MA Society, Culture and Media

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year/programme students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate in-depth, specialist knowledge of key theories and debates in sociology and their application to contemporary issues in culture and media
2. Show a high-level grasp of epistemological debates, research design principles and investigative techniques relevant to the study of contemporary aspects of culture and media
3. Develop, implement and execute research ideas and plans to evaluate critically current debates in the field; to design, implement and evaluate innovative research projects reflexively, taking account of ethical considerations.
4. Demonstrate a mastery of concepts, information and techniques deployed in the sociology of culture and media.

Skills Learning Outcomes
Students who complete this programme will have acquired:
1. A critical and sophisticated knowledge of media structures, processes and their diverse effects on society.
2. A deep and advanced knowledge of the social, cultural and political factors that shape media performance and representations.
3. A critical understanding of the processes and impact of the mediatisation and digitization of society and culture.
4. Develop an awareness of the local-global dynamics in the interconnectedness of society, culture and media in a globalising world.
5. Advanced skills for critical thinking and in-depth analysis of existing scholarship in the sociology of culture and media
6.The ability and skills to work independently on research projects in the fields of society, culture and media
7. Skills to collaborate productively with colleagues and across disciplines in group assignments, seminars, and workshops.
8. Advanced skills to communicate complex ideas orally and in writing to diverse audiences.
9. An awareness of key ethical issues in the analysis of society, Culture and media.
10. Reflective and reflexive skills to critically assess one’s own work, assumptions and biases.
11. Flexibility and adaptability and other skills necessary to undertake a higher research degree and/or for employment in a higher capacity in an area of professional practice

Assessment

Achievements on this programme will be assessed through a variety of methods to meet the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme. The methods will include:
• Evidencing an ability to conduct an independent in-depth enquiry within the discipline;
• Demonstrating and communicating the ability to apply breadth and/or depth of knowledge to a complex specialist area;
• Drawing on a range of perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches across an area of study;
• Evaluating and critiquing scholarship and opinion;
• Making reasoned judgements whilst understanding the limitations on judgements made in the absence of complete data.