Programme Specification for Journalism and Society MA
This programme is currently suspended.
|
Final award |
MA |
|
Intermediate awards available |
Postgraduate Certificate; Postgraduate Diploma |
|
UCAS code |
N/A |
|
Details of professional body accreditation |
N/A |
|
Relevant QAA Benchmark statements |
N/A |
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Date specification last up-dated |
May 2012 |
Profile
The summary - programme advertising leaflet
Programme content
M.A. Journalism and Society offers existing journalists a place to think about their profession and its social role.
M.A. Journalism and Society at UEL
offers: a critical account of journalism and public life. Topics range from current debates about spin, privacy and intellectual property to theoretical categories such as the public sphere. It will stretch your thinking about journalism, but is grounded in journalistic practice.
Admission requirements
Applicants will normally have a good honours degree or equivalent, or comparable professional or research experience; and professional experience of journalism is highly desirable. Applications from overseas and EU students are welcomed. Students whose first language is not English should normally have achieved a score of 6.0 in IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or equivalent. Eligibility for students without degree-equivalent qualifications will be assessed on the basis of a short essay and statement. Places will be offered after a successful interview with a member of the programme team.
Programme structure
All students taking MA Journalism and Society will do two core modules, an option, a module introducing research methods, and a dissertation – this last to be submitted at the end of the summer. The programme can normally be completed in one year (full time) or over two years (part-time).
Learning environment
Seminars, lectures, tutorials, independent learning
Assessment
Each of five modules is assessed independently. All modules carry 30 credits except the Dissertation, which carries 60 credits. There are no exams. Coursework is comprised of essays, a case study, seminar presentation, and dissertation
Relevance to work/profession
Designed by journalists, the programme is intended for other journalists who wish to take stock of their profession and current trends within it. The programme enables students to clarify their thinking about journalism and helps them to maximise their impact on the profession.
Thesis/Dissertation/project work
Each student will submit a dissertation of about 15,000 words towards the end of the programme. This project, chosen and developed in consultation with academic staff, will focus on either a theoretical issue or on a detailed case study relevant to the programme.
Your future career
The programme will enhance your career in journalism in that it will enable you to understand the development of professional practices, and to think critically and act strategically with regard to their potential, progressive development.
How we support you
All students are allocated a personal tutor; all modules leaders are available for consultation. We offer expert advice from media practitioners, alongside an introduction to research methods, support in academic writing, workshops in journalistic writing, a dedicated writing and production room equipped with up-to-date print and online publishing software.
Outcomes
Programme aims and learning outcomes
What is this programme designed to achieve?
This programme is designed to give you the opportunity to:
- Analyse journalistic practices which are frequently taken-for-granted
- Identify emerging trends in journalism
- Discuss the histories of journalism
- Engage with debates and controversies concerning journalism
- Review your practice in the light of historical and theoretical approaches to journalism and its social role
What will you learn?
Knowledge
- Social and historical contexts of accepted journalistic practice, in detail
- Complex theories of society, public life and the role of journalism
- Close engagement with new media environments and new spaces of production and consumption of journalism
- Systematic understanding of emergence, changes and trends in journalism, public life and society
- Concepts, terms, debates and controversies within and about journalism
Thinking skills
- Application of critical and theoretical approaches to journalism
- Evaluation of, comparison and contrast of (a) critical/theoretical and (b) professional approaches to journalism
- Capacity to question journalism itself
- Analysis of situated social, cultural and political phenomena
- Interrelating macro and micro social phenomena
Subject-Based Practical skills
- Library and internet search
- Essay and dissertation writing
- Conducting independent research
- Methodologies such as interviews, observation, textual analysis, documentary research and approaches appropriate to research in the humanities. N.B. These skills are those of academic practice, not as practised in, for example, investigative journalism
Skills for life and work (general skills)
- Presentation and communication of ideas
- Thinking ‘out of the box’
- Analytical thinking
- Problem solving
- Information management
- Project management
Structure
The programme structure
Introduction
All programmes are credit-rated to help you to understand the amount and level of study that is needed.
One credit is equal to 10 hours of directed study time (this includes everything you do e.g. lecture, seminar and private study).
Credits are assigned to one of 5 levels:
- 0 - equivalent in standard to GCE 'A' level and is intended to prepare students for year one of an undergraduate degree programme
- 1 - equivalent in standard to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 2 - equivalent in standard to the second year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 3 - equivalent in standard to the third year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- M - equivalent in standard to a Masters degree
Credit rating
The overall credit-rating of this programme is 180 for Masters, 60 for PGCert, 120 for PGDip.
Typical duration
The typical duration of this programme is one year full-time or two years part-time. It is possible to move from full-time to part-time study and vice-versa to accommodate any external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments. Many of our students make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.
How the teaching year is divided
The teaching year is divided into two semesters of roughly equal length. A typical student registered in a full-time attendance mode will study two 30 credit modules per semester and a typical student registered in a part-time attendance mode will study one or two modules per semester. Work on the independent project (dissertation by media practice) begins in the second semester of the academic year but continues over the summer with completion normally in September.
What you will study when
Journalism modules typically take place in the early evening.
|
Module title |
Credit |
status |
|---|---|---|
|
Journalism: technique and society |
30 |
Core |
|
Research methods |
30 |
Core |
|
Dissertation |
60 |
Core |
|
Politics, Power and Culture |
30 |
Option |
|
Advertising and Media Culture |
30 |
Option |
|
Global Media |
30 |
Option |
|
Introduction to Forced Migration |
30 |
Option |
|
Urban Regeneration and Olympic Cities |
30 |
Option |
|
Experience |
30 |
Option |
|
Adaptation |
30 |
Option |
|
Genre |
30 |
Option |
|
Media Production |
30 |
Option |
|
Interactive Media Practice Or University-Wide Option subject to approval of Programme Leader |
30 |
Option |
Requirements for gaining an award
- In order to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits at Level M.
- In order to gain a Postgraduate Diploma, you will need to obtain 120 credits at Level M
- In order to obtain a Masters, you will need to obtain 180 credits at Level M. These credits will include a 60 credit level M core module of advanced independent research.
Masters Award Classification
Where a student is eligible for an Masters award then the award classification is determined by calculating the arithmetic mean of all marks and applying the mark obtained as a percentage, with all decimals points rounded up to the nearest whole number, to the following classification
|
70% - 100% |
Distinction |
|
60% - 69% |
Merit |
|
50% - 59% |
Pass |
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0% - 49% |
Not Passed |
Assessment
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching and learning
Knowledge is developed through
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Tutorials
- Independent learning
Thinking skills are developed through
- Tutorials
- Seminars
- Lectures
- Independent learning
Practical skills are developed through
- Seminars
- Tutorials
Skills for life and work (general skills) are developed through
- Seminars, tutorials, lectures
Assessment
Knowledge is assessed by
- Essays
- Presentation
- Case study
- Research proposal
- Dissertation
Thinking skills are assessed by
- Essays
- Presentation
- Case study
- Research proposal
- Dissertation
Practical skills are assessed by
- Research proposal
- Dissertation
Skills for life and work (general skills) are assessed by
- Essays, presentation, dissertation
Quality
How we assure the quality of this programme
Before this programme started
Before this programme started, the following was checked:
- there would be enough qualified staff to teach the programme;
- adequate resources would be in place;
- the overall aims and objectives were appropriate;
- the content of the programme met national benchmark requirements;
- the programme met any professional/statutory body requirements;
- the proposal met other internal quality criteria covering a range of issues such as admissions policy, teaching, learning and assessment strategy and student support mechanisms.
This is done through a process of programme approval which involves consulting academic experts including some subject specialists from other institutions.
How we monitor the quality of this programme
The quality of this programme is monitored each year through evaluating:
- external examiner reports (considering quality and standards);
- statistical information (considering issues such as the pass rate);
- student feedback.
Drawing on this and other information, programme teams undertake the annual Review and Enhancement Process which is co-ordinated at School level and includes student participation. The process is monitored by the Quality and Standards Committee.
Once every six years an in-depth review of the whole field is undertaken by a panel that includes at least two external subject specialists. The panel considers documents, looks at student work, speaks to current and former students and speaks to staff before drawing its conclusions. The result is a report highlighting good practice and identifying areas where action is needed.
The role of the programme committee
This programme has a programme committee comprising all relevant teaching staff, student representatives and others who make a contribution towards the effective operation of the programme (e.g. library/technician staff). The committee has responsibilities for the quality of the programme. It provides input into the operation of the Review and Enhancement Process and proposes changes to improve quality. The programme committee plays a critical role in the quality assurance procedures.
The role of external examiners
The standard of this programme is monitored by at least one external examiner. External examiners have two primary responsibilities:
- To ensure the standard of the programme;
- To ensure that justice is done to individual students.
External examiners fulfil these responsibilities in a variety of ways including:
- Approving exam papers/assignments;
- Attending assessment boards;
- Reviewing samples of student work and moderating marks;
- Ensuring that regulations are followed;
- Providing feedback through an annual report that enables us to make improvements for the future.
Listening to the views of students
The following methods for gaining student feedback are used on this programme:.
- Module evaluations
- Student representation on programme committees
Students are notified of the action taken through:
- circulating the minutes of the programme committee
- providing details on the programme noticeboard
- UELPlus
- UEL Direct
Listening to the views of others
The following methods are used for gaining the views of other interested parties:
- Questionnaires to former students
- Annual student satisfaction questionnaire
- Industrial liaison working group
Further Information
Alternative locations for studying this programme
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Where you can find further information
The publications associated with the programme can be viewed at www.risingeast.org and www.maglab.org
Further information about this programme is available from:
- The UEL web site (http://www.uel.ac.uk)
- The student handbook
- Module study guides
- UEL Manual of General Regulations and Policies http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/
- UEL Quality Manual http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/
- Regulations for the Academic Framework http://www.uel.ac.uk/academicframework/
- http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi - web pages of the School of Arts and Digital Industries
- Visit our gallery of student work here: http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi/showcase/studentwork/
- Current External examiners
- External examiner reports (available from UEL virtual learning environment (UELPlus or Moodle))
