2015/16 Taught Postgraduate Programme Catalogue
MA Public Relations and Society (Part-Time)
| Programme code: | MA-COMM/PRSP | UCAS code: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: | 24 Months | Method of Attendance: | Part Time |
| Programme manager: | Lee Edwards | Contact address: | l.m.s.edwards@leeds.ac.uk |
Yes. Delivered over 2 years.
Total credits: 180
Entry requirements:
Good first degree, standard University IELTS requirements for PGs.
Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of their English language proficiency. Recognized tests are IELTS with a required overall score of 7 and no element below 6.0, or TOEFL with a required score of 600 (250 for the computer-based test) with at least 4 on the written test, or on the internet-based TOEFL a score of 94 with at least 20 in listening, 23 in reading, 23 in speaking and 24 in writing.
School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:
School of Media and Communication
Examination board through which the programme will be considered:
School of Media and Communication
Programme specification:
This programme will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the public relations industry and its role in social, cultural and economic life. Currently, public relations is taught as a vocational degree by most institutions, which leaves little room for reflection on the social role it plays as a tool used by organisations of all kinds to influence the attitudes, values and behaviours of the audiences it targets. Media-related degrees, on the other hand, provide in-depth critiques of the media industries, but without taking sufficient account of the ways public relations works with those industries to shape their overall effects. While such teaching is valuable in its own right, it does not equip students with the tools to evaluate the ways in which public relations shapes the ways we understand the world around us, both directly and through its relationship with other social institutions. Nor does it develop the ability to evaluate the ways in which PR helps to sustain or challenge the power of dominant social groups at local, national and global level. Yet these capabilities are increasingly important in a world where the use of public relations is more widespread than it has ever been. They are also crucial to understanding the communicative processes that shape the cultural, economic and political dynamics of globalisation.
This degree will provide an opportunity to exercise this reflection and critique the occupation. The focus on a critical sociological / cultural approach to PR is unique in the market and differentiates the MA from other taught postgraduate degrees offering a sociological perspective of communications and / or media (see market analysis). It draws on existing expertise and modules within ICS and will draw on optional modules from other departments (the School of Design and the Business School have both been consulted about providing optional modules for students taking this degree; the School of Design has agreed to offer two modules as options).
Year1 - View timetable
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
Compulsory modules:
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| COMM5215M | Public Relations Theory | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5225M | Public Relations, Culture and Society | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Optional modules:
Candidates will be required to study 30 - 60 credits from the following optional modules in either year 1 or year 2:
| ARAB5009M | Modern Arab Media | 30 credits | Not running in 201516 | |
| COMM5160M | Critical Studies in Visual Communication | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5170M | Television Narrative | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5240M | Work Placement | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5250M | Feminism, Identity and Media | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5260M | Understanding the Audience | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5370M | International Film Industries | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5380M | The Media and Democratisation: Global Perspectives | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5540M | The Reporting of Politics | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5601M | Innovations in Political Communication | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5610M | Politics and the Media | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5630M | Communication and Public Opinion | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5695M | Communication and Development | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5730M | The Cultural History of Promotional Communication | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5740M | New Media Cultures | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5801M | Urban Narratives | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5805M | Cultures of Contemporary Photography | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5815M | Cinematics and Photography | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| DESN5230M | Integrated Communication | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| LUBS5228M | Understanding the Global Economy: Capitalist Institutions, Growth and Crises | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PECI5204M | Theoretical Perspectives: Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PECI5209M | Critical Debates in Culture and Place | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLSP5235M | 'Race', Identity and Culture in the Black Atlantic | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Elective modules:
Candidates may study 0 - 30 credits of Discovery (Elective) Modules.
Year2 - View timetable
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
Compulsory modules:
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| COMM5600M | Dissertation and Research Methods | 60 credits | 1 Oct to 30 Sep (12mth) |
Optional modules:
Candidates will be required to study 30 - 60 credits from the following optional modules in either year 1 or year 2:
| ARAB5009M | Modern Arab Media | 30 credits | Not running in 201516 | |
| COMM5160M | Critical Studies in Visual Communication | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5170M | Television Narrative | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5240M | Work Placement | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5250M | Feminism, Identity and Media | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5370M | International Film Industries | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5380M | The Media and Democratisation: Global Perspectives | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5601M | Innovations in Political Communication | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5610M | Politics and the Media | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5630M | Communication and Public Opinion | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5695M | Communication and Development | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5730M | The Cultural History of Promotional Communication | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5740M | New Media Cultures | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5801M | Urban Narratives | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| COMM5805M | Cultures of Contemporary Photography | 30 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| COMM5815M | Cinematics and Photography | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PECI5204M | Theoretical Perspectives: Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship | 30 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates may not choose the same optional modules in year 2 that they studied in year 1.
Elective modules:
Candidates may study 0 - 30 credits of Discovery (Elective) Modules.
Last updated: 11/10/2016
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