Professor Ellen Helsper

This course is compulsory on the MPhil/PhD in Data, Networks and Society and MPhil/PhD in Media and Communications. This course is not available as an outside option.

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: A series of lectures offered by Department of Media and Communications faculty in the AT. 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, discourse analysis, social network analysis, content analysis, visual analysis, survey design/questionnaires, case studies, ethnography and participant observation, as well as research ethics.
2. Specialist research workshops: A series of 5 three-hour workshops (comprised of two x 1.5 hour sessions) offered by media and communications staff in the WT. Students are required to participate in all five workshops.
3. Principles of Social Research Analysis: Students have to take at least one quantitative analysis course offered by the Department of Methodology (MY464 is the basic option). In addition, students are recommended to take either another quantitative or a qualitative analysis course offered by the Department of Methodology. The combination of courses must be approved by the supervisor and discussed with the MC5M2 convenor.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops totalling a minimum of 55 hours across the AT and the WT. This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of the AT and the WT. 

This is comprised of the following:

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: Delivered through lectures totalling a minimum of 10 hours across the AT and 1 hour in the WT.
2. Specialist workshops: Delivered through workshops totalling a minimum of 15 hours across the WT.
3. Principles of Social Research Analysis: MY464 in the AT: This course is delivered through a combination of classes and lectures totalling a minimum of 30 hours across the AT.

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: All students are expected to write a 7000 word methodology chapter for their thesis and submit it to their supervisor. This will normally include a pilot study testing one method to be used in the thesis.
2. Principles of Social Research: All students are expected to complete advance readings and submit workshop assignments.
3. Principles of Social Research Analysis: Most quantitative analysis courses require weekly assignments. The qualitative analysis courses vary in their formative assessment.

• 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.
• De Vries, R. (2018) Critical Statistics: Seeing beyond the headlines. London, UK: MacMillan International.
• Flick, U. (1998). An Introduction to Qualitative Research. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications Ltd.
• Hansen, A., Cottle, S., Negrine, P. R., & Newbold, C. (1998). Mass Communication Research Methods. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Jensen, K. B., & Jankowski, N. W. (1991). A Handbook of Qualitative Methodologies for Mass Communication Research. London; New York: Routledge.
• Jørgensen, M. W., & Phillips, L. J. (2002). Discourse analysis as theory and method. London: Sage.
• Fairclough, N. (2001). Language and power. London: Pearson Education.
• 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 (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the January exam period.

One exam in the January exam period relating to Quantitative Analysis (e.g. MY464) and one exam in the spring exam period if another quantitative analysis course is taken (see Department of Methodology course guides).

Note: Summative assignments differ depending on the components of the methodological training taken by the students. Students must pass all components of MC5M2.