the dilemmas encountered when undertaking research in this field of study and to be able to address them
Students undertake a substantial, independent textual, theoretical or empirical enquiry into an approved topic relating to the programme of study. MCH8058 Methodologies: Researching Media, Culture & Society supports MA Media and PR Dissertation by developing skills in terms of method and conducting research and developing an assessed dissertation proposal.
Students embark on their dissertation in the third semester. The module is introduced with interactive sessions provided in MCH8058 Methodologies. These enable the students to explore issues of common concern relating to research design, methods and the conduct of their planned enquiries, including ethics. These initial sessions, together with subsequent group tutorials, provide an additional source of support complementing the one-to-one tutorials with supervisors.
Students are expected to support this exploration by independent study and research activity through the following: retrieval of information, location of evidence, analysis, interpretation and synthesis of materials, critical thought and evaluation, questioning of assumptions and, where appropriate, relating theory to practice.
The research is presented in a chaptered dissertation of 10,000 words following an outline agreed between the student and the supervisor. The approval of dissertation topics is subject to the agreement of the module leader and relevant supervisor and ethical approval but should be in line with the programme of study’s learning outcomes and strongly related to the field of Media & Public Relations.
Members of the programme team assist students both in the initial stages of identifying a suitable dissertation topic (in MCH8058) and during the dissertation research and writing-up periods (through an allocated supervisor). The programme team offers additional advice on appropriate research methods and provides students with feedback on drafts of their dissertation. Guidance is provided throughout by an individual supervisor allocated to the student according to the topic and theme of the dissertation.
The dissertation project offers students the opportunity to bring together and demonstrate their learning on the MA programme and acts as a foundation for those who may undertake a PhD after completing the MA.
Outline Of Syllabus
The programme team assist students in negotiating an appropriate title. Support and guidance on topic, focus and methodology is provided via individual supervision of students and via the module, Methodologies: Researching Media, Culture & Society.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 4 | 2:00 | 8:00 | Focused on study skills and presentation of dissertation. Delivered non synchronously online. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Dissertation launch session. Can be delivered on campus or online. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Supervisory meetings and support conducted either remotely or on campus. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 585:00 | 585:00 | Developing, researching and completing dissertation |
| Total | 600:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Structured Guided Learning materials will be existing themed Learning Sways released non-synchronously online to students throughout the summer.
Dissertation Supervision sessions: group or one-to-one sessions allowing for Q&A sessions regarding the planning and execution of the dissertation and intensive appraisal of student performance. These sessions facilitate the development of cognitive and key skills, and include providing students with feedback on draft work.
Guided Independent Study: to facilitate intended knowledge outcomes, and to develop both cognitive skills and key skills (as above).
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation | 3 | A | 100 | 10,000 words, research-based or professionally-based dissertation |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Assessment: 10,000-word dissertation
The dissertation is an independent, critical and academically stringent research project in the field of Media & Public Relations aligned with the programme’s learning outcomes. Students are asked to produce a chaptered piece of work following the academic research conventions that include (but are not limited to) an introduction with research questions; literature review or theoretical framework; methodology and ethical considerations; research findings or discussion; conclusion and future lines of inquiry; and a full bibliography. The final dissertation’s chapter outline should be agreed between the student and supervisor to suit the research project.
Additional task-specific criteria are as follows:
- Appraisal of the theoretical and research framework and position drawing on primary and secondary sources (K1; K2; S2);
- Commentary on the research methods and ethical considerations of the project, including discussion of strengths and limitations of research design, drawing on pertinent literature and analysis of methodologies (K3; K4; K5);
- Use of methodological and theoretical frameworks to develop and then answer a research question or questions, using primary and secondary data and evidence (K6; S2; S3; S5);
- Written structure of the dissertation, including academic written tone for postgraduate level research and effective display of data and analysis (S1; S6).
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH8199's Timetable