MSc Strategic Communications and Society

The MSc Strategic Communications and Society moves beyond a purely vocational approach to the making of messages to offer you an understanding of strategic communication that reflects: the changing means of communication, image making and storytelling in the organisational environment today; the expanding strategic ends of selling not only products and ideas/ideals but also places and experiences in an increasingly mediated and networked world; and the increasingly complex consequences for all types of organisation of the interaction of these changes.

The programme will focus on the study of different forms of strategic communication across markets, civil society and in politics, especially in the context of changes associated with digitalisation and globalisation. You'll examine the ways organisations, informal groups and individuals communicate strategically, and how communication contributes to shaping discourses and practices within organisations and more widely across society.

You'll reflect on the role of digital technologies in strategic communications, the links between discourse and power, and how these relate to the way public discourse and symbolic resources are unevenly distributed and controlled through strategic communications practices. Overall, you'll develop an understanding of the power of strategic communications as an organisational, but also a social practice that privileges certain institutions and ideologies as it contributes to the evolution of society.

What is strategic communication and how does it relate to PR, propaganda, persuasion and power?

• Arthos, J. (2013). The Just Use of Propaganda: Ethical Criteria for Counter-Hegemonic Communication Strategies. Western Journal of Communication, 77(5), 582-604.
• Cunningham, S. B. (2002). The idea of propaganda: a reconstruction. Westport, Conn: Praeger.
• Berger, B. K. (2005). Power Over, Power With, and Power to Relations: Critical Reflectionson Public Relations, the Dominant Coalition, and Activism. Journal of Public Relations Research, 17(1), 5-29
• Fawkes, J. (2012). Saints and sinners: competing identities in public relations ethics. Public Relations Review, 38, 865-872.
• Edwards, L., & Hodges, C. E. M. (2011). Public relations, society and culture: theoretical and empirical explorations. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Eyre, D. P., & Littleton, J. R. (2012). Shaping the zeitgeist: Influencing social processes as the center of gravity for strategic communications in the twenty-first century. Public Relations Review, 38(2), 179-187
• L'Etang, J., & Pieczka, M. (2006). Public relations: critical debates and contemporary practice. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• McKerrow, R. (2011). Foucault's Relationship to Rhetoric. Review of Communication, 11(4), 253-271
• Roper, J. (2005). Symmetrical Communication: Excellent Public Relations or a Strategy for Hegemony? Journal of Public Relations Research, 17(1), 69-87.
• Weaver, C., Motion, J., & Roper, J. (2006). From Propaganda to Discourse (And Back Again): truth, power, the public interest and publilc relations. In J. L'Etang & M. Pieczka (Eds.), Public relations: critical debates contemporary practice. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

What is the strategic communication/PR industry, how is it defined and how has it evolved?

• Bardhan, N., & Weaver, C. K. (2011). Public relations in global cultural contexts : multi-paradigmatic perspectives. New York: New York : Routledge.
• Daymon, C., & Demetrious, K. (2014). Gender and public relations : critical perspectives on voice, image and identity: London : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
• Grunig, J. E. (2006). Furnishing the Edifice: Ongoing Research on Public Relations As a Strategic Management Function. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(2), 151-177.
• Macnamara, J. (2010). The 21st century media (r)evolution: emergent communication practices. New York: Peter Lang.
• Miller, D. (2008). A century of spin : how public relations became the cutting edge of corporate power. London ; Ann Arbor, MI: London ; Ann Arbor, MI : Pluto Press.
• Moloney, K. (2006). Rethinking public relations: PR propaganda and democracy. London: Routledge.
• Richard, D. W., & Jennifer, L. L. (2011). Revisiting strategic communications past to understand the present; Examining the direction and nature of communication on 400 web sites. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 16(2), 150-169.
• Taylor, P. M. (1999). British propaganda in the twentieth century: selling democracy.

What is promotional culture and how does it link to strategic communication, celebrity and image stereotyping?

• Bourdieu, P. (1998). On television. New York: The New Press.
• Chouliaraki, L. (2012). The ironic spectator : solidarity in the age of post-humanitarianism. Cambridge: Cambridge : Polity.
• Corner, J., & Pels, D. (2003). Media and the restyling of politics: consumerism, celebrity and cynicism. London: Sage Publications.
• Edwards, L. (2013). Institutional Racism in Cultural Production: The Case of Public Relations. The International Journal of Media and Culture, 11(3), 242-256
• Macnamara, J. (2006). Media and male identity : the making and remaking of men. Basingstoke ; New York: Basingstoke ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan.
• Redmond, S. The whitness of stars: looking at Kate Winslet’s unruly white body, in Holmes, S., & Redmond, S. (2006). Stardom and celebrity : a reader. London: London : SAGE.
• Rosenquist, R. (2013). Modernism, Celebrity and the Public Personality. Literature Compass, 10(5), 437-448.
• Sussman, G. (2011). The propaganda society: promotional culture and politics in global context (Vol. 21). New York: Peter Lang.
• Wernick, A. (1991). Promotional culture : advertising, ideology and symbolic expression. London: London : Sage Publications.

What is the impact of strategic communications on the public sphere and deliberative democracy?

• Bennett, W. L., & Entman, R. M. (2001). Mediated politics : communication in the future of    democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
• Davis, A. (2002). Public relations democracy: public relations, politics, and the mass media in Britain. New York: Manchester University Press.
• Elkins, J. (2012). Concerning practices of truth. In J. Elkins & A. Norris (Eds.), Truth and Democracy (pp. 19-53). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Erkkilä, T. (2012). Government transparency : impacts and unintended consequences. Basingstoke: Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan
• Harris, P. (2007). Challenge & response: essays on public affairs & transparency, Edited by Tom Spencer and Conor McGrath. Landmarks, Brussels in association with the European Centre for Public Affairs: 2006; (Vol 7, pp. 127-128). Chichester, UK
• Joachim, K., & Tim Oliver, B. (2009). Implications of Habermas’ “theory of communicative action” for corporate brand management. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 14(4), 389-403.
• Langer, A. I. s. (2011). The personalisation of politics in the UK: mediated leadership from Attlee to Cameron. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• Macnamara, J., & Zerfass, A. (2012). Social Media Communication in Organizations: The Challenges of Balancing Openness, Strategy, and Management. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 6(4), 287.

Power and discourse – politics and strategic communication.

• Coleman, S. (2007). Political Marketing: a Comparative Perspective (Vol. 60, pp. 180-186). Oxford: Oxford Publishing Limited(England).
• Herman, E. S., & Chomsky, N. (2008). Manufacturing consent: the political economy of the mass media. London: Bodley Head.
• McNair, B. (2007). An introduction to political communication. London: Routledge.
• Price, S. (2007). Discourse power address: the politics of public communication. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
• Reyes, A. (2014). Bush, Obama: (in)formality as persuasion in political discourse. Journal of Language & Politics, 13(3), 538-563.
• Scammell, M. (2014). Consumer democracy: the marketing of politics: Cambridge University Press

How can strategic communication influence public opinion and behaviour?

• Evans, N. (2012). A NUDGE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. Review - Institute of Public Affairs, 64(4), 16-19.
• Farrell, H., & Shalizi, C. (2011). Do the right thing. New Scientist, 212(2837), 28.
• Leggett, W. (2014). The politics of behaviour change: nudge, neoliberalism and the state. Policy & Politics, 42(1), 3-19.
• Mols, F., Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., & Steffens, N. K. (2015). Why a nudge is not enough: A   social identity critique of governance by stealth. European Journal of Political Research, 54(1), 81-98.
• Raftopoulou, E., & Hogg, M. (2010). The political role of government-sponsored social marketing campaigns. European Journal of Marketing, 44(7/8), 1206-1227.
• Thaler, R. H. (2008). Nudge : improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. New Haven
• Wring, D. (2007). The British Public Relations State. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association, 1-2.

New media and the global reach of strategic communications: business, activism and NGOs.

• Cammaerts, B., Mattoni, A., & McCurdy, P. (2013). Mediation and Protest Movements. Bristol: Bristol Intellect Books.
• Hwang, S. (2012). The strategic use of Twitter to manage personal public relations. Public Relations Review, 38(1), 159.
• Neill, M. S., & Moody, M. (2014). Who is responsible for what? Examining strategic roles in social media management. Public Relations Review
• Papasolomou,I, Melanthiou, Y. (2012). Social media: marketing public relations’ new best friend.  Journal of Promotion Management. 18(3): 319-328.
• Wiggill, M. N. (2011). Strategic communication management in the non-profit sector: a   simplified model. Journal of Public Affairs, 11(4), 226-236.
• Zerfass, A., & Schramm, D. (2014). Social Media Newsrooms in public relations: A conceptual framework and corporate practices in three countries. Public Relations Review, 40(1), 79.

How do ‘special interests’ use strategic communication to influence policy agendas (lobbying)?

• Anderon, Alison. (2006) Spinning the rural agenda: the Countryside Alliance, fox hunting and social policy. Social Policy and Administration. 40(6): 722-738.
• Blau, Benjamin. (2013). Corporate lobbying, political connections and the bailout of banks.  Journal of Banking and Finance. 37(8): 3007.
• Casswell, Sally. (2009).  Reducing harm from alcohol: call to action. The Lancet. 373(9682): 2247-2257.
• Kurzer, Paulette. (2013). Organised interests and the case of EU food information labeling. Journal of European Public Policy. 20(5): 722-740.
• Harris, P, McGrath, C. (2012). Political Marketing and Lobbying: A Neglected Perspective and Research Agenda. Journal of Political Marketing, 11 (1/2): 75-95.
• Massey, JE. (2005). Public relations in the airline industry: the crisis reponse to the September 11th attacks. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing.  12 (1-2): 97-114.
• Pollay, R.W. (1997). Hacks, flacks and counter-attacks: cigarette advertising, sponsored research and controversy.  Journal of Social Issues. 53(1): 53-74.
• Pratt, Cornelius. (1997/1998).  The 40-year tobacco wars: giving public relations a black eye? Public Relations Quarterly. 42(4): 5-10.

You take one course on media and communications theories and concepts, a course in research methods, and a specialist strategic communications course. You'll also select further courses from a range within the department and across other relevant departments, such as management and social psychology. In addition, you'll submit a dissertation of 12,000 words.

The Department of Media and Communications is a world-leading centre for education and research in the field. Our department is ranked number 1 in the UK and number 2 globally for communication and media studies (2024 QS World University Rankings).

We offer students a wide selection of programmes, including master’s degrees, doctoral research training and short courses. At any one time, we have around 270 master’s students and 30 PhD students from around the world – all varying in age, professional experience and backgrounds.

Within the department, our research is organised around four key themes: media culture and identities, media participation and politics, communication histories and futures, and communication technology, rights and justice. The outputs from our research are shared with organisations such as the BBC, Facebook, Google, UNICEF, Ofcom and the UK/EU governments.

LSE’s location at the heart of London, one of the world's media capitals, allows us to foster close links with media and communications industries and policymakers.

Graduates from our programmes progress to interesting roles in broadcasting, journalism, advertising, new media industries, political marketing, market research, regulation and policy, media management and research in the public and private sectors.

Department of Media and Communications

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others.

You'll be assessed by written examinations, research assignments, essays and the dissertation, which must be submitted in August. Formal classroom teaching is usually completed by the end of the Winter Term. Coursework is usually submitted in January and May, and examinations are generally held in May and June. The remaining months are set aside for you to complete the dissertation, supported by staff supervision.

An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

On graduating, our students enter a variety of careers in the UK and abroad, including broadcasting, journalism, advertising, new media industries, political marketing, market research, regulation and policy, media management and research in both the public and private sectors.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.