±¬ÁÏTV

This module will provide students with knowledge and skills necessary to communicate messages through the media. Case studies and practical workshops will allow students to learn about the practice of media communication. They will learn how the media operates and how to communicate messages through interviews, press conferences and news releases. Topics covered in the module will include the development of communication strategies, the understanding of news values and news cycles and strategies for successful and ethical communication.

The module seeks to explore a range of ideas and issues within the very broad area of political communication. It starts with a basic introduction to the field and then moves on to look at key issues that feature in the discussion of politics, journalism and communication, and the intersection of these three fields of study. The module will also seek to explore how we should look at the field of political communication at a time when traditional media (newspapers) are in relative decline and different forms of communication (Twitter, Facebook, WeChat) exist in abundance. The discussion will take in comparative, global and historical contexts.

This module examines the relationship between media, political bodies, NGOs, and wider societal actors at the outbreak of international crises. It looks into particular cases of recent international crises and early reportage, questions the emerging media and political representations, and evaluates them in light of theories of perception, identity, and reactions to uncertainty. In this module students will conduct a research project into the early media coverage of a crises, interview journalists, participate in a modelling exercise of political, public and media reactions to an international crisis and relate early coverage to later narratives found in media and film.

This module is designed as an introduction to social scientific research methods as applied in the communications, media and journalism fields. The module provides an overview of key research methods, and the different ways in which research can be conducted. Topics covered include surveys, questionnaire design, focus groups, interviewing, ethnography, content analysis, discourse analysis and different aspects of information search, reserach design, project management and research presentation. The module is designed to make students aware of basic skills in these social science research methods and to equip them to conduct small scale projects on their own, or in groups.

This module will introduce students to key conceptual/methodological debates concerning the role, function and impact of images and visual representations within contemporary forms of political communication. Focusing on a variety of communication, media and journalism-based media and contexts (i.e. photojournalistic coverage of war/conflict/terrorism, the role of images within political campaigns, political cartoons, visual representations of minority groups, etc.), and actors (e.g. politicians, NGOs, marketing and PR professionals, terrorist organisations, protest movements, etc), the module will to equip students with the critical and analytical skills for interrogating and creating dominant modes and methods of visual political communication.

This module will require you to conduct your own research project utilising methods and approaches taught as part of the compulsory autumn semester module IJC474/JNL6210 Research Methods.

You will have a choice of two formats:  

(1)  Traditional social sciences dissertation: For the first option, you will be allocated a supervisor and will identify a research topic and formulate a clear set of research aims, objectives and questions, produce a critical literature review drawing on academic literature, design an appropriate theoretical and methodological framework, and carry out empirical analysis of an identifiable collection of primary data.

(2)  Work-based dissertation: The second option follows a similar structure (i.e. aims, objectives and research questions, literature review, theoretical and methodological framework), but will involve a short-term placement within an employer (e.g. social enterprise organisation, a charity or campaigning organisation, political party, local or national news media). Within the placement, you will be expected to work for no more than 16 hours for a 3-4 week period and will also take part in regular supervision meetings with a member of staff. The 'empirical' dimension of the dissertation will involve a critical, scholarly discussion and reflection on the work undertaken during placement.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other such organisations are valuable information sources, mediators and actors in conflict-affected zones and use local media, particularly radio, to amplify their messages, programmes and advocacy. This module focuses on, and engages with, the public and political communication used, and sometimes misused, and even abused, by radio and digital technologies, internationally and historically, during times of conflict and the challenges they encounter culturally, politically, economically, legally and institutionally. In this case, 'internationally' means from the perspective of the Global South.

Digital life is shaped by competing visions of power, control, and freedom. This module invites you to engage with contemporary debates about how technology governs — and is governed by — political actors across the world, and why the decisions made in boardrooms, legislatures, and server farms matter for citizens everywhere. You will explore how concepts such as sovereignty, surveillance, and digital rights play out differently across global contexts, from authoritarian regimes to liberal democracies.

You will examine a series of current issues in digital governance through guided discussion, critical reading, and applied analysis. Drawing on case studies from China, Russia, the EU, the United States, and the African continent, the module encourages you to compare how infrastructures, data, and platforms shape governance and citizenship in the 21st century. A central feature of the module is a role-play simulation in which you will adopt the perspectives of politicians, NGOs, and tech companies to stage the negotiation of a shared digital policy — developing your ability to evaluate competing interests and navigate real-world policymaking dynamics.

By the end of the module, you will have strengthened your ability to analyse digital governance critically and to communicate complex ideas about power and accountability to wider audiences. These skills are valuable for careers in journalism, policy, research, and advocacy, where understanding the relationship between technology and political power is increasingly essential.

Conspiracy theory is a popular way to interpret the reality around us. Any major event that happens today immediately receives a 'conspiratorial' version which explains its origins as a result of malevolent actions of a secret group of people. No matter how wacky conspiracy theories may be at times, these ideas often have some solid roots in the historical and cultural backgrounds of communities. This module will bring together various theoretical approaches and popular culture products to study conspiracy theories in order to answer a number of questions: How do conspiracy theories emerge and spread on the national and global levels? What are the causes that make people believe in conspiracy theories? How can we prevent the spread of conspiracy theories in our communities? This module will provide a unique chance for students to explore an exciting phenomenon in detail, testing their critical thinking and developing a more rigorous approach to the information that surrounds us daily.

Data increasingly shapes how news organisations decide what to publish, where to invest resources, and how to reach audiences. This module introduces you to the practical use of news and social media analytics as a tool for evidence-based decision-making in journalism, including editorial and audience-focused roles such as audience editors.

You will learn how to work with real-world data drawn from newsrooms and digital platforms, such as news content,  engagement metrics, audience behaviour data, and social media interactions, focusing on how data can be acquired, prepared, analysed, and visualised using a range of  accessible tools. The emphasis is on interpretation and judgement: understanding what data can and cannot tell you, recognising bias and uncertainty, and turning analysis into meaningful insights. The module also reflects the growing use of AI-assisted analytics in contemporary newsrooms, encouraging students to engage critically with automated and AI-supported tools.

By the end of the module, you will be able to use data confidently to support editorial and strategic decisions, communicate findings clearly to stakeholders, and make defensible recommendations grounded in evidence. These skills are increasingly valuable across journalism, audience development, media strategy, and research roles.