Professor Ellen Helsper

There will also be guest contributions from other academic staff from the Department of Media and Communications.

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.

This course is compulsory for doctoral researchers in the first and second years of the Doctoral Programmes in the Department of Media and Communications. Doctoral researchers in later years of study in the Department are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The aim of the course is to raise awareness of theoretical, conceptual and methodological issues in the interdisciplinary field of media and communications research and to develop students skills with respect to theory building, research design and implementation. The course focuses, in particular, on the key conceptual issues and analytical strategies required in media and communication research, with special reference to the study of the changing environment of media production, dissemination and consumption, under conditions of globalization and digitization of information

20 hours of seminars in the AT. 20 hours of seminars in the WT.

Readings will be agreed upon by the teachers and students for each week. These will be made available on Moodle one week in advance.

An indicative reading list for theories can be found on the MC408 course guide.

An indicative reading list for methodology can be found on the MC5M2A and MC5M2B course guides.

This course is based predominantly on student presentations on their work in progress.

Formative (e.g. the theoretical and methodology chapters, end of year reflection document) and summative assessments (e.g. upgrade and final vivas) associated with the PhD programme are seen as part of the assessment on this course and space is made in the course to write these documents and prepare for these examinations.