Media and Development MA

This module guides learners through the process of planning, developing, and completing an independent dissertation or professional project. Students will identify their own area of research interest or professional inquiry and, with the guidance of an allocated supervisor, will shape it into a meaningful question, focus or goal. Workshops will provide support in key aspects of the research process, including project design, data collection and analysis, and academic writing. Throughout the module, students will also engage in structured opportunities to refine and develop their ideas, ensuring that the final written submission is the result of a well-supported and iterative process of research.

60 credits

This module provides you with an overview of the theoretical and practical history of communications within the development process of middle and lower income economies and asks you to consider the impact of international institutions in the expansion of western media. You will examine the role of new technologies and the role of BRICS/alternative actors (e.g. China/NGOs) in global communications policy and development. The module concludes by examining the impact of activism on the shaping of policies for public service media.

20 credits

This module aims to provide you with a rounded understanding of key theories that inform thinking about development, knowledge of the historical experience of global development—especially since the Cold War—and an understanding of some of the most significant policy debates in international development today. It also introduces you to the role of media in development.

20 credits

Research expertise is increasingly important across a wide range of career paths. This module equips learners with essential research skills for media and related fields, providing a foundation in methods that cuts across disciplines, approaches, contexts, and sectors. Emphasis will be placed on how data is made and put to use across different contexts. Using real-world case studies/scenarios and hands-on workshops in data collection and analysis, students will explore diverse methods and data types, assessing their strengths, limitations, and relevance to scholarly, policy, industry and civil society audiences. They will learn to critique existing research, make informed methodological and ethical decisions, and reflect on how a range of values and assumptions shape the research process.

20 credits

This module examines how media theory can be used to approach and address some of the key challenges of the contemporary media landscape. Rather than offering fixed answers, it focuses on asking questions and developing skills in critical enquiry that are essential in the context of rapidly changing digital media environments. During the module students will examine a series of real-world problems relating to the media, culture and society from diverse global theoretical perspectives. They will also develop and critically frame their own urgent questions, learning to apply media theory practically to create impactful projects that contribute to sustainable improvements to society, economy and the environment.

20 credits

A course for students who would like to explore digital media platform creation and design.
By digital media platform we mean:

1. Podcasts
2. Streaming
3. Websites/Blogs

The module requires you to use your creative and entrepreneurial thinking to generate ideas, which you can communicate clearly to a target audience, and organise them systematically into content for a chosen platform, making sound branding and editorial judgements. The module also aims to foster an understanding of digital media platform design principles.

20 credits

In this module, you will learn how to plan and implement fundraising techniques for progressive social change. The module will look at the range of techniques and platforms used for fundraising. You will produce an evidence-based fundraising plan for a social justice issue, plus supporting digital fundraising content for social media platforms. You will consider the role of fundraising and how this integrates with campaign communications. This is a practical, hands-on module taught through a series of workshops with masterclasses by leading international fundraisers.

20 credits

This module introduces students to the political economy approach to analysing the structure and performance of communication industries in capitalist economies. It identifies distinctive economic features of media and relates these to trends in the organisation of specific media industries, taking account of ways in which the economics of media have been affected by the spread of digital technologies. 

20 credits

This module requires you to work in teams. Initially, you will use your group as a brainstorming unit, going through the ideation process and sharing digital media business ideas with each other. You will each develop one original digital media business idea and submit it individually as a lean feasibility study (formative submission). 

Based on feedback from the lecturer, your group will then select the best or most feasible idea to develop into a business plan proposal for a new digital media start-up (CW1). For CW2, you will individually pitch your group’s business plan to a panel of industry experts.

20 credits

This module offers a critical assessment of the role of media in political mobilisation, social movements, dissent, wars, conflicts, elections, and political and social crises. The module considers the impact of different forms of censorship and regulation on social, political and cultural expression in the media. It also looks at the impact of the internet and new means of transparency and communications on journalism and activism in a range of circumstances from secure democracies through different kinds of political systems. 

20 credits

The first part of the module reviews a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, focusing on and critiquing key debates on media audiences. Using a global perspective and different genre-based case studies, the second part of the module is devoted to discussions of digital media, post-modernity and identity.

20 credits

This module teaches you practical skills that enhance your employability. You will gain knowledge about jobs, networking, and interview and presentation skills necessary for developing CVs, writing compelling covering letters, and creating professional online profiles. You will develop job-finding skills and complete one or more work placements (depending on length) in a media business environment. You will produce a full Personal Development Plan (PDP) to identify your core skills and match them with suitable work placement opportunities. You will continue to develop the PDP as you approach media and development organisations and businesses, obtain work placements, and maintain a diary to reflect on your skill and experience development. This module extends across the summer term to allow you to gain the maximum value from your work experience. The intention is for you to gain work experience in the UK, preferably in London; however, relevant work experience outside the UK will also be approved.

20 credits

Campaigning in the last century saw the mobilisation of large numbers of people to bring about political and social change. The political landscape has changed and the ways to influence it have grown. Major changes in society and technology now enable concerned citizens from around the world to come together online and take action on issues that concern them. Is there still a role for civil society organisations in this new environment or is online activism mapping out a new model for social change? Campaigning non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are, in some areas, the natural voice of dissent, but they too run the risk of being seen as part of the establishment. As trust in institutions declines, how can NGOS maintain their influence and change their techniques to deliver successful campaigns? What does the new political and campaigning landscape look like, what are the current techniques and how can you decide which is the best technique to use for your campaign? 

20 credits