Professor Ellen Helsper and Dr Jean-Christophe Plantin

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Media and Communications (Research). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Students taking non-research track media and communications MSc programmes may take this course instead of MC4M1 subject to their own degree regulations and with the agreement of the teacher responsible.

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: A series of lectures offered by media and communications staff in Michaelmas Term. The lectures will normally cover the following topics central to research design across the social sciences, with a specific emphasis on their application to media and communications contexts: the general nature of research as social inquiry, interviewing, social network analysis, critical discourse analysis, content analysis, visual analysis, survey design/questionnaires, experiments, ethnography and participant observation, as well as research ethics.
2. Principles of Social Research and Specialist Social Research Workshops: A series of ten three-hour workshops (comprised of two x 1.5 hour sessions) offered by media and communications staff in LT. Students are required to participate in all ten workshops.
3. Quantitative Analysis: Students take two statistics courses offered by the Department of Methodology: MY464 Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Media and Communications; and MY452L Applied Regression Analysis. These courses are compulsory and automatically included when students register for MC4M2. Students may be permitted to substitute a more advanced course offered by the Department of Methodology in place of MY464 and/or MY452L, with the approval of the MC4M2 course convenor and subject to timetabling constraints.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops totalling a minimum of 90 hours across Michaelmas and Lent Term. This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of term.

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: Delivered through lectures totalling a minimum of 10 hours across Michaelmas Term and 1 hour in Lent Term.
2. Principles of Social Research and Specialist Social Research Workshops: Delivered through workshops totalling a minimum of 30 hours across Lent Term.
3. Quantitative Analysis: MY464: Delivered through a combination of classes and lectures totalling a minimum of 30 hours across Michaelmas Term. MY452L: Delivered through a combination of classes and lectures totalling a minimum of 20 hours across Lent Term. 
4. Methodology pilot drop in clinics: Delivered through workshops totalling 2 hours across Lent Term and Summer Term.

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: All students are expected to complete advance readings and submit one essay of 1500 words in Michaelmas Term.
2. Principles of Social Research and Specialist Social Research Workshops: All students are expected to complete advance readings and submit workshop assignments.
3. Quantitative Analysis: Most statistics courses require weekly assignments.

• Alasuutari, P. (1995). Researching Culture: Qualitative Method and Cultural Studies. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Bauer, M. W., & Gaskell, G. D. (2000). Qualitative Researching with Text, Image and Sound: A Practical Handbook for Social Research. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Bell, A., & Garrett, P. (1998). Approaches To Media Discourse. Oxford; Malden, Mass: John Wiley & Sons.
• Bertrand, I & Hughes, P. (2005) Media Research Methods. Audiences, Institutions and Texts. New York: Palgrave.
• Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
• Deacon, D., Pickering, M., Golding, P., & Murdock, G. (1999). Researching Communications: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media and Cultural Analysis. London: Hodder Education.
• Flick, U. (1998). An Introduction to Qualitative Research. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Kent, R. (1994). Measuring Media Audiences. London; New York: Cengage Learning EMEA.
• Rose, G. (2012). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Schroder, K., Drotner, K., Kline, S., & Murray, C. (2003). Researching Audiences: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media Audience Analysis. London: New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Silverman, D. (2013). Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Exam (17%, duration: 2 hours) in the January exam period.
Exam (17%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Coursework (66%, 5000 words) in the ST.

Description of assessment:

1. Coursework: One written assignment of not more than 5000 words to be submitted in the ST (66%).
2. Two assessments relating to Quantitative Analysis: One exam in the January exam period for MY464, and one exam in the Summer exam period for MY452L (see Methodology Department course guides) (34%).