MA Communication and Language Studies

Course Code DNT2RQLO201
Duration 2 Years
Attendance Part Time
Award Degree of Master of Arts

Overview
Why Choose Us
Requirements
Course Profile
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Overview

Globalisation has broken down barriers of time and space and led to the ever greater centrality of knowledge and information. The increased contact between different linguistic communities (through migration, tourism, education, and information and media flows) has not, however, resolved the problem of linguistic and cultural barriers, quite the opposite. As language and cultural exchanges become ever more frequent and diverse, so does our need to comprehend the nature of intercultural communication and how it may best be promoted. These are the central concerns of the various MA programmes in the School of Language and Communications Studies at UEA.

New Module for 2011-12: Intercultural Communication in Practice

This module explores how students can become more effective communicators in international settings, by developing their intercultural competence. It is relevant to those wishing to pursue careers in international management and multilingual business. Invited speakers will introduce students to how intercultural communication operates in specific government and business organisations.

In the interdisciplinary MA in Communication and Language Studies, our focus is firmly on language, as a crucial key to comprehending the world today and participating in the world of tomorrow. We are also particularly interested in exploring today's increasingly complex and varied networks of communication and culture from different perspectives, and this makes what we offer very distinctive. The course provides a broad-based approach to the study of language both as a cultural resource and a cultural practice and makes use of a variety of analytic approaches from Discourse Analysis and ethnolinguistics to semiotics and cross-cultural pragmatics. Options dealing with communication in media and cultural products from the completely different standpoints of, for example, film and television studies or political, social and international studies, provide opportunities further to diversify and compare approaches, methodologically and interculturally.

The course is intended specifically for international students and integrates English proficiency and skills training into the overall programme of study. It will be of interest to students who are seeking to deepen their knowledge of language as a cultural object and of its uses across communicative contexts and media, as well as a range of professionals concerned with issues of interpersonal and intercultural communication across different fields.

MA Degree Programmes	Postgraduate Diplomas (MA in Communication and Language Studies only)
Four taught modules assessed by coursework (six for Communication and Language Studies)	Six taught modules assessed by coursework
Obligatory core elements and options	Obligatory core elements and options
Year Long Research Method module	Two-semester 100% taught courses (no dissertation)
15,000 word supervised dissertation (8,000 for MA in Communication and Language Studies) Easter to early September
Multi-disciplinary environment, wide range of options from across the Faculty
Full time and Part time programmes

View Course Handbook

MACLS Course Handbook 2011-12

Why study Communication and Language Studies at UEA?

Several factors combine to make the choice of the MA in Communication and Language Studies at UEA particularly exciting and appropriate.

UEA has a long-established reputation for interdisciplinarity and the MA builds on this tradition: you explore issues from the point of view of language with specialists in language and cross-cultural communication, but you also have the opportunity to work with specialists in Politics and Social Sciences or Film and Television Studies, for example, and to diversify and compare approaches, methodologically and cross-culturally.

Research within the School itself focuses on cross-cultural communication, with all staff sharing an interest in the cross-over of language, translation and media in a multilingual framework. The different standpoints from which they approach the interaction between language and forms of communication constitute complementary and mutually enriching perspectives.

The wide range of linguistically diverse students enrolled on both this and other MA programmes in the School provides a rich environment in which to study differences in intercultural communication.

The School provides a friendly and stimulating environment in which to study. The size of the School allows for more personal staff-student contact and individual academic support than in many larger institutions.

The James Platt Centre for Language Learning which is housed within the School provides an extensive range of language resources including live satellite broadcasts, CDs and DVDs in various foreign languages, as well as a wide variety of foreign language printed matter. These materials complement the excellent holdings of the UEA library. IT facilities are excellent throughout the University.

Course Content and Structure

The MA in Communication and Language Studies is a one-year, full-time taught course but it can also be taken part-time over two years.
The course provides students with a high level of theoretical and practical training, combined with the opportunity to focus on issues of particular individual interest. Teaching is mainly through the media of seminars and individual dissertation supervision.
The course consists of six taught modules, three compulsory and three selected from a range of options from within the School or the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. There is also a compulsory Research Methods module taken by all LCS MA students.

Example of modules: English, Communication, Culture; Language Issues in a Global Multilingual Context; Textual Interactions and Ideology; Linguistic Communication among Cultures; Cultural Representations and Language; Politics and Popular Culture, Politics and Mass Media, European Media and the EU, Japanese Film: National Cinema and Beyond.
The final compulsory element is an 8,000-word dissertation on a subject chosen by students in consultation with members of academic staff. Work on the dissertation starts at Easter for submission at the beginning of September.
Assessment is on the basis of coursework, (seminar papers, oral case studies, essays, for example), and the dissertation.

Transferable Skills:

Students who successfully complete the MA will have developed to a high level their awareness and understanding of issues of culture and communication against claims of globalisation. They will have become familiar with different approaches to these issues, and gained the ability to assess these approaches critically and to evaluate their usefulness to their own needs and circumstances.

They will also have honed their practical and analytical grasp of English language and culture and achieved the level and range of skills consonant with the requirements of study at postgraduate level in a British academic environment: ability to read and utilise research literature, independent research, with a focus on appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, presentation skills (oral and written), IT skills required to achieve these goals.

The programme will provide a suitable foundation for further postgraduate studies at MPhil and PhD level.

Course Organiser

Dr Marie-Noelle Guillot

Programme Specification

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Course Brochure

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Year 1
Year 2

Year 1

Compulsory Study (25 credits)

Students will select 25 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
English, Communication, Culture The module is intended to refine linguistic and academic competences (oral and or written communication, control of academic registers), and to explore how English operates in a variety of cultural contexts (including the media, critical debate). Skills covered include seminar and presentation skills, note-taking, academic writing, self-directed study and research skills, with application to the theme of communication and language and materials specifically relevant to MA students. An important aim of the module is to familiarise students with the conventions of English academic life and the environment of the university. more...	LCS-MC01	20	Semester 1
Research Methods Part I This module is the first part of a course designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data) and focuses on seminar-related activities. It is taught in the first semester of the first year of study. The module is compulsory for all LCS part-time students on MA Taught programmes and open only to them. Co-Requisite: LCS-MR02. more...	LCS-MR01	5	Semester 1

Option A Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following module(s).

You may pick any of the modules that begin with:

FTVFM

Music, Media, Society This module considers the changing role of music within social and cultural practices, its varied relationships with selfhood, media and technology, bodies, everyday lives and social power. In surveying the ways music is and has been bound up in social and cultural formations, the module engages with a range of theoretical issues about how music `works' as well as exploring some of the ways organised sound can be said to `mean' in differing contexts. The module also introduces students to an eclectic range of writings and questions about music in social life, considering questions about the materiality of sound, musical communities, performance, media and affect, positioning such issues in relation to music's production, circulation and consumption. more...	FTVFM062	20	Semester 2
Japanese Film: National Cinema and Beyond This module explores the concept of Japanese cinema in relation to national, transnational and global discourses and seeks to reframe discussions of modern and past Japanese filmmaking. We will examine a variety of Japanese films and the ways in which they interact with the history, techniques and culture of Japan. We will also consider the social and commercial nature of Japanese filmmaking, including the ways in which Japanese films circulate the globe. more...	FTVFM032	20	Semester 2
Film Studies: History, Theory, Criticism This unit aims to provide key terms of reference and research skills in the study of film; to identify key objects, theories and methods in the analysis of film; and to provide a sense of historical development of film. Intended learning outcomes: a) Knowledge and Understanding. By the end of the unit should: have some of the key skills for the study of film at M level; have an awareness of the debates between different approaches to the study of film; be familiar with the key objects, theories and methods in the analysis of film; have some familiarity with the historical development of film. b) Intellectual Skills. By the end of the unit students should be able to: apply the key approaches to the analysis of film; assesses the debates between these different approaches; construct coherent and independent arguments. c) Professional Skills. The unit will develop students' ability to: select, sift and synthesize information from a variety of primary and secondary materials; write accurately and grammatically and present written material suing appropriate conventions. d) Transferable Skills. The unit will also develop students' ability to: manage a large and disparate body of information; use IT to word process assessed work; speak and write cogently about a chosen subject area. more...	FTVFM023	20	Semester 1
Effects, Audiences and the Media The module is designed to explore the debates over media effects. In the process, it will challenge the effects tradition, which motivates many of the concerns with media censorship and regulation, and suggests alternative ways of understanding the ways in which audiences consume contemporary media. In the process, it will examine a range of approaches to the understanding of media consumption. more...	FTVFM046	20	Semester 2
Gender and Culture Providing a conceptual overview of feminist research approaches, this module examines the role of culture in the construction of contemporary gender relations. Exploring a range of case studies, such as film, television, food and sport, it provides an interdisciplinary perspective on cultural texts, their audiences, markets and regulation. The module explores both theoretical and methodological issues and covers a range of theoretical approaches, including media studies, cultural studies, gender studies history, law and economics. By the end of the module students will have developed understanding of: ' a variety of feminist approaches to the analysis of cultural texts, their audiences, markets and regulation. ' the relationship between cultural texts and their socio-economic and political contexts and the importance of gender in analysing culture. Additionally students will be able to ' critically reflect on the place of gender in media research ' apply feminist research methodologies to the analysis of cultural texts and audiences more...	FTVFM064	20	Semester 2
Women and Film This module intends to explore and critically reflect upon the relationship between women and film whilst focusing on issues such as women's cinema as counter cinema; women's cinema as minor cinema; women filmmakers; international women's film festivals; the representation of women in film; female spectatorship, (fe)male gaze; sexuality; feminism and post-feminism in film; female subjectivity; female desire, feminist filmmaking. The module will focus on analysing contemporary films from a variety of national and transnational cinemas. more...	FTVFM060	20	Semester 2
Film Studies Dissertation This module involves the production of a 12,000-15,000 word piece of work, which focuses upon a suitable topic of your own choosing. You will be assigned a supervisor to advise you on your research and writing of the dissertation. more...	FTVFM60X	60	Semester 2
Studying Media This module is intended to provide an introduction to the key study skills in film, television and media studies for students unfamiliar with the British university system and its expectations of students. Focusing on the key issues and academic debates within media studies, it will provide students with a sense of the educational expectations that they will encounter during their other modules and help them to acclimatise themselves to the culture of British universities. This module is compulsory for students new to the British university system. more...	FTVFM029	20	Semester 1
Creativity and Development in Film and Television Production This practice-based module is designed to introduce students to key skills in film and television development and business. It will provide an understanding of the processes of creative script and project development, including film and TV business, the activities of the market and dealing with bodies responsible for commissioning films and television programmes, managing creative people, and writing pitches. This module is compulsory for students following the MA in Film, Television and Creative Practice. Priority for further places will be given to students taking the MA in Film Studies and scriptwriters on the MA in Creative Writing. more...	FTVFM058	20	Semester 2
Film and Television Production The module is designed to introduce students to key skills in film and television and video production. It will provide an understanding of the production process and thereby focuses less on technical training than on encouraging students to think about using audio visual media to produce creative solutions to practical problems. The module also encourages students to consider how to deliver work within the normal constraints of media production, i.e., students will have to think about working to a brief rather than simply imagining themselves as independent artists. This module is compulsory for students following the MA in Film, Television and Creative Practice. Priority for further places will be given to students taking the MA in Film Studies. more...	FTVFM041	20	Semester 1
Science Fiction: Film and Television Science Fiction films and television series have provided a significant focus for addressing social/cultural and political issues. This module looks at the historical development of the genre, with an emphasis on locating the films/television programs within an historical and cultural context. An array of films and series episodes from both the US and UK will be screened and various clips will also be discussed in seminar. Films/television programs covered in the module will include: Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902), Things to Come (1936), Forbidden Planet (1956), Quatermass 2 (1957), Lost in Space (1965-1968), Doctor Who (1963-1989), Altered States (1980), Threads (1984), Robocop (1987), Independence Day (1996), The Matrix (1999). more...	FTVFM043	20	Semester 1
Celebrity Culture The module will explore the phenomenon of celebrity and fame from its origins to the present day, moving across a range of different media, including film, television, print media and the internet. In the process, it will examine key areas in the study of celebrity, including historical analysis, the reading of celebrity `images', questions of ideology (e.g., gender, class), the political economy of celebrity, audience and celebrity, and the impact of new technologies. It will feature a range of case studies that will include celebrity in the 19th century, Classical Hollywood cinema, the coming of television, the celebrity gossip magazine and questions of gender, the birth of Reality TV, the growth of the celebrity scandal and the relationship between celebrity and the internet more...	FTVFM068	20	Semester 2
The Big Picture: Contemporary Hollywood Cinema What are Hollywood's biggest hits in recent decades, and what, if anything, do they have in common? What kinds of film does Hollywood invest in most heavily, and which target audiences are these films aimed at? What are the habits and expectations of cinema audiences, and what meanings and pleasures do hit movies offer to them? Who are the key decision makers in the industry, and which names have the biggest clout at the box office? How does the theatrical release of films in the US relate to their circulation in foreign markets and in other media (television, video, DVD)? These are some of the questions which this module addresses. more...	FTVFM015	20	Semester 1

LCS-M

Dissertation Communication and Language Studies The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD1X	50	Semester 2
Translation and Theory This module explores ways in which concepts and notions develop into theoretical approaches and translatorial practices but also how practice establishes theoretical positions. Each weekly seminar will focus on key concepts and their use in the existing bibliography on translation, while the practical tasks will give to students the opportunity to apply these concepts to their own translation work. more...	LCS-MA03	20	Semester 1
Dissertation MAATS The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD2X	90	Semester 2
Intercultural Communication in Practice This module explores the issues fundamental to intercultural communication (IC) in practical contexts. The theoretical component of the module examines the different ways of thinking about effective communication in a variety of work-based environments. We will also relate theory to the practice of intercultural communication in contextualised workshops. During these workshops, invited practitioners will introduce students to how IC operates in specific organisations, e.g. in government agencies, in multilingual business management, etc. The module is relevant to those wishing to pursue careers in international management and relations, multilingual business and international development; it is also of interest to those who wish to become more effective communicators in other professions such as translation, interpreting, education and cultural mediation. more...	LCS-ML22	20	Semester 2
Linguistic Communication Among Cultures There is more to linguistic communication than just knowing the vocabulary and grammar of a language; speakers need to know the different ways of using the language they speak ' what to say, how to say it and when to say it. But language is also intimately involved in our notions of culture, our thought processes and, perhaps, even in our sense of reality. Indeed, the very act of linguistic communication itself both creates and sustains our expectations, beliefs and moral values about our world and lives. This module explores a number of issues relating to this reciprocal relationship between language and culture. Linguistics, characterised as the scientific study of language, tends to focus on the formal features of language structure, treating it as an autonomous object. There is more, however, to linguistic communication than just knowing the vocabulary and grammar of a language; speakers need to know the different ways of using the language they speak - what to say and how to say it. These assumptions vary from culture to culture as often shows up in the various forms of miscommunication that occur when we talk with speakers from different linguistic backgrounds. From a broader perspective language is intimately involved in our notions of culture - imagine, for example, expressing, discussing or learning about religious or political beliefs without language - our thought processes and, perhaps, even in our sense of reality. Indeed, for some, the notions of language and culture are so inseparable that they are referred to collectively as languaculture. more...	LCS-ML26	20	Semester 2
Intercultural Communication - Understanding Differences in A Global World This module is an introduction to some of the fundamental concepts associated with theories of intercultural communication. Since norms of behaviour are culturally defined and varied, the beliefs and values which underlie a culture's worldview will be examined from a variety of perspectives. Indicative topics are expected to include how culture is defined; models of explanation of cultural difference (such as the theories of Hofstede and Tropenaars); notions of identity (personal, group, national) and 'otherisation'; stereotypes and prejudice; verbal and non-verbal communication; miscommunication and intercultural conflict; acculturation and culture shock, etc. The module is relevant to students from a variety of backgrounds and with varied interests and will provide useful background for the module 'Intercultural Communication in Practice'. more...	LCS-ML25	20	Semester 1
Translation Work Experience This module is aimed at MA Translation students with no (or little) previous translation work experience, and students who have experience of professional translation but would like the opportunity to review their practices by reflecting on, and critically documenting, the processes involved. It is based on work on authentic translation assignments negotiated with commercial clients and is very practical: it will promote hands-on sensitisation to aspects of professional commercial translation, to problems involved in translating to specifications, producing and presenting a product of professional standard, to techniques of translation and to the use of reference materials and support resources. It will enable you to apply your analytical and linguistic skills, and to develop a range of key practical skills, including research skills, project and time management, reflective and review skills. more...	LCS-MA02	20	Semester 2
Research Methods The module is designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data). It is taught over two semesters: the first focuses on seminar-related activities, the second on dissertation-related work. It is assessed by an oral exam on a pass/ fail basis after the end of the second semester. The module is obligatory for all LCS full-time postgraduate students on taught MA programmes and open only to them. more...	LCS-MR1Y	10	Year Period
Research Methods Part II The module is the second part of a course designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data) and focuses on work for the dissertation. It is taught in the second semester of the first or second year of study and assessed by an oral examination on a pass/fail basis after the end of the second semester. The module is obligatory for all LCS part-time students on MA taught programmes and open only to them. Pre-requisite: LCS-MR01. more...	LCS-MR02	5	Semester 2
English, Communication, Culture The module is intended to refine linguistic and academic competences (oral and or written communication, control of academic registers), and to explore how English operates in a variety of cultural contexts (including the media, critical debate). Skills covered include seminar and presentation skills, note-taking, academic writing, self-directed study and research skills, with application to the theme of communication and language and materials specifically relevant to MA students. An important aim of the module is to familiarise students with the conventions of English academic life and the environment of the university. more...	LCS-MC01	20	Semester 1
Dissertation Language and Intercultural Communication The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD3X	90	Semester 2
Translation and Cultural Representation Across Arts and Media The module will focus on two distinct types of interlingual mediation ' screen translation and museum translation ' to explore issues of linguistic and cultural representation in cultural products, and their implications for public perceptions of media and cultural otherness. It will consider and compare features and constraints of language transfer across these two contexts, and assess their capacity to promote cross-cultural sensitization. The module will involve a hands-on practical component with either a subtitling practice workshop OR a museology in practice workshop (TBC). more...	LCS-MA10	20	Semester 2
Language Issues in A Global Multilingual Context This module focuses on language-related issues associated with the globalisation of communication and the media. It considers a range of materials - texts and their translation(s), multilingual sources of information (e.g. global news, consumer information, websites), products of audiovisual translation (e.g. subtitling, dubbing, voice over), IT mediated or processed texts, etc - to explore issues involved in the transposition and dissemination of (spoken and written) text into other media and other languages across different spheres of activity (e.g. media, politics, culture). Receptive knowledge of at least one language other than the mother tongue required. more...	LCS-MC02	20	Semester 2
The Power of Discourse: Representation and Interaction Language occurs in specific socio-cultural settings, among specific social actors and for a variety of purposes. In turn particular uses of language have the power to shape social encounters and relationships and to help construct and maintain specific ideologies and perspectives. Discourse analysis aims to uncover the ways in which language in use is tied to its socio-cultural context. This approach is thus at heart of the analysis of human interaction in society. This module provides the students with analytical tools that can be fruitfully applied to the study of a variety of communicative modes (written texts, spoken interaction, visual or other non verbal modes) as employed in a variety of fields (e.g. media, advertising, politics, education, business, institutional settings, creative writing) and for a variety of purposes (persuading, entertaining, informing). Students will be able to explore the significance and effectiveness of specific communicative strategies and how they may vary according to cultural context and expectations. The module is, therefore, not only suited to postgraduate students focusing on issues of linguistic communication but also to students interested in aspect of linguistic transferability (translation, adaptation, localization). There are plenty of hands-on practice and discussion. more...	LCS-ML13	20	Semester 1
Technological Tools for Translators The aim of this module is to provide an introduction for students of literary and non-literary translation to computer-based tools, technologies and methodologies used by translators, and to examine the strengths and weaknesses of such tools. more...	LCS-MT12	20	Semester 2
Translation in Context This module explores the issues fundamental to translation as process and product in practical contexts, examines theories of equivalence and textual structure in different language-cultures, and applies theory to specialised practice (e.g. commercial, legal, technical, political). more...	LCS-MA01	20	Semester 1
Forensic Linguistics and Translation This module is focused on theoretical and practical aspects of the interplay between language and other language-driven activities such as translation and memory in special circumstances of witnessing, experiencing or judging crime and providing expert linguistic testimony and language services such as translating and interpreting. It contextualises the consequences of this relationship within an interactive environment, namely forensic, psycholinguistic and cross-cultural contexts of language use. Another dimension of the course is an emphatic cross-linguistic approach, whereby we assume the latest linguistic typological perspective and discuss the effects of language differences on the kind of information habitually provided in or omitted from reports in one language and translation. more...	LCS-MA08	20	Semester 2
Conflict in Intercultural Communication The module introduces students to the study of intercultural conflict, through case studies of miscommunication at the levels of international political terminology, pragmatic strategies, the public representation of cross-cultural conflicts and of migration/multicultural conflicts. The module enables students to apply analytical methods to conflicts in intercultural communication on the basis of applied linguistics (contrastive semantics, pragmatics and sociolinguistics) and cultural studies. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the linguistic dimensions of conflicts (and their mediation) in intercultural communication. Formative work includes oral and written presentations. more...	LCS-ML23	20	Semester 1
Dissertation Forensic Linguistics The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD4X	90	Semester 2
Dissertation Conflicts in Intercultural Communication The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD5X	90	Semester 2
Research Methods Part I This module is the first part of a course designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data) and focuses on seminar-related activities. It is taught in the first semester of the first year of study. The module is compulsory for all LCS part-time students on MA Taught programmes and open only to them. Co-Requisite: LCS-MR02. more...	LCS-MR01	5	Semester 1

PSI

Analysing Media Discourses This module examines the relationship between language, images and social meaning. Media products from film and advertising to newspaper articles and even music are examined as `texts' that shape and are shaped by the socio-political reality. After discussing some of the main theories of textual analysis like semiotics, psychoanalysis and discourse analysis, we will adopt a hands on approach in order to demonstrate how the visual and linguistic techniques can advance our understanding of the processes of representation and communication of meaning. more...	PSIPM015	20	Semester 1
Media, Culture and Society Dissertation For students taking the MA in Media, Culture and Society. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSIPM40X	60	Semester 2
Dissertation (Mres) For students taking the MRes degrees in Public Policy and Public Management and International Public Policy and Public Management. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M30X	60	Semester 2
Public Management: Theories and Change This module enables students to develop advanced understanding of the main theories, models and concepts used in the study of public management, the main debates in the field, and substantive knowledge of developments in public management in a variety of settings. Students who successfully complete this module will be able to demonstrate: a critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches used in the study of public management and organisational behaviour; familiarity with the main debates in the scholarly literature on public management; substantive knowledge of the theory and practice of the new public management; a critical understanding of public management reform in the United Kingdom and elsewhere; and familiarity with debates concerning the operation and impact of international organisations, including the EU, on public management at the national level. more...	PSIPM021	20	Semester 1
International Organisations and Public Policy The module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the role of international organisations and their impact on public policy and public management at the domestic and international levels. Students will discuss critically the theories, models and concepts used in the analysis of international cooperation, competing perspectives in international politics and demonstrate the role they play in public policy and public management. The UN, NATO, IMF, WTO, World Bank and EU will be examined and why sovereign states decide to establish these and other international organisations. Their role in security, trade, finance, gender and environmental policy will be considered and the factors which determine their design and evolution. The extent to which their operation reflects underlying power and interest will be evaluated and the extent to which they have democratic legitimacy. more...	PSIIM006	20	Semester 2
Public Policy: Theory and Analysis This module enables students to develop advanced understanding of the main theories, models and concepts used in the study of public policy, the main debates in the field, and substantive knowledge of public policy in a variety of settings. Students successfully completing the module will be able to demonstrate: - critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches used in the study of public policy - familiarity with the main debates in the scholarly literature on public policy - advanced knowledge of public policy and policy processes in a variety of national settings - familiarity with the main theories and debates relating to the operation and impact of international organisations, including the European Union, on domestic policy and policy-making processes. more...	PSIPM023	20	Semester 1
The European Union in International Affairs The module focuses on European Political Cooperation now and into the future, particularly Europe's role as an international actor. Issues include the EU and international conflicts such as the Gulf War, the Middle East and former Yugoslavia, the EU's position as one of three major economic world powers, the EU and Third World development, new considerations in European security, global environmental and energy concerns. Convergence or divergence in European political consensus is examined through these issues in an attempt to draw useful insights for the future of European Integration. more...	PSIIM010	20	Semester 2
International History of the Asia-Pacific Region This module looks at the history of the region, including the involvement of the superpowers in the politics of the cold war in Asia. Conflict in the region as well as the rise and fall of the regional powers are reviewed. The development of multipolarity and the importance of the Asia-Pacific region in the post-cold war world is also covered. The aftermath of the Second World War, the onset of the Cold War, conflict in Korea and Vietnam, the changing relationship between the US, USSR and China are covered, as is the development of Southeast Asia in the modern world. We also assess the major issues contemporary to the region. more...	PSIIM007	20	Semester 1
The Foreign Relations of China and Japan in the Modern World The module looks at the history of China and Japan from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The attempts at modernisation, conflict between the two nations, their relationships with the Asian region and the United States are covered. Their contrasting attempts to develop in the postwar period are investigated. We also assess their current policies and the issues of importance to China and Japan in the twenty first century, and assess whether they can move beyond the legacy of this difficult history. more...	PSIIM026	20	Semester 2
Political Economy of the Environment In this module, students will critically engage with mainstream political and economic assessments of environmental degradation and climate change by adopting a political economy approach. In coming to terms with these environmental threats, the module tries to reawaken a broader type of ethical, natural and social theorisation that defined an earlier political economy. This is not a module on environmental or resource economics, nor are students expected to have an economics background. Rather, this module tries to problematise social production as something much more than a series of market relations. It tries to develop a broader socio-cultural understanding of production that `de-naturalises' the way we view and exploit the natural world. more...	PSIPM022	20	Semester 2
Politics and Mass Media Working from the assumption that the mass media are an integral part of modern political life, this module examines the way in which politics is represented in the mass media and reviews critically the argument about 'bias'. It also explores the arguments around the ownership and control of mass media, the increasing use of the mass media by political parties and the changing relationship between citizens and politics engendered by new communication technologies. more...	PSIPM012	20	Semester 2
Issues in Media and Cultural Politics This module explores key issues within media and cultural politics. The module is divided into separate blocks and spread over two semesters. Each block deals with different aspects of media and cultural politics, including identity and power, communication and culture. more...	PSIPM03Y	20	Year Period
Theories of Society and Politics This module introduces students to the fundamentals of modern social and political thought by means of in-depth study of key texts by leading thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth century. An emphasis is placed on classical social theory and liberal political theory as well as more recent departures from those traditions. Students will have an opportunity to read and discuss major works of social theory by Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Pierre Bourdieu as well as works of political theory by J S Mill, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, and Iris Marion Young. During the module students will also have the chance to reflect on fundamental questions about the methodologies employed by social and political theorists and on problems associated with claims to knowledge and objective truth in these fields. more...	PSIPM003	20	Semester 1
History of Political Thought: Social Contract Theory This module examines in depth selected works of political thinkers who are seminal to the Western tradition of political thought, including Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. Their work will also be compared thematically, with a focus on ideas such as the social contract, political obligation, property, individual rights and freedom. The approach is analytical rather than historical and contextualist. The module's focus on the study and interpretation of key texts enables students to develop skills of textual analysis and critique. more...	PSIPM005	20	Semester 1
Theory and Practice of Policy Making in Britain This module will look at theories of policy making and relate them to recent developments in the policy process in Britain, using a case studies approach. The unit will consider some theories of decision making, such as the rational actor model, disjointed incrementalism, policy networks, bureaucratic politics. It will also examine broader issues of the relationship of power and economic forces to the decision making process. Finally, it will examine such issues as agenda setting, the importance of policy discourse and the role of ideas and belief systems in the policy making process. more...	PSIPM018	20	Semester 2
Middle East Politics This module introduces students to the government and politics of one of the most interesting and frequently misunderstood regions in world politics ' the Middle East. The module examines the evolution of the modern Middle Eastern political system over the past century. Students will acquire the skills to analyse key issues in the politics of the region, including topical events such as the preponderance of ethno-sectarian violence and the rise of Islamist movements. Other key questions include the lack of democracy in the region and the creation of rentier economies in the Gulf. more...	PSIIM030	20	Semester 2
MA in International Relations Examination This is a generic exam for students registered on the MA in International Relations based around the core unit, International Relations Theory. more...	PSIIM200	20	Semester 2
Review Paper (Mres) A research review paper of 6,000-9,000 words on a subject of your choice. more...	PSIPM04Y	20	Year Period
Multiculturalism This module looks at the responses in political theory to the rise of multicultural societies in Europe and North America since the end of World War II. The aim is to introduce students to a range of contemporary theoretical perspectives on multiculturalism and to facilitate critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of competing approaches. Theorists under examination will include: Parekh, Kymlicka, Taylor and Modood as well as major liberal alternative views; Barry, Rawls and Raz. The module will combine theoretical study with analysis of practical issues/case studies surrounding multiculturalism. Among the issues to be considered are the following: models of integration, group rights, institutional racism, Islamophobia, and the Rushdie affair. The module will also consider divergent policies adopted within European states (eg, France and Germany) and give attention to the attempts to operationalise multiculturalism in the UK in particular via the Parekh Report. more...	PSIPM026	20	Semester 2
Politics and Public Affairs This module enables students to develop an advanced understanding of the theory and practice of public affairs, interest intermediation, and the strategies used by interest, advocacy groups and others to influence the political process. As well as covering the main debates in the academic literature, it draws directly on the experience of practitioners and offers unique insights into this under-studied area of politics. more...	PSIPM034	20	Semester 2
Regulation This module provides a foundation in the theory and practice of economic regulation, incorporating economic, business, legal and political science perspectives. The module is a research-led programme based on the research undertaken in the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy and assumes no previous studies of economics. more...	PSIPM028	20	Semester 2
Practical Media The Practical Media module is taught at the EPIC (former Anglia) TV studios in Norwich. This is a state-of-the-art working TV studio (e.g making shows for BBC1). Students are given an introduction to all aspects of broadcast journalism, including camera and studio work, scripting, editing (using Apple's Final Cut Pro) and sound. Students produce short videos in small teams before creating this into a TV show (magazine format) in the main studio. The course is taught by leading experts in their field. Ian Masters presented BBC Look East for many years before moving into management including Director of BBC South. He was also Director of Broadcasting at the Thompson Foundation and has travelled all around the world training journalists. Mark Wells was a BBC journalist and producer for many years, before becoming a Director at Televirtual (making TV shows such as Knightmare). He is currently Director of the EPIC TV studios. Further information is available: www.ueamedia.wordpress.com, www.epic-tv.org. more...	PSIPM020	20	Semester 2
American Foreign Policy This module will use case studies of Southeast Asia, Central America and the Middle East to explore the reasons for American interventions and to assess their success or failure. It will offer an historical understanding of the assumptions and practices which lie behind contemporary US foreign policy-making. The module will introduce students to the institutions and processes involved in the making of American foreigh policy. more...	PSIIM032	20	Semester 2
Psi Dissertation By Practice Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. The dissertation by practice allows students to demonstrate their ability to carry out a work of broadcastable journalism. more...	PSI-M60X	40	Semester 2
New Media and Society For better or worse, new digital technologies are hyped at having revolutionised society. This module will provide students with an introduction to the ways in which the internet and other digital technologies are (and are not) affecting society from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and how society shapes technology. Topics covered include: the evolution of the internet; the "network society"; regulating new media; the radical internet and terrorism; social networking, blogs and interactivity; culture and identity in the digital age; and how the internet affects politics and the media. more...	PSIPM007	20	Semester 1
Better Worlds? Utopias and Dystopias Would an ideal society have no more crime? Who would be wealthy or powerful? Would politics be outlawed? Do utopians try to impose their views on the rest of humankind? Do the flaws in human nature justify the pessimism of dystopian writers? This unit compares selected utopian and dystopian texts produced during the last six centuries. Themes will include property, social control, gender, morality and politics. Another dimension of the course is to consider the purpose of utopian thinking and the historical role of utopian ideas in social theory and social reform. more...	PSIPM002	20	Semester 2
European Union: Power, Politics and Policy This module studies the integration process in Europe. It introduces the evolution of political and economic co-operation. The main political actors and their roles are identified and the workings of the European Union as a polity assessed in the light of relevant theoretical discourses and interpretations. more...	PSIIM003	20	Semester 1
Online Journalism This module provides students a grounding in core journalism skills, with a special application to new and emerging media. Topics covered include: new forms of journalism, news sources and rich content production. Students will write and produce content for an online news platform. more...	PSIPM027	20	Semester 1
War Games: Diplomacy and Strategy in International Relations This module introduces students to some of the major issues and ideas concerning diplomacy and military strategy in International Relations. The module comprises fortnightly lectures, two screening sessions, and weekly seminars involving lengthy scenario exercises. Students will learn about the theoretical and practical challenges concerning military relations between states, including concepts such as `the security dilemma', `future uncertainty', `self help', `balancing', `deterrence', `imperial overstretch', and `humanitarian intervention'. The successful completion of this module will lead to a more nuanced understanding of war and peace in international politics. more...	PSIIM034	20	Semester 2
Media and Society This module is intended to provide all students studying media related postgraduate degrees with a broad, current and inter-disciplinary understanding of the media today. The guiding philosophy informing this module is the belief that in order properly to understand the media, whether as a lawyer, economist, development studies professional, media studies specialist or political scientist, it is essential to have a wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary understanding of the modern media. What we shall be doing over the year therefore is looking at the structure of the media industry today in the UK and globally. We will consider, from several different academic perspectives, how media content is constructed, what factors and influences go to shape content and how content may be controlled and even censored. We will also look at the media industry, examining how it is currently organised and managed, what factors influence its current organisation and consider how it might develop. We will also examine how media affects people and society and consider also the assumptions that are made about the impact of the media. Finally, we will seek to draw together key aspects of modern media. more...	PSIPM09Y	40	Year Period
Studying Media This module is intended to provide an introduction to the key study skills in media and cultural studies. It will be particularly useful for students unfamiliar with the British university system and its expectations. Students will apply theoretical and methodological approaches to contemporary media texts and discuss recent scholarship on changes in the global media and cultural landscape. In addition to introducing key study skills and debates in the discipline, the workshop sessions will provide a supportive environment for critical reflection and intercultural communication. MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY STUDENTS WITH A NON-UK FIRST DEGREE ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THIS MODULE UNLESS A WAIVER IS OBTAINED FROM THE COURSE DIRECTOR. THIS MODULE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO STUDENTS TAKING THE MA IN MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY AND THE MA IN MEDIA AND CULTURAL POLITICS. more...	PSIPM017	20	Semester 1
International Security This module examines the study of security in the international system, through its roots in Cold War strategic studies to the development of the more broadly focused field of security studies today. The module critically analyses contemporary security issues and provides a sound theoretical base for considering practical issues of security, including new wars, intervention and terrorism. Themes are explored from theoretical perspectives and include security and the nation state, war and peace, new wars, alliances, democratic peace, securitisation, human security, the arms industry, religion and security and terrorism. more...	PSIIM020	20	Semester 2
Methods of Social Enquiry The module offers a basic training in research methods; it is aimed at students of politics, international relations and media and cultural politics. It has a qualitative and quantitative component and students are expected to complete both parts of the module. Students will be encouraged to reflect not only on the methods they use, but their methodological assumptions, as well as what it means to be part of a research community. Students will learn to evaluate methods from a number of differing philosophical perspectives. Practically they will also be supported in the devising of a research proposal, oral presentations and the analysis of datasets. more...	PSIPM019	40	Semester 1
Broadcast Journalism This 40 credit module gives students a wide and detailed grounding in all aspects of television journalism and news production. Core topics include editing, camera work, sound and interviewing. Students produce a magazine-style TV show that is built around the video reports that they shoot and edit themselves. Students work both in the studio and on location. more...	PSIPM038	40	Semester 2
MA in International Relations & European Studies Examination This is a generic exam for students registered on the MA in International Relations and European Studies based around the compulsory modules, International Relations Theory and European Union: Power, Politics and Policy. more...	PSIIM202	20	Semester 2
International Relations Theory This module will give students an essential grounding in International Relations theory, that is, the different ways we understand and predict international politics. The module is structured around the positivist/post-positivist divide and starts with classical realism and neo-realism, and liberalism and neo-liberalism. It then explores constructivism before turning to more critical theories like post-colonialism, feminism and gender studies, and Marxism. By the end of the module you will design your own IR theory. The module will be taught predominantly using lectures and seminars but will make use, where appropriate, of film and documentaries in order to explore different theoretical schools, both thematically and empirically. more...	PSIIM011	20	Semester 1
Democratic Theory This module draws on normative political theory and contemporary political science to consider how the concept of democracy has changed since it originated in ancient Greece and looks at the critiques of democracy advanced by critics and opponents especially in the 20th century. The ideas and values underpinning democracy will be interrogated and some recent solutions for today's 'democratic deficit' including electronic democracy and cosmopolitan democracy will be evaluated. more...	PSIPM010	20	Semester 2
Public Choice Public choice theory applies economic models to explain political phenomena. This module, jointly taught by lecturers from philosophy, politics and economics, studies the concepts of market failure and political failure, problems of collective action, rational choice models of democracy and bureaucracy, social choice theory, the motivation of actors in the political process, and the evolution of conventions and norms. The political context is the move from a welfare state to a market society. The emphasis is on the critical appraisal of alternative approaches to public choice and policy issues. more...	PSIPM014	20	Semester 2
Psi Dissertation For all MA students registered in PSI except those on the MA, Media, Society and Culture. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M50X	40	Semester 2
"Media, Culture and Society Dissertation" For students taking the MA in Media, Culture and Society. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSIPM20X	80	Semester 2
Politics and Popular Culture This module explores the ways in which popular culture and politics are linked. It works from the assumption that popular culture 'matters', and the key question is how it matters. Hence it examines the different ways in which, and the different theories through which, popular culture is interpreted as expressing or constituting national or sexual identity, propaganda or political insight, means of resistance or of compliance. It also considers the political economy of popular culture (especially the role of the state) and the political uses of popular culture (especially in political communication). It ends by considering the debates about the political influence of popular culture and about the 'value' of popular culture. more...	PSIPM009	20	Semester 1
Journalism: Practice and Ethics The module will demystify the closed world of the professional journalist and enable students to understand what gets into the news (and what does not), and why. It will help students develop practical skills and techniques and the knowledge of how to apply them in a professional, ethical context. Weekly practical exercises will teach them to produce good, clean, readable copy. All of this will greatly enhance the students' employability within the media industry. more...	PSIPM031	20	Semester 1
Practical Media The Practical Media module is taught at the EPIC (former Anglia) TV studios in Norwich. This is a state-of-the-art working TV studio (e.g making shows for BBC1). Students are given an introduction to all aspects of broadcast journalism, including camera and studio work, scripting, editing (using Apple's Final Cut Pro) and sound. Students produce short videos in small teams before creating this into a TV show (magazine format) in the main studio. The course is taught by leading experts in their field. Ian Masters presented BBC Look East for many years before moving into management including Director of BBC South. He was also Director of Broadcasting at the Thompson Foundation and has travelled all around the world training journalists. Mark Wells was a BBC journalist and producer for many years, before becoming a Director at Televirtual (making TV shows such as Knightmare). He is currently Director of the EPIC TV studios. Further information is available: www.ueamedia.wordpress.com, www.epic-tv.org. more...	PSIPM029	20	Semester 1
Psi Dissertation For all MA students registered on the MA in Media, Society and Culture. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M70X	60	Semester 2
International Organisations: Conflict and Development This module introduces to students the basic concepts of integration/disintegration, globalisation, regionalism and the purpose of the existence of and inter-relationship between international regional Organisations. It then goes on to examine the structure and functions of several major international organisations such as the United Nations, NATO, the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, MERCOSUR, the AU, etc, and their role in international conflict and economic development with specific case studies. A brief coverage of International Financial Institutions such as IMF, World Bank, the WTO and the G8 will complement the main areas of study above. The style of the module consists of a series of lectures/seminars, class presentations, video showings and workshops. Although this is a mostly empirically based module, students will be expected to apply International Relations and Development theories which they will be studying alongside, in their other modules, as appropriate. more...	PSIIM009	20	Semester 1
Russian Foreign Policy The module considers how far Russian foreign policy has changed since the end of the Cold War. It studies the internal and external determinants of foreign policy, looks at key policy issues and examines relations between Russia and other states and regions. more...	PSIIM008	20	Semester 2
World Politics Since 1945 This module is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the cold war and the second the post-cold war period. The module uses a series of case studies, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the break-up of Yugoslavia and the war on terror to highlight broader issues regarding the changing international political system. Diplomatic political history is the predominant discipline used on this module, but theoretical approaches are also adopted to help students understand the nature of the cold war and post-cold war systems. more...	PSIIM015	20	Semester 1

Year 2

Compulsory Study (75 credits)

Students will select 75 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Dissertation Communication and Language Studies The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD1X	50	Semester 2
Language Issues in A Global Multilingual Context This module focuses on language-related issues associated with the globalisation of communication and the media. It considers a range of materials - texts and their translation(s), multilingual sources of information (e.g. global news, consumer information, websites), products of audiovisual translation (e.g. subtitling, dubbing, voice over), IT mediated or processed texts, etc - to explore issues involved in the transposition and dissemination of (spoken and written) text into other media and other languages across different spheres of activity (e.g. media, politics, culture). Receptive knowledge of at least one language other than the mother tongue required. more...	LCS-MC02	20	Semester 2
Research Methods Part II The module is the second part of a course designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data) and focuses on work for the dissertation. It is taught in the second semester of the first or second year of study and assessed by an oral examination on a pass/fail basis after the end of the second semester. The module is obligatory for all LCS part-time students on MA taught programmes and open only to them. Pre-requisite: LCS-MR01. more...	LCS-MR02	5	Semester 2

Option A Study (20 credits)

Students will select 20 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Intercultural Communication - Understanding Differences in A Global World This module is an introduction to some of the fundamental concepts associated with theories of intercultural communication. Since norms of behaviour are culturally defined and varied, the beliefs and values which underlie a culture's worldview will be examined from a variety of perspectives. Indicative topics are expected to include how culture is defined; models of explanation of cultural difference (such as the theories of Hofstede and Tropenaars); notions of identity (personal, group, national) and 'otherisation'; stereotypes and prejudice; verbal and non-verbal communication; miscommunication and intercultural conflict; acculturation and culture shock, etc. The module is relevant to students from a variety of backgrounds and with varied interests and will provide useful background for the module 'Intercultural Communication in Practice'. more...	LCS-ML25	20	Semester 1
The Power of Discourse: Representation and Interaction Language occurs in specific socio-cultural settings, among specific social actors and for a variety of purposes. In turn particular uses of language have the power to shape social encounters and relationships and to help construct and maintain specific ideologies and perspectives. Discourse analysis aims to uncover the ways in which language in use is tied to its socio-cultural context. This approach is thus at heart of the analysis of human interaction in society. This module provides the students with analytical tools that can be fruitfully applied to the study of a variety of communicative modes (written texts, spoken interaction, visual or other non verbal modes) as employed in a variety of fields (e.g. media, advertising, politics, education, business, institutional settings, creative writing) and for a variety of purposes (persuading, entertaining, informing). Students will be able to explore the significance and effectiveness of specific communicative strategies and how they may vary according to cultural context and expectations. The module is, therefore, not only suited to postgraduate students focusing on issues of linguistic communication but also to students interested in aspect of linguistic transferability (translation, adaptation, localization). There are plenty of hands-on practice and discussion. more...	LCS-ML13	20	Semester 1

Option B Study (20 credits)

Students will select 20 credits from the following module(s).

You may pick any of the modules that begin with:

FTVFM

Music, Media, Society This module considers the changing role of music within social and cultural practices, its varied relationships with selfhood, media and technology, bodies, everyday lives and social power. In surveying the ways music is and has been bound up in social and cultural formations, the module engages with a range of theoretical issues about how music `works' as well as exploring some of the ways organised sound can be said to `mean' in differing contexts. The module also introduces students to an eclectic range of writings and questions about music in social life, considering questions about the materiality of sound, musical communities, performance, media and affect, positioning such issues in relation to music's production, circulation and consumption. more...	FTVFM062	20	Semester 2
Japanese Film: National Cinema and Beyond This module explores the concept of Japanese cinema in relation to national, transnational and global discourses and seeks to reframe discussions of modern and past Japanese filmmaking. We will examine a variety of Japanese films and the ways in which they interact with the history, techniques and culture of Japan. We will also consider the social and commercial nature of Japanese filmmaking, including the ways in which Japanese films circulate the globe. more...	FTVFM032	20	Semester 2
Film Studies: History, Theory, Criticism This unit aims to provide key terms of reference and research skills in the study of film; to identify key objects, theories and methods in the analysis of film; and to provide a sense of historical development of film. Intended learning outcomes: a) Knowledge and Understanding. By the end of the unit should: have some of the key skills for the study of film at M level; have an awareness of the debates between different approaches to the study of film; be familiar with the key objects, theories and methods in the analysis of film; have some familiarity with the historical development of film. b) Intellectual Skills. By the end of the unit students should be able to: apply the key approaches to the analysis of film; assesses the debates between these different approaches; construct coherent and independent arguments. c) Professional Skills. The unit will develop students' ability to: select, sift and synthesize information from a variety of primary and secondary materials; write accurately and grammatically and present written material suing appropriate conventions. d) Transferable Skills. The unit will also develop students' ability to: manage a large and disparate body of information; use IT to word process assessed work; speak and write cogently about a chosen subject area. more...	FTVFM023	20	Semester 1
Effects, Audiences and the Media The module is designed to explore the debates over media effects. In the process, it will challenge the effects tradition, which motivates many of the concerns with media censorship and regulation, and suggests alternative ways of understanding the ways in which audiences consume contemporary media. In the process, it will examine a range of approaches to the understanding of media consumption. more...	FTVFM046	20	Semester 2
Gender and Culture Providing a conceptual overview of feminist research approaches, this module examines the role of culture in the construction of contemporary gender relations. Exploring a range of case studies, such as film, television, food and sport, it provides an interdisciplinary perspective on cultural texts, their audiences, markets and regulation. The module explores both theoretical and methodological issues and covers a range of theoretical approaches, including media studies, cultural studies, gender studies history, law and economics. By the end of the module students will have developed understanding of: ' a variety of feminist approaches to the analysis of cultural texts, their audiences, markets and regulation. ' the relationship between cultural texts and their socio-economic and political contexts and the importance of gender in analysing culture. Additionally students will be able to ' critically reflect on the place of gender in media research ' apply feminist research methodologies to the analysis of cultural texts and audiences more...	FTVFM064	20	Semester 2
Women and Film This module intends to explore and critically reflect upon the relationship between women and film whilst focusing on issues such as women's cinema as counter cinema; women's cinema as minor cinema; women filmmakers; international women's film festivals; the representation of women in film; female spectatorship, (fe)male gaze; sexuality; feminism and post-feminism in film; female subjectivity; female desire, feminist filmmaking. The module will focus on analysing contemporary films from a variety of national and transnational cinemas. more...	FTVFM060	20	Semester 2
Film Studies Dissertation This module involves the production of a 12,000-15,000 word piece of work, which focuses upon a suitable topic of your own choosing. You will be assigned a supervisor to advise you on your research and writing of the dissertation. more...	FTVFM60X	60	Semester 2
Studying Media This module is intended to provide an introduction to the key study skills in film, television and media studies for students unfamiliar with the British university system and its expectations of students. Focusing on the key issues and academic debates within media studies, it will provide students with a sense of the educational expectations that they will encounter during their other modules and help them to acclimatise themselves to the culture of British universities. This module is compulsory for students new to the British university system. more...	FTVFM029	20	Semester 1
Creativity and Development in Film and Television Production This practice-based module is designed to introduce students to key skills in film and television development and business. It will provide an understanding of the processes of creative script and project development, including film and TV business, the activities of the market and dealing with bodies responsible for commissioning films and television programmes, managing creative people, and writing pitches. This module is compulsory for students following the MA in Film, Television and Creative Practice. Priority for further places will be given to students taking the MA in Film Studies and scriptwriters on the MA in Creative Writing. more...	FTVFM058	20	Semester 2
Film and Television Production The module is designed to introduce students to key skills in film and television and video production. It will provide an understanding of the production process and thereby focuses less on technical training than on encouraging students to think about using audio visual media to produce creative solutions to practical problems. The module also encourages students to consider how to deliver work within the normal constraints of media production, i.e., students will have to think about working to a brief rather than simply imagining themselves as independent artists. This module is compulsory for students following the MA in Film, Television and Creative Practice. Priority for further places will be given to students taking the MA in Film Studies. more...	FTVFM041	20	Semester 1
Science Fiction: Film and Television Science Fiction films and television series have provided a significant focus for addressing social/cultural and political issues. This module looks at the historical development of the genre, with an emphasis on locating the films/television programs within an historical and cultural context. An array of films and series episodes from both the US and UK will be screened and various clips will also be discussed in seminar. Films/television programs covered in the module will include: Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902), Things to Come (1936), Forbidden Planet (1956), Quatermass 2 (1957), Lost in Space (1965-1968), Doctor Who (1963-1989), Altered States (1980), Threads (1984), Robocop (1987), Independence Day (1996), The Matrix (1999). more...	FTVFM043	20	Semester 1
Celebrity Culture The module will explore the phenomenon of celebrity and fame from its origins to the present day, moving across a range of different media, including film, television, print media and the internet. In the process, it will examine key areas in the study of celebrity, including historical analysis, the reading of celebrity `images', questions of ideology (e.g., gender, class), the political economy of celebrity, audience and celebrity, and the impact of new technologies. It will feature a range of case studies that will include celebrity in the 19th century, Classical Hollywood cinema, the coming of television, the celebrity gossip magazine and questions of gender, the birth of Reality TV, the growth of the celebrity scandal and the relationship between celebrity and the internet more...	FTVFM068	20	Semester 2
The Big Picture: Contemporary Hollywood Cinema What are Hollywood's biggest hits in recent decades, and what, if anything, do they have in common? What kinds of film does Hollywood invest in most heavily, and which target audiences are these films aimed at? What are the habits and expectations of cinema audiences, and what meanings and pleasures do hit movies offer to them? Who are the key decision makers in the industry, and which names have the biggest clout at the box office? How does the theatrical release of films in the US relate to their circulation in foreign markets and in other media (television, video, DVD)? These are some of the questions which this module addresses. more...	FTVFM015	20	Semester 1

LCS-M

Dissertation Communication and Language Studies The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD1X	50	Semester 2
Translation and Theory This module explores ways in which concepts and notions develop into theoretical approaches and translatorial practices but also how practice establishes theoretical positions. Each weekly seminar will focus on key concepts and their use in the existing bibliography on translation, while the practical tasks will give to students the opportunity to apply these concepts to their own translation work. more...	LCS-MA03	20	Semester 1
Dissertation MAATS The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD2X	90	Semester 2
Intercultural Communication in Practice This module explores the issues fundamental to intercultural communication (IC) in practical contexts. The theoretical component of the module examines the different ways of thinking about effective communication in a variety of work-based environments. We will also relate theory to the practice of intercultural communication in contextualised workshops. During these workshops, invited practitioners will introduce students to how IC operates in specific organisations, e.g. in government agencies, in multilingual business management, etc. The module is relevant to those wishing to pursue careers in international management and relations, multilingual business and international development; it is also of interest to those who wish to become more effective communicators in other professions such as translation, interpreting, education and cultural mediation. more...	LCS-ML22	20	Semester 2
Linguistic Communication Among Cultures There is more to linguistic communication than just knowing the vocabulary and grammar of a language; speakers need to know the different ways of using the language they speak ' what to say, how to say it and when to say it. But language is also intimately involved in our notions of culture, our thought processes and, perhaps, even in our sense of reality. Indeed, the very act of linguistic communication itself both creates and sustains our expectations, beliefs and moral values about our world and lives. This module explores a number of issues relating to this reciprocal relationship between language and culture. Linguistics, characterised as the scientific study of language, tends to focus on the formal features of language structure, treating it as an autonomous object. There is more, however, to linguistic communication than just knowing the vocabulary and grammar of a language; speakers need to know the different ways of using the language they speak - what to say and how to say it. These assumptions vary from culture to culture as often shows up in the various forms of miscommunication that occur when we talk with speakers from different linguistic backgrounds. From a broader perspective language is intimately involved in our notions of culture - imagine, for example, expressing, discussing or learning about religious or political beliefs without language - our thought processes and, perhaps, even in our sense of reality. Indeed, for some, the notions of language and culture are so inseparable that they are referred to collectively as languaculture. more...	LCS-ML26	20	Semester 2
Intercultural Communication - Understanding Differences in A Global World This module is an introduction to some of the fundamental concepts associated with theories of intercultural communication. Since norms of behaviour are culturally defined and varied, the beliefs and values which underlie a culture's worldview will be examined from a variety of perspectives. Indicative topics are expected to include how culture is defined; models of explanation of cultural difference (such as the theories of Hofstede and Tropenaars); notions of identity (personal, group, national) and 'otherisation'; stereotypes and prejudice; verbal and non-verbal communication; miscommunication and intercultural conflict; acculturation and culture shock, etc. The module is relevant to students from a variety of backgrounds and with varied interests and will provide useful background for the module 'Intercultural Communication in Practice'. more...	LCS-ML25	20	Semester 1
Translation Work Experience This module is aimed at MA Translation students with no (or little) previous translation work experience, and students who have experience of professional translation but would like the opportunity to review their practices by reflecting on, and critically documenting, the processes involved. It is based on work on authentic translation assignments negotiated with commercial clients and is very practical: it will promote hands-on sensitisation to aspects of professional commercial translation, to problems involved in translating to specifications, producing and presenting a product of professional standard, to techniques of translation and to the use of reference materials and support resources. It will enable you to apply your analytical and linguistic skills, and to develop a range of key practical skills, including research skills, project and time management, reflective and review skills. more...	LCS-MA02	20	Semester 2
Research Methods The module is designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data). It is taught over two semesters: the first focuses on seminar-related activities, the second on dissertation-related work. It is assessed by an oral exam on a pass/ fail basis after the end of the second semester. The module is obligatory for all LCS full-time postgraduate students on taught MA programmes and open only to them. more...	LCS-MR1Y	10	Year Period
Research Methods Part II The module is the second part of a course designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data) and focuses on work for the dissertation. It is taught in the second semester of the first or second year of study and assessed by an oral examination on a pass/fail basis after the end of the second semester. The module is obligatory for all LCS part-time students on MA taught programmes and open only to them. Pre-requisite: LCS-MR01. more...	LCS-MR02	5	Semester 2
English, Communication, Culture The module is intended to refine linguistic and academic competences (oral and or written communication, control of academic registers), and to explore how English operates in a variety of cultural contexts (including the media, critical debate). Skills covered include seminar and presentation skills, note-taking, academic writing, self-directed study and research skills, with application to the theme of communication and language and materials specifically relevant to MA students. An important aim of the module is to familiarise students with the conventions of English academic life and the environment of the university. more...	LCS-MC01	20	Semester 1
Dissertation Language and Intercultural Communication The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD3X	90	Semester 2
Translation and Cultural Representation Across Arts and Media The module will focus on two distinct types of interlingual mediation ' screen translation and museum translation ' to explore issues of linguistic and cultural representation in cultural products, and their implications for public perceptions of media and cultural otherness. It will consider and compare features and constraints of language transfer across these two contexts, and assess their capacity to promote cross-cultural sensitization. The module will involve a hands-on practical component with either a subtitling practice workshop OR a museology in practice workshop (TBC). more...	LCS-MA10	20	Semester 2
Language Issues in A Global Multilingual Context This module focuses on language-related issues associated with the globalisation of communication and the media. It considers a range of materials - texts and their translation(s), multilingual sources of information (e.g. global news, consumer information, websites), products of audiovisual translation (e.g. subtitling, dubbing, voice over), IT mediated or processed texts, etc - to explore issues involved in the transposition and dissemination of (spoken and written) text into other media and other languages across different spheres of activity (e.g. media, politics, culture). Receptive knowledge of at least one language other than the mother tongue required. more...	LCS-MC02	20	Semester 2
The Power of Discourse: Representation and Interaction Language occurs in specific socio-cultural settings, among specific social actors and for a variety of purposes. In turn particular uses of language have the power to shape social encounters and relationships and to help construct and maintain specific ideologies and perspectives. Discourse analysis aims to uncover the ways in which language in use is tied to its socio-cultural context. This approach is thus at heart of the analysis of human interaction in society. This module provides the students with analytical tools that can be fruitfully applied to the study of a variety of communicative modes (written texts, spoken interaction, visual or other non verbal modes) as employed in a variety of fields (e.g. media, advertising, politics, education, business, institutional settings, creative writing) and for a variety of purposes (persuading, entertaining, informing). Students will be able to explore the significance and effectiveness of specific communicative strategies and how they may vary according to cultural context and expectations. The module is, therefore, not only suited to postgraduate students focusing on issues of linguistic communication but also to students interested in aspect of linguistic transferability (translation, adaptation, localization). There are plenty of hands-on practice and discussion. more...	LCS-ML13	20	Semester 1
Technological Tools for Translators The aim of this module is to provide an introduction for students of literary and non-literary translation to computer-based tools, technologies and methodologies used by translators, and to examine the strengths and weaknesses of such tools. more...	LCS-MT12	20	Semester 2
Translation in Context This module explores the issues fundamental to translation as process and product in practical contexts, examines theories of equivalence and textual structure in different language-cultures, and applies theory to specialised practice (e.g. commercial, legal, technical, political). more...	LCS-MA01	20	Semester 1
Forensic Linguistics and Translation This module is focused on theoretical and practical aspects of the interplay between language and other language-driven activities such as translation and memory in special circumstances of witnessing, experiencing or judging crime and providing expert linguistic testimony and language services such as translating and interpreting. It contextualises the consequences of this relationship within an interactive environment, namely forensic, psycholinguistic and cross-cultural contexts of language use. Another dimension of the course is an emphatic cross-linguistic approach, whereby we assume the latest linguistic typological perspective and discuss the effects of language differences on the kind of information habitually provided in or omitted from reports in one language and translation. more...	LCS-MA08	20	Semester 2
Conflict in Intercultural Communication The module introduces students to the study of intercultural conflict, through case studies of miscommunication at the levels of international political terminology, pragmatic strategies, the public representation of cross-cultural conflicts and of migration/multicultural conflicts. The module enables students to apply analytical methods to conflicts in intercultural communication on the basis of applied linguistics (contrastive semantics, pragmatics and sociolinguistics) and cultural studies. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the linguistic dimensions of conflicts (and their mediation) in intercultural communication. Formative work includes oral and written presentations. more...	LCS-ML23	20	Semester 1
Dissertation Forensic Linguistics The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD4X	90	Semester 2
Dissertation Conflicts in Intercultural Communication The dissertation is a compulsory requirement for all taught MA programmes. Work on the dissertation is begun at the end of the second teaching semester. The choice of research topic for the dissertation is made by the students in consultation with their course convenor and/or supervisor (students normally receive up to four hours of supervision in all over the period of supervision). more...	LCS-MD5X	90	Semester 2
Research Methods Part I This module is the first part of a course designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data) and focuses on seminar-related activities. It is taught in the first semester of the first year of study. The module is compulsory for all LCS part-time students on MA Taught programmes and open only to them. Co-Requisite: LCS-MR02. more...	LCS-MR01	5	Semester 1

PSI

Analysing Media Discourses This module examines the relationship between language, images and social meaning. Media products from film and advertising to newspaper articles and even music are examined as `texts' that shape and are shaped by the socio-political reality. After discussing some of the main theories of textual analysis like semiotics, psychoanalysis and discourse analysis, we will adopt a hands on approach in order to demonstrate how the visual and linguistic techniques can advance our understanding of the processes of representation and communication of meaning. more...	PSIPM015	20	Semester 1
Media, Culture and Society Dissertation For students taking the MA in Media, Culture and Society. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSIPM40X	60	Semester 2
Dissertation (Mres) For students taking the MRes degrees in Public Policy and Public Management and International Public Policy and Public Management. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M30X	60	Semester 2
Public Management: Theories and Change This module enables students to develop advanced understanding of the main theories, models and concepts used in the study of public management, the main debates in the field, and substantive knowledge of developments in public management in a variety of settings. Students who successfully complete this module will be able to demonstrate: a critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches used in the study of public management and organisational behaviour; familiarity with the main debates in the scholarly literature on public management; substantive knowledge of the theory and practice of the new public management; a critical understanding of public management reform in the United Kingdom and elsewhere; and familiarity with debates concerning the operation and impact of international organisations, including the EU, on public management at the national level. more...	PSIPM021	20	Semester 1
International Organisations and Public Policy The module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the role of international organisations and their impact on public policy and public management at the domestic and international levels. Students will discuss critically the theories, models and concepts used in the analysis of international cooperation, competing perspectives in international politics and demonstrate the role they play in public policy and public management. The UN, NATO, IMF, WTO, World Bank and EU will be examined and why sovereign states decide to establish these and other international organisations. Their role in security, trade, finance, gender and environmental policy will be considered and the factors which determine their design and evolution. The extent to which their operation reflects underlying power and interest will be evaluated and the extent to which they have democratic legitimacy. more...	PSIIM006	20	Semester 2
Public Policy: Theory and Analysis This module enables students to develop advanced understanding of the main theories, models and concepts used in the study of public policy, the main debates in the field, and substantive knowledge of public policy in a variety of settings. Students successfully completing the module will be able to demonstrate: - critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches used in the study of public policy - familiarity with the main debates in the scholarly literature on public policy - advanced knowledge of public policy and policy processes in a variety of national settings - familiarity with the main theories and debates relating to the operation and impact of international organisations, including the European Union, on domestic policy and policy-making processes. more...	PSIPM023	20	Semester 1
The European Union in International Affairs The module focuses on European Political Cooperation now and into the future, particularly Europe's role as an international actor. Issues include the EU and international conflicts such as the Gulf War, the Middle East and former Yugoslavia, the EU's position as one of three major economic world powers, the EU and Third World development, new considerations in European security, global environmental and energy concerns. Convergence or divergence in European political consensus is examined through these issues in an attempt to draw useful insights for the future of European Integration. more...	PSIIM010	20	Semester 2
International History of the Asia-Pacific Region This module looks at the history of the region, including the involvement of the superpowers in the politics of the cold war in Asia. Conflict in the region as well as the rise and fall of the regional powers are reviewed. The development of multipolarity and the importance of the Asia-Pacific region in the post-cold war world is also covered. The aftermath of the Second World War, the onset of the Cold War, conflict in Korea and Vietnam, the changing relationship between the US, USSR and China are covered, as is the development of Southeast Asia in the modern world. We also assess the major issues contemporary to the region. more...	PSIIM007	20	Semester 1
The Foreign Relations of China and Japan in the Modern World The module looks at the history of China and Japan from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The attempts at modernisation, conflict between the two nations, their relationships with the Asian region and the United States are covered. Their contrasting attempts to develop in the postwar period are investigated. We also assess their current policies and the issues of importance to China and Japan in the twenty first century, and assess whether they can move beyond the legacy of this difficult history. more...	PSIIM026	20	Semester 2
Political Economy of the Environment In this module, students will critically engage with mainstream political and economic assessments of environmental degradation and climate change by adopting a political economy approach. In coming to terms with these environmental threats, the module tries to reawaken a broader type of ethical, natural and social theorisation that defined an earlier political economy. This is not a module on environmental or resource economics, nor are students expected to have an economics background. Rather, this module tries to problematise social production as something much more than a series of market relations. It tries to develop a broader socio-cultural understanding of production that `de-naturalises' the way we view and exploit the natural world. more...	PSIPM022	20	Semester 2
Politics and Mass Media Working from the assumption that the mass media are an integral part of modern political life, this module examines the way in which politics is represented in the mass media and reviews critically the argument about 'bias'. It also explores the arguments around the ownership and control of mass media, the increasing use of the mass media by political parties and the changing relationship between citizens and politics engendered by new communication technologies. more...	PSIPM012	20	Semester 2
Issues in Media and Cultural Politics This module explores key issues within media and cultural politics. The module is divided into separate blocks and spread over two semesters. Each block deals with different aspects of media and cultural politics, including identity and power, communication and culture. more...	PSIPM03Y	20	Year Period
Theories of Society and Politics This module introduces students to the fundamentals of modern social and political thought by means of in-depth study of key texts by leading thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth century. An emphasis is placed on classical social theory and liberal political theory as well as more recent departures from those traditions. Students will have an opportunity to read and discuss major works of social theory by Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Pierre Bourdieu as well as works of political theory by J S Mill, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, and Iris Marion Young. During the module students will also have the chance to reflect on fundamental questions about the methodologies employed by social and political theorists and on problems associated with claims to knowledge and objective truth in these fields. more...	PSIPM003	20	Semester 1
History of Political Thought: Social Contract Theory This module examines in depth selected works of political thinkers who are seminal to the Western tradition of political thought, including Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. Their work will also be compared thematically, with a focus on ideas such as the social contract, political obligation, property, individual rights and freedom. The approach is analytical rather than historical and contextualist. The module's focus on the study and interpretation of key texts enables students to develop skills of textual analysis and critique. more...	PSIPM005	20	Semester 1
Theory and Practice of Policy Making in Britain This module will look at theories of policy making and relate them to recent developments in the policy process in Britain, using a case studies approach. The unit will consider some theories of decision making, such as the rational actor model, disjointed incrementalism, policy networks, bureaucratic politics. It will also examine broader issues of the relationship of power and economic forces to the decision making process. Finally, it will examine such issues as agenda setting, the importance of policy discourse and the role of ideas and belief systems in the policy making process. more...	PSIPM018	20	Semester 2
Middle East Politics This module introduces students to the government and politics of one of the most interesting and frequently misunderstood regions in world politics ' the Middle East. The module examines the evolution of the modern Middle Eastern political system over the past century. Students will acquire the skills to analyse key issues in the politics of the region, including topical events such as the preponderance of ethno-sectarian violence and the rise of Islamist movements. Other key questions include the lack of democracy in the region and the creation of rentier economies in the Gulf. more...	PSIIM030	20	Semester 2
MA in International Relations Examination This is a generic exam for students registered on the MA in International Relations based around the core unit, International Relations Theory. more...	PSIIM200	20	Semester 2
Review Paper (Mres) A research review paper of 6,000-9,000 words on a subject of your choice. more...	PSIPM04Y	20	Year Period
Multiculturalism This module looks at the responses in political theory to the rise of multicultural societies in Europe and North America since the end of World War II. The aim is to introduce students to a range of contemporary theoretical perspectives on multiculturalism and to facilitate critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of competing approaches. Theorists under examination will include: Parekh, Kymlicka, Taylor and Modood as well as major liberal alternative views; Barry, Rawls and Raz. The module will combine theoretical study with analysis of practical issues/case studies surrounding multiculturalism. Among the issues to be considered are the following: models of integration, group rights, institutional racism, Islamophobia, and the Rushdie affair. The module will also consider divergent policies adopted within European states (eg, France and Germany) and give attention to the attempts to operationalise multiculturalism in the UK in particular via the Parekh Report. more...	PSIPM026	20	Semester 2
Politics and Public Affairs This module enables students to develop an advanced understanding of the theory and practice of public affairs, interest intermediation, and the strategies used by interest, advocacy groups and others to influence the political process. As well as covering the main debates in the academic literature, it draws directly on the experience of practitioners and offers unique insights into this under-studied area of politics. more...	PSIPM034	20	Semester 2
Regulation This module provides a foundation in the theory and practice of economic regulation, incorporating economic, business, legal and political science perspectives. The module is a research-led programme based on the research undertaken in the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy and assumes no previous studies of economics. more...	PSIPM028	20	Semester 2
Practical Media The Practical Media module is taught at the EPIC (former Anglia) TV studios in Norwich. This is a state-of-the-art working TV studio (e.g making shows for BBC1). Students are given an introduction to all aspects of broadcast journalism, including camera and studio work, scripting, editing (using Apple's Final Cut Pro) and sound. Students produce short videos in small teams before creating this into a TV show (magazine format) in the main studio. The course is taught by leading experts in their field. Ian Masters presented BBC Look East for many years before moving into management including Director of BBC South. He was also Director of Broadcasting at the Thompson Foundation and has travelled all around the world training journalists. Mark Wells was a BBC journalist and producer for many years, before becoming a Director at Televirtual (making TV shows such as Knightmare). He is currently Director of the EPIC TV studios. Further information is available: www.ueamedia.wordpress.com, www.epic-tv.org. more...	PSIPM020	20	Semester 2
American Foreign Policy This module will use case studies of Southeast Asia, Central America and the Middle East to explore the reasons for American interventions and to assess their success or failure. It will offer an historical understanding of the assumptions and practices which lie behind contemporary US foreign policy-making. The module will introduce students to the institutions and processes involved in the making of American foreigh policy. more...	PSIIM032	20	Semester 2
Psi Dissertation By Practice Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. The dissertation by practice allows students to demonstrate their ability to carry out a work of broadcastable journalism. more...	PSI-M60X	40	Semester 2
New Media and Society For better or worse, new digital technologies are hyped at having revolutionised society. This module will provide students with an introduction to the ways in which the internet and other digital technologies are (and are not) affecting society from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and how society shapes technology. Topics covered include: the evolution of the internet; the "network society"; regulating new media; the radical internet and terrorism; social networking, blogs and interactivity; culture and identity in the digital age; and how the internet affects politics and the media. more...	PSIPM007	20	Semester 1
Better Worlds? Utopias and Dystopias Would an ideal society have no more crime? Who would be wealthy or powerful? Would politics be outlawed? Do utopians try to impose their views on the rest of humankind? Do the flaws in human nature justify the pessimism of dystopian writers? This unit compares selected utopian and dystopian texts produced during the last six centuries. Themes will include property, social control, gender, morality and politics. Another dimension of the course is to consider the purpose of utopian thinking and the historical role of utopian ideas in social theory and social reform. more...	PSIPM002	20	Semester 2
European Union: Power, Politics and Policy This module studies the integration process in Europe. It introduces the evolution of political and economic co-operation. The main political actors and their roles are identified and the workings of the European Union as a polity assessed in the light of relevant theoretical discourses and interpretations. more...	PSIIM003	20	Semester 1
Online Journalism This module provides students a grounding in core journalism skills, with a special application to new and emerging media. Topics covered include: new forms of journalism, news sources and rich content production. Students will write and produce content for an online news platform. more...	PSIPM027	20	Semester 1
War Games: Diplomacy and Strategy in International Relations This module introduces students to some of the major issues and ideas concerning diplomacy and military strategy in International Relations. The module comprises fortnightly lectures, two screening sessions, and weekly seminars involving lengthy scenario exercises. Students will learn about the theoretical and practical challenges concerning military relations between states, including concepts such as `the security dilemma', `future uncertainty', `self help', `balancing', `deterrence', `imperial overstretch', and `humanitarian intervention'. The successful completion of this module will lead to a more nuanced understanding of war and peace in international politics. more...	PSIIM034	20	Semester 2
Media and Society This module is intended to provide all students studying media related postgraduate degrees with a broad, current and inter-disciplinary understanding of the media today. The guiding philosophy informing this module is the belief that in order properly to understand the media, whether as a lawyer, economist, development studies professional, media studies specialist or political scientist, it is essential to have a wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary understanding of the modern media. What we shall be doing over the year therefore is looking at the structure of the media industry today in the UK and globally. We will consider, from several different academic perspectives, how media content is constructed, what factors and influences go to shape content and how content may be controlled and even censored. We will also look at the media industry, examining how it is currently organised and managed, what factors influence its current organisation and consider how it might develop. We will also examine how media affects people and society and consider also the assumptions that are made about the impact of the media. Finally, we will seek to draw together key aspects of modern media. more...	PSIPM09Y	40	Year Period
Studying Media This module is intended to provide an introduction to the key study skills in media and cultural studies. It will be particularly useful for students unfamiliar with the British university system and its expectations. Students will apply theoretical and methodological approaches to contemporary media texts and discuss recent scholarship on changes in the global media and cultural landscape. In addition to introducing key study skills and debates in the discipline, the workshop sessions will provide a supportive environment for critical reflection and intercultural communication. MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY STUDENTS WITH A NON-UK FIRST DEGREE ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THIS MODULE UNLESS A WAIVER IS OBTAINED FROM THE COURSE DIRECTOR. THIS MODULE IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO STUDENTS TAKING THE MA IN MEDIA, CULTURE AND SOCIETY AND THE MA IN MEDIA AND CULTURAL POLITICS. more...	PSIPM017	20	Semester 1
International Security This module examines the study of security in the international system, through its roots in Cold War strategic studies to the development of the more broadly focused field of security studies today. The module critically analyses contemporary security issues and provides a sound theoretical base for considering practical issues of security, including new wars, intervention and terrorism. Themes are explored from theoretical perspectives and include security and the nation state, war and peace, new wars, alliances, democratic peace, securitisation, human security, the arms industry, religion and security and terrorism. more...	PSIIM020	20	Semester 2
Methods of Social Enquiry The module offers a basic training in research methods; it is aimed at students of politics, international relations and media and cultural politics. It has a qualitative and quantitative component and students are expected to complete both parts of the module. Students will be encouraged to reflect not only on the methods they use, but their methodological assumptions, as well as what it means to be part of a research community. Students will learn to evaluate methods from a number of differing philosophical perspectives. Practically they will also be supported in the devising of a research proposal, oral presentations and the analysis of datasets. more...	PSIPM019	40	Semester 1
Broadcast Journalism This 40 credit module gives students a wide and detailed grounding in all aspects of television journalism and news production. Core topics include editing, camera work, sound and interviewing. Students produce a magazine-style TV show that is built around the video reports that they shoot and edit themselves. Students work both in the studio and on location. more...	PSIPM038	40	Semester 2
MA in International Relations & European Studies Examination This is a generic exam for students registered on the MA in International Relations and European Studies based around the compulsory modules, International Relations Theory and European Union: Power, Politics and Policy. more...	PSIIM202	20	Semester 2
International Relations Theory This module will give students an essential grounding in International Relations theory, that is, the different ways we understand and predict international politics. The module is structured around the positivist/post-positivist divide and starts with classical realism and neo-realism, and liberalism and neo-liberalism. It then explores constructivism before turning to more critical theories like post-colonialism, feminism and gender studies, and Marxism. By the end of the module you will design your own IR theory. The module will be taught predominantly using lectures and seminars but will make use, where appropriate, of film and documentaries in order to explore different theoretical schools, both thematically and empirically. more...	PSIIM011	20	Semester 1
Democratic Theory This module draws on normative political theory and contemporary political science to consider how the concept of democracy has changed since it originated in ancient Greece and looks at the critiques of democracy advanced by critics and opponents especially in the 20th century. The ideas and values underpinning democracy will be interrogated and some recent solutions for today's 'democratic deficit' including electronic democracy and cosmopolitan democracy will be evaluated. more...	PSIPM010	20	Semester 2
Public Choice Public choice theory applies economic models to explain political phenomena. This module, jointly taught by lecturers from philosophy, politics and economics, studies the concepts of market failure and political failure, problems of collective action, rational choice models of democracy and bureaucracy, social choice theory, the motivation of actors in the political process, and the evolution of conventions and norms. The political context is the move from a welfare state to a market society. The emphasis is on the critical appraisal of alternative approaches to public choice and policy issues. more...	PSIPM014	20	Semester 2
Psi Dissertation For all MA students registered in PSI except those on the MA, Media, Society and Culture. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M50X	40	Semester 2
"Media, Culture and Society Dissertation" For students taking the MA in Media, Culture and Society. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSIPM20X	80	Semester 2
Politics and Popular Culture This module explores the ways in which popular culture and politics are linked. It works from the assumption that popular culture 'matters', and the key question is how it matters. Hence it examines the different ways in which, and the different theories through which, popular culture is interpreted as expressing or constituting national or sexual identity, propaganda or political insight, means of resistance or of compliance. It also considers the political economy of popular culture (especially the role of the state) and the political uses of popular culture (especially in political communication). It ends by considering the debates about the political influence of popular culture and about the 'value' of popular culture. more...	PSIPM009	20	Semester 1
Journalism: Practice and Ethics The module will demystify the closed world of the professional journalist and enable students to understand what gets into the news (and what does not), and why. It will help students develop practical skills and techniques and the knowledge of how to apply them in a professional, ethical context. Weekly practical exercises will teach them to produce good, clean, readable copy. All of this will greatly enhance the students' employability within the media industry. more...	PSIPM031	20	Semester 1
Practical Media The Practical Media module is taught at the EPIC (former Anglia) TV studios in Norwich. This is a state-of-the-art working TV studio (e.g making shows for BBC1). Students are given an introduction to all aspects of broadcast journalism, including camera and studio work, scripting, editing (using Apple's Final Cut Pro) and sound. Students produce short videos in small teams before creating this into a TV show (magazine format) in the main studio. The course is taught by leading experts in their field. Ian Masters presented BBC Look East for many years before moving into management including Director of BBC South. He was also Director of Broadcasting at the Thompson Foundation and has travelled all around the world training journalists. Mark Wells was a BBC journalist and producer for many years, before becoming a Director at Televirtual (making TV shows such as Knightmare). He is currently Director of the EPIC TV studios. Further information is available: www.ueamedia.wordpress.com, www.epic-tv.org. more...	PSIPM029	20	Semester 1
Psi Dissertation For all MA students registered on the MA in Media, Society and Culture. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M70X	60	Semester 2
International Organisations: Conflict and Development This module introduces to students the basic concepts of integration/disintegration, globalisation, regionalism and the purpose of the existence of and inter-relationship between international regional Organisations. It then goes on to examine the structure and functions of several major international organisations such as the United Nations, NATO, the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, MERCOSUR, the AU, etc, and their role in international conflict and economic development with specific case studies. A brief coverage of International Financial Institutions such as IMF, World Bank, the WTO and the G8 will complement the main areas of study above. The style of the module consists of a series of lectures/seminars, class presentations, video showings and workshops. Although this is a mostly empirically based module, students will be expected to apply International Relations and Development theories which they will be studying alongside, in their other modules, as appropriate. more...	PSIIM009	20	Semester 1
Russian Foreign Policy The module considers how far Russian foreign policy has changed since the end of the Cold War. It studies the internal and external determinants of foreign policy, looks at key policy issues and examines relations between Russia and other states and regions. more...	PSIIM008	20	Semester 2
World Politics Since 1945 This module is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the cold war and the second the post-cold war period. The module uses a series of case studies, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the break-up of Yugoslavia and the war on terror to highlight broader issues regarding the changing international political system. Diplomatic political history is the predominant discipline used on this module, but theoretical approaches are also adopted to help students understand the nature of the cold war and post-cold war systems. more...	PSIIM015	20	Semester 1

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

UEA

Language and Communication Studies Courses

Language and Communication Studies

MA Communication and Language Studies

Why study Communication and Language Studies at UEA?

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