BA Media and International Development with Overseas Placement

Key details

BA MEDIA AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH OVERSEAS PLACEMENT

Start Year

2021

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Bachelor of Arts

UCAS course code

L9PO

Entry Requirements

ABB

This innovative course allows you to study media and international development, and the relationship between them. The media are important to all aspects of international development, from promoting mass mobilisation and political participation to facilitating the flow of information. At the same time, the media is central to encouraging charitable donations, promoting democracy and human rights, and delivering public health messages during emergencies.

This course will enable you to bring an international outlook to a career in media or an in depth understanding of media to a career in international development. You’ll graduate particularly well prepared for careers in NGO communications, development journalism, humanitarian communication and media development.

This degree is unique in the UK in combining media and international development studies side by side. In both fields you’ll be taught by academic staff whose research is internationally renowned. We’re actively involved in research across the globe, working with many national and international development agencies.

About

Immerse yourself in the worlds of media, communication, and international development, and study the complex relationship between them.

Discover the ways charities and other development organisations communicate about famine, poverty, and developing countries, and how they affect public attitudes. Explore why some humanitarian crises make it onto our TV screens while others don’t, and ask what effect this has on government policy.

You’ll also ask: how important is press freedom and freedom of speech in promoting democracy and economic growth? What is the impact of social media in developing countries – do Facebook and Twitter facilitate citizens' engagement with politics or do they undermine genuine political participation?

These are just some of the key questions and problems you’ll explore on this fascinating course.

In your third year, you’ll spend two to six months gaining work experience abroad. For many students, this is the highlight of their time at university.

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Message from the Course Director

Welcome to the School of International Development! These are exciting times for both students and staff at the School, with a new, cutting-edge undergraduate programme in Media and International Development.

Ask A Student

This is your chance to ask UEA's students about UEA, university life, Norwich and anything else you would like an answer to.

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Ask an Academic

Chat directly to our academics about their subjects, modules, facilities and UEA experience. Simply select your subject to see the academics available to you.

Annual Newsletter 2018 - 2019

Navigating the EU in a Tuk Tuk, looking beyond disaster and tapping into indigenous knowledge.

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Course Reference Number: 1545673

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

After the Course

You’ll graduate with knowledge and skills valued by a vast range of organisations related to international development. These include government agencies such as the United Nations, private sector companies, consultancy firms, and the many hundreds of large and small non-government organisations that focus on development and humanitarian work.

Many of our alumni have also gone to work in the media. Recent graduates have become freelance film-makers, photographers and travel writers and even set up their own production companies.

Our alumni include the director of Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Bride and Prejudice (2004), the CEO of the Public Media Alliance, the Founding Director of the Rockhopper TV and the Senior Strategic Partner Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Google.

You could pursue numerous career paths combining both media and international development such as NGO communications, development journalism, humanitarian communication and media development.

Or you could use the academic and transferable skills gained from our degrees for careers in business, the voluntary and public sector, education, and academia.

Career destinations

Career destinations related to your degree include:

NGO communications
Development journalism
Humanitarian communication
Film maker
Photographer
Travel writer

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Message from the Course Director

Ask A Student

This is your chance to ask UEA's students about UEA, university life, Norwich and anything else you would like an answer to.

JUST ASK >

Ask an Academic

Chat directly to our academics about their subjects, modules, facilities and UEA experience. Simply select your subject to see the academics available to you.

Annual Newsletter 2018 - 2019

Navigating the EU in a Tuk Tuk, looking beyond disaster and tapping into indigenous knowledge.

READ IT HERE >

Course Reference Number: 1545673

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll be assessed across a combination of coursework and unseen written exams. Your coursework will typically consist of two of the following:

An essay
A quantitative assignment
Practical or experimental assignments
A report

Your dissertation contributes a significant amount to your final grade. It’s an important opportunity for you to develop and demonstrate your skills in interdisciplinary analysis in a self-motivated study.

Structure

In your first year, you’ll begin critically engaging with contemporary debates and issues in both media and international development. You’ll establish essential knowledge in modules such as Introduction to Development Studies and Media Power. In your final core module - Humanitarian Communication – you’ll critically review how journalists and international development actors communicate through the media. This module also contains workshops focused on relevant practical skills such as blogging.

You’ll tailor your studies according to your own interests by choosing from a range of optional modules covering topics such as political communication, world cinemas, human geography, environment, anthropology, and the economics or politics of development.

Teaching and Learning

You’ll critically reflect on key issues in a variety of settings: lectures, workshops, and film screenings. At all times you’ll benefit from cutting-edge academic materials.

Through seminar group work and presentations you’ll be able to develop transferable skills. These will include articulating an argument both orally and in writing, and presenting academic information in a lucid and cogent manner.

As the degree progresses there will be more emphasis on independent study, enabling you to pursue areas of learning tailored specifically to your needs and interests. Your final year dissertation is a significant opportunity for you to develop and demonstrate your self-motivated study skills.

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Life at UEA

Assessment for Year 2

You’ll be assessed across a combination of coursework and unseen written exams. Your coursework will typically consist of two of the following:

An essay
A quantitative assignment
Practical or experimental assignments
A report

Structure

At this stage of your degree you’ll develop further skills in research methods and choose modules about specific regions of the world. You’ll be able to choose further international development and optional modules relating to media. These cover issues such as media, globalisation and culture, politics and media, and gender and the media.

You’ll also have the option of studying a range of foreign languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Spanish.

Communication for Development is this year’s sole compulsory module.

Here you’ll explore the role of media and communications within development. How can media - both 'old' and 'new' - help mobilise citizens, change policy, modify behaviours and promote democracy, good governance and economic growth? Key topics will include behaviour change communication, participatory communication, community media, press freedom, entertainment education and access to new communication technologies.

Teaching and Learning

You’ll critically reflect on key issues in a variety of settings: lectures, workshops, and film screenings. At all times you’ll benefit from cutting-edge academic materials.

Apply

Life at UEA

Assessment for Year 3

You’ll be assessed across a combination of coursework and unseen written exams. Your coursework will typically consist of two of the following:

An essay
A quantitative assignment
Practical or experimental assignments
A report

Structure

In your third year you’ll write a dissertation on a subject of your choosing under the supervision of a relevant member of staff. You’ll continue to specialise, choosing from a range of optional modules, covering topics such as wars and humanitarian crises, development in practice, and politics and popular culture.

The core module this year – Media Production for Development – will introduce you to the techniques for storytelling relevant to the field of international development and develop the practical skills required to make a short film/documentary.

You will also spend two to six months overseas on the Development Work Placement module, working on a development project.

Teaching and Learning

You’ll critically reflect on key issues in a variety of settings: lectures, workshops, and film screenings. At all times you’ll benefit from cutting-edge academic materials.

Apply

Life at UEA

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll be assessed across a combination of coursework and unseen written exams. Your coursework will typically consist of two of the following:

An essay
A quantitative assignment
Practical or experimental assignments
A report

Compulsory Modules

MEDIA POWER

Code PPLM4054A

Credits 20

How was a reality TV star elected President? Should sexist media content be banned? Do popular media forms rot our minds? These sorts of questions are complex and different perspectives offer different sorts of response. This module helps you answer challenging and important questions like these by introducing key media theories and using them to think about power in our society. You will practice key skills of academic reading and writing in a structured and supportive environment. You will reflect on the importance of reading for academic research and learn how to assess and discuss the relevance and impact of milestones in media and mass communications theory from the nineteenth century to the present. You will explore theoretical approaches to media content, production, regulation and reception, including key themes such as freedom of speech, public sphere and political economy.

HUMANITARIAN COMMUNICATION

Code DEV-4008B

Credits 20

This module will critically explore changing trends in humanitarian communication by both the international news media and international development actors, such as Non-Governmental Organisations. This will include a critical review of media representations of development in the Global South and the role and responsibility of journalists reporting about humanitarian crises and poverty. We will also explore conventional strategies of humanitarian communication, such as ‘pornography of poverty’, as well as more contemporary issues such as the role of celebrities, social media and the rise of ‘post-humanitarian’ communication. With case studies ranging from Live Aid to Kony 2012, you will be introduced to key concepts and theoretical approaches cutting across a range of disciplines. This module also contains an integral practical skills component. Speakers from leading NGOs and experienced practitioners will share their insights about the everyday complexities of humanitarian communication and a number of workshops will focus on a relevant hands-on skills such blogging and the basics of development photography.

INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

Code DEV-4001A

Credits 40

This module provides an introduction to International Development Studies. Themes of poverty, inequality, culture, economic growth and sustainability are explored from the perspectives of development economics, social development, human geography and environment and natural resource management. A range of contemporary development issues are examined including globalisation, environmental degradation, gender, the state, aid, property rights, knowledge and progress.

Optional A Modules

(20 credits)

WORLD CINEMAS

Code AMAM4035B

Credits 20

The concept of World Cinema pervades our everyday experiences of film. It is a category of films that can be seen increasingly from cinema listings to the high street. Inherent within the label are debates of resistance, industry, art, technology and aesthetics that have held sway since the dawn of cinema worldwide. In this module you will break down some of these discourses and address the significant cultural, economic and political influences that world cinema has had, and indeed still has, within cinema. There are innumerable cinemas that may be contained within the notion of “world cinema,” but few are more long-lived, or as well-developed, as those we will investigate during this module. Taking the conceptual frameworks of “Middle Eastern,” “European” and “Asian” cinemas as starting points, you will break down the meanings that these regional, national and international definitions of cinema share. You will focus, for example, on the cinemas of Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Japan and America. This tightly focused definition of “world cinemas” is intended to introduce some of the most significant of contemporary world cinemas, while also focusing on those which have had the most influential global histories.

INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

Code PPLM4001B

Credits 20

Trump’s Tweets, Corbyn’s “fans”, and personalised campaign messages sent by algorithms…political communication has changed drastically in the last five years. Pundits and some scholars warn of serious dangers to democracy. What are the tricks of the trade in modern political communication and how different are they from those of the past? How does one now succeed to get across a message and gain support? Should we be worried about the implications for political discourse and decision-making? This module will enable you to critically assess the role of communication in national and international politics and help you understand the dynamics among political actors, media and citizens in opinion formation and decision-making. This is a professional practice module in which you will gain skills relevant to the conduct of political communications and to many other work environments, as well as experience working in a team on a task that requires critical thinking and collaborative strategizing. This module is ideal for anyone interested in working in politics, diplomacy, journalism, marketing, or for advocacy or activist civil society groups. Ideas about the power of communications and the ways that various political actors use that power are at the heart of this module. You’ll examine how these actors use the media in political communications. Lectures and readings will cover media effects, how political communication has changed with changes in media technology, branding and celebrity in politics, and soft power with political communication at the international level, as well as the tools used by various political actors, such as political parties or civic movements. Lectures are interactive, using an audience response system and open discussion. Seminar activities include practical tasks as well as ones to enhance understanding of the readings. The first assessed work is a group project in which you will play the role of junior analysts in a communications consultancy and you will work together to assess the political communications of a real political actor, your “client”, producing a report and presentation that includes recommendations for improvement. The second is an essay that gives you the chance to develop your ability to analyse and synthesise. By the end of this module you will be able to identify and describe the actors and their interests in a given political communications contexts, as well as formulate and articulate clear arguments about the relationships between political actors and the media in relation to power and agency. You will have gained experience in a simulated work scenario that will give you skills transferable across a number of professions as you will have delivered analysis and recommendations in a professional-style presentation and report. You will also be able evaluate political communications’ role in an international context, something increasingly necessary in the ever more globalized world both for political and corporate actors.

Optional B Modules

(20 credits)

INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-4003B

Credits 20

The module introduces you to key development economics theories and empirical evidence. Topics include the economics of poverty and inequality, economic growth, the balance between states and markets, agriculture and internal migration, population growth, health, human capital, the environment, international trade, and development aid. All of these are discussed within the context of development.

INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT: PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS

Code DEV-4004B

Credits 20

This module explores the biological and physical basis for primary production within the main natural resource systems providing food, fuel and fibre to human populations. The module has an integrated biophysical core and deals with resource demand, supply and exploitation issues. There will be a particular emphasis on the important processes in production and a number of key issues in natural resource systems will be introduced here e.g. global resource cycles, diversity, productivity and stability of natural resource systems. There is an important field-based, practical element throughout this course.

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Code DEV-4007B

Credits 20

This module introduces geographical approaches to the key processes of change that shape our world and its societies. You will examine how people and places are connected and transformed as a result of processes such as colonialism, globalisation, industrialisation, migration, urbanisation and development, and explore how differences and inequalities emerge. A central theme will be why space matters, as people’s lives are influenced by the places that surround them - both near and far - and as they in turn change those places. You will explore these issues through a range of contemporary geographical topics, from sweatshops to climate change, through which you will be introduced to core geographical concepts, ideas and approaches, emphasising on critical thinking and practice. You will discover key methods for geographical research, including Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and will include field-based practical work in the local area.

INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-4009B

Credits 20

This module provides an introduction to political concepts and frameworks that are central to the study of international development. Through studying theoretical approaches you will gain the foundations required to critically evaluate contemporary development debates and development policy and practice.

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Life at UEA

Important Information

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. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with 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. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.

Assessment for Year 2

You’ll be assessed across a combination of coursework and unseen written exams. Your coursework will typically consist of two of the following:

An essay
A quantitative assignment
Practical or experimental assignments
A report

Compulsory Modules

COMMUNICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5015A

Credits 20

What role can media and communications play within development? How can media – both ‘old’ and ‘new’ - help mobilise citizens, change policy, modify behaviours and promote democracy, good governance and economic growth? You will address these and other questions by providing a critical introduction to the field of ‘Communication for Development’ (C4D). Key topics will include behaviour change communication, participatory communication, press freedom, media literacy, media and conflict and access to new communication technologies. This module is accessible to International Development students who have not studied media before and to students on degrees relevant to media, with no previous experience of studying international development.

Optional A Modules

(20 credits)

QUANTITATIVE EVIDENCE IN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5002A

Credits 20

Throughout the study of international development, it is important to weigh our theoretical ideas and policy recommendations against the available evidence. This module deals with the use of quantitative evidence. The aim is to enable students: i) to understand quantitative analysis encountered in other modules; ii) to become critical readers of published quantitative data analysis; and iii) to gather, analyse and Interpret quantitative evidence themselves in support of their own study of development questions. The module deals with research design, a review of descriptive statistics and a number of inferential methods. Techniques taught include simple tests for group differences such as the t-test, analysis of variance and multiple regression.

METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Code DEV-5014A

Credits 20

This module will introduce students to the theory and practice of research methods in human geography. It will provide a preparation for undertaking research within and beyond the university context i.e. both for the Dissertation and Field course modules and equipping students with key employability attributes for professional careers. In doing so, the module will introduce students to a range of qualitative, quantitative and spatial methods that human geographers use in research including research design, data collection and data analysis skills that are transferable to the workplace. The module will be taught using lecture-based classes and computer labs. The module is organised based on three research methods that use different approaches to data collection, analysis and presentation. The quantitative method focuses on building statistical skills to analyses secondary survey data as well as interpreting quantitative research findings. The GIS method focuses on data visualisation skills, mapping skills and basic GIS analysis. The qualitative method focuses on analysing and presenting qualitative data.

POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2: RESEARCH METHODS AND TOOLS

Code DEV-5018A

Credits 20

This module introduces you to the fundamentals of research design in the social sciences, emphasising the ways in which assumptions, paradigms, and objectives affect methodological choices, and reflecting on the differences and commonalities between qualitative and quantitative approaches. Over the course of the semester these methodological considerations are applied to central themes in contemporary politics and development. You will have the opportunity to design your own political research project based upon your individual interests, and to apply the methodological issues addressed. The module thus enhances your understanding of contemporary political challenges, as well as introducing you to the basic principles of social science research.

Optional B Modules

(40 credits)

CONTEMPORARY MEDIASCAPES

Code AMAM5020A

Credits 20

You'll be provided with an understanding of media access, production, participation and use/consumption. Module content is organised around notions of space and place, thereby enabling engagement with issues including: globalisation/the global; national media and media systems; regional and local media; community and ‘grassroots’ media, domestic and ‘personal’ media. Over the course of the module, you'll develop an understanding of the range and reach of media and the multiplicity of factors determining how, when and where populations are enabled to access and participate in media activities. Parallel to the above will be an exploration, through selected case study examples, of media and cultural policy issues, spaces/places of media production as well as a critical engagement with questions of power in relation to these. The module also adopts a contemporary focus by incorporating debates about the role and potential of digital media and communications technologies in enabling new forms of media production, distribution and participation.

GENDER AND THE MEDIA

Code AMAM5031A

Credits 20

You’ll examine the role of media in constructing – and challenging – contemporary gender relations and understandings of a range of femininities and masculinities, providing a conceptual overview of feminist research methods You’ll explore both theoretical and methodological issues and cover theoretical approaches from feminist media studies, cultural studies, gender studies and queer theory. You’ll explore a range of media and visual cultures including television, magazines, sports media, music, digital media culture, etc.

RECEPTION STUDIES

Code AMAM5035A

Credits 20

In this module you will be introduced to the key theoretical frameworks and approaches within the tradition of reception studies. It will offer you a critical exploration of the main debates and studies that have shaped the field, exploring both historical and contemporary contexts of media reception. In particular, you will consider the transcultural circulation of media, and the issues that arise when film, television and other media transfer between cultures with significantly different values and modes of reception. You will also be encouraged to critically evaluate existing reception studies, being equipped with the tools necessary to undertake your own small-scale reception study.

THE WRITING OF JOURNALISM (AUT)

Code LDCC5013A

Credits 20

What kinds of writing skills produce great journalism? This question is essential to creating powerful journalism and it’s a central concern of this module. The Writing of Journalism enables you to develop a critical awareness of the skills and structures involved in creating effective journalism. You’ll consider a range of journalistic forms and find out how best to nurture and develop your own writing. You'll have the opportunity to explore the ways in which journalistic writing works – its contexts, its demands, and its inventiveness. This will enable us to approach journalism as a discourse with its own conventions, practices, and ideologies. This module is concerned with journalism as a practice, and a genre. As such, it involves discussion, peer-workshops, and practical experience of reading and writing news and feature articles. In addition to writing your own journalism, you will examine journalistic writing and critical work concerning the craft, in order to probe and challenge your own ideas and assumptions about the practice and production of this writing form. Rather than see the practice of journalism and the critical study of journalism as distinct activities, this module aims to engage you as critical readers and writers whose work is informed by both contexts. In so doing, you’ll gain a greater understanding of the demands and conventions of journalistic writing, develop and sharpen your own work, and gain the discursive flexibility which will allow you to navigate the writing of journalism today.

THE WRITING OF JOURNALISM (SPR)

Code LDCC5014B

Credits 20

MEDIA, GLOBALISATION AND CULTURE

Code PPLM5003B

Credits 20

What role do media and communication play in processes of globalisation? How is an ever more global media creating cultural change? In this module you will explore the cultural implications of global media and culture by investigating audience practices and media representations. It begins by introducing the main theoretical approaches to mediated globalisation, before examining how these work in practice. Indicative topics include the power of global branding, global celebrity culture, global publics and local audiences, transnational cultures, and representations of migration.

LIES, ALGORITHMS AND CONCERTOS: UNDERSTANDING MEDIA AND CULTURAL POLICY

Code PPLM5005B

Credits 20

How should we deal with the dissemination of 'fake news'? What role do algorithms play in the media we consume, and is it concerning? What kind of government intervention is there in media markets and in cultural life and how does this get decided? This module will enable you to understand the dynamics and issues of media and cultural policy and how various levels of governance are involved in regulating media cultural sectors. The module will start by introducing you to public policy and policy making processes, covering multi-level governance, multi-stakeholderism, and the policy cycle. It will then enhance your understanding though deep dives into current issues in media and cultural policy, such as audiovisual media policy, arts institutions, net neutrality, harmful content on platforms, sports and premium content rights, urban regeneration through culture, evolving models of (self/co-)regulation. The module will draw on examples from across the globe and at various level including local, regional, national and supra-national policy making, with special efforts made to integrate ones from non-Western contexts. You will have the opportunity to work on real policy issues and practice professional skills in simulations and assessment activities. This module is for anyone interested in media and culture or in public policy in general. It covers topics that touch our daily lives so would be useful to anyone concerned about the shape of our society.

THE MEDIA AND IDENTITY

Code PPLM5042B

Credits 20

How do the media shape how we see ourselves? Or indeed how others see us? In a world of social media, self-branding and the increasing importance of mediated forms of identity, on this module you will explore critical ways of thinking about the relationship between culture, media and the self. Drawing on a range of theoretical approaches in the field of media and cultural studies, this module asks you to use research methods from autoethnography to content analysis to explore both their own identities and the way in which identities more broadly are formulated through contemporary media culture. Through discussing the representation of identity in media content, as well as issues of media production, regulation and consumption, you will critically reflect upon the relationship between media culture and social power and consider how social and technological changes impact on the ways in which identity is experienced in everyday life. On successful completion of this module, you should be able, at threshold level, to critically reflect upon the ways in which media texts construct social identity and should be able to discuss the relationship between media and identity with awareness for social, institutional and technological factors that shape both media production and consumption. Assessment is by group presentation and independent research project.

DIGITAL MEDIA AND SOCIETY

Code PPLM5053A

Credits 20

For better or worse, digital technologies are hyped at having revolutionised society. This module will provide you 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.

Optional C Modules

(40 credits)

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5001A

Credits 20

This interdisciplinary module will begin by exploring the various approaches to understanding gender and development, then introduces and explains a range of key concepts as the foundations of gender analyses. The module then applies these concepts in examining a selection of important relevant debates: gender analysis of economic growth, divisions of labour and incomes, land and property rights, environmental change, education and health policies, voice and empowerment, violence and religion.

EDUCATION AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5003A

Credits 20

This module provides you with an understanding of key theories and current debates linking education to development and relating these to international and national education strategies, policies and educational practices. The module will begin by introducing you to some key policy themes in education and international development, and some established theories such as human capital, human development and capabilities, and theory on education as social reproduction. The module then goes into more depth with thematic content on themes such as early childhood development, conflict, gender and difference.

SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5004A

Credits 20

On this module you’ll learn the concepts and debates that are fundamental to social anthropology, and their relationships with development and change. The teaching methods on this module include formal lectures, guided discussions of key readings, small-group seminars, and ethnographic films. Topics you’ll cover include economic anthropology, ecological anthropology, personhood, embodiment, the anthropology of talk, identity and gender, cultural rights, technical change and the anthropology of development.

LATIN AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5005B

Credits 20

This is a regional studies module which covers economic, social and political aspects of development in Latin America. It situates the region in its historical and international context, and gives an overview of major development debates in the region. The module also includes country case studies of contrasting development strategies.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5006B

Credits 20

Sub-Saharan Africa Development aims to provide students with a historical, political, social and economic analysis of key issues relating to development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Students will develop a historically grounded understanding of political, social and economic change in Sub-Saharan Africa through a critical engagement with a range of scholarship from political science, sociology, anthropology, education and economics. Through an exploration of issues such as colonialism and the post-colonial experience, the state in Africa, reasons for Africa’s poor economic performance and aid effectiveness, conflict and ethnicity, migration and urban development students will develop understandings of the dynamics and agendas of change.

SOUTH ASIAN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5007B

Credits 20

This module begins with an overview of the region's history before analysing recent and contemporary social, political and economic development processes. Topics include economic growth, social difference, democracy, land and food security, the environment, health and education. The module draws heavily on India, but also considers Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in relation to the various topics.

GEOGRAPHIES OF DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5010B

Credits 20

What is uneven development and why should we care about it? How did uneven development emerge, and what can we do about it? This module focuses on how geographers have engaged with these questions from different perspectives, including economic, environmental and social. You will explore how economic geographers (and geographical economists) have sought to explain the spatiality and unevenness of economic activity, including examining the evidence for ‘natural advantage’. You will engage with geographical work on urban restructuring and environmental governance which have seen uneven development as a product of capitalism, and consider the influence of Marxist theory on geographical thought. You will also consider how both ordinary people and civil society have tried to address, contest and resist spatial difference and uneven development. Questions of scale emerge in various forms through the module, which demonstrates how understanding ‘uneven development’ is a fundamentally geographical endeavour by exploring some of the key geographies of development.

PEOPLE AND PLACE

Code DEV-5011A

Credits 20

This module will develop your theoretical and empirical understanding of how social environments in different places affect people’s health or ill-health. It is about the geographies of health. You will develop knowledge about how ill-health and health inequalities are linked to socio-economic inequalities, poverty and marginalisation. You will be able to apply this knowledge to questions of health policy and interventions designed to improve health. A key conceptual framework for this module is the social determinants of health (SDH). This includes analysis of the risk environment for ill-health, influenced by social structures (such as gender or class) in a particular setting, how people make a living (their livelihoods), environmental change and the nature of health policy and the health services available to people. We are therefore also interested in the interventions which can help deal with risk environments, to make people less susceptible to disease and less vulnerable when they become ill. You will learn how some places have achieved good health. The module is inter-disciplinary, drawing on theories and evidence from disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, public health and development studies, and to a lesser extent economics, demography and epidemiology. It also provides an understanding of the ways different cultures and societies define and understand health and ill-health and why some diseases are highly stigmatised. Case studies from different places and of different diseases are used to illustrate the social determinants of health, including infectious diseases (such as HIV, malaria, Ebola) and non-communicable diseases.

NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT 2

Code DEV-5012A

Credits 20

This module builds on the key issues and themes introduced in Introduction To Natural Resources And Development, i.e. diversity, productivity, sustainability, variability and stability, change and degradation etc. It broadly addresses the major challenges encountered when trying to achieve sustainable management of natural resources. It aims to give students a working understanding of scientific principles behind natural processes, as well as how these relate to broader contexts in development. The module also develops students' understanding of and experience in using a range of quantitative tools and approaches for measuring and describing natural resources.

NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT 3

Code DEV-5013B

Credits 20

In this module, you will focus on the governance of natural resources in the global South. In particular you will investigate some important and contested environment and development issues involving biodiversity conservation, agricultural technology and energy. These contests will include problems of human-wildlife conflict arising from protected areas, conflicts over genetically modified crops and debates about how to achieve food security. By focusing on these contested areas of policy and practice, you will gain insight into the challenges facing governance in the real world. Understanding of these challenges is supported by using different frameworks for analysing the underlying contexts, including an ecosystem services approach, political ecology and environmental justice.

ECONOMICS FOR DEVELOPMENT 2: Microeconomics

Code DEV-5016A

Credits 20

You’ll be introduced to the basic concepts of microeconomics and its application to development problems. Microeconomic theories of consumption, production, externalities, public goods, common property resources, market structures, land and labour markets and households are covered with an emphasis on issues relevant to developing countries. In addition to conventional microeconomic principles, insights from behavioural and institutional economics on development problems are also covered.

GEOGRAPHY FIELD COURSE

Code DEV-5016B

Credits 20

This module involves a residential field course, either within the UK or overseas. You will undertake immersive field-based learning, tailored to the field trip location/s. The module is designed primarily for students taking the BA Geography and International Development degrees, and depending on the number of enrolments, multiple trips might run each year. Extra charges apply for the overseas trips and the locations are subject to change.

ECONOMICS FOR DEVELOPMENT 3: Macroeconomics

Code DEV-5017B

Credits 20

The module will introduce you to the main macroeconomic issues of development. You will cover long-run macroeconomics, with a particular focus on economic growth, and short-run macroeconomics, including fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policy. The module combines theory and evidence, relating theoretical arguments to recent macroeconomic phenomena. You will look at specific topics including the government budget and fiscal policy, inflation and monetary policy, trade and the balance of payments, exchange rates and capital flows, and the relationships between gender, institutions, and capital (physical, human and natural) and economic growth.

POLITICS, DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIETY

Code DEV-5019B

Credits 20

This module critically analyses the role of key development actors, and the contexts that they work within. It emphasises how actual interventions play out in society - where they become concrete and have real effects. What changes because of these interventions, and what stays the same, and why? What are the actors’ intentions, who shaped them, and why are outcomes often unintended and contradictory? The module considers a range of actors from social movements to international organisations. It exposes students to the complexities of policy implementation and social change, and provides a strong grounding in understanding the politics of development policy. Although open to all students it is useful if you have taken Introduction to the Politics of Development (DEV-4009B). If you have not you may have to do some additional work in the opening weeks of the semester in order to familiarise yourselves with key concepts. Lecturers will assist you in doing so.

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Important Information

Assessment for Year 3

You’ll be assessed across a combination of coursework and unseen written exams. Your coursework will typically consist of two of the following:

An essay
A quantitative assignment
Practical or experimental assignments
A report

Compulsory Modules

DISSERTATION

Code DEV-6007Y

Credits 40

The dissertation will provide you with an opportunity to undertake a research project on a topic within development studies in consultation with your supervisor. It is intended to complement the more conventional methods of coursework and examination assessment, allowing you to investigate and consider themes and issues of importance to you in more depth. The dissertation is not an extended essay; rather it is a (social) scientific piece of research that sets out a clear question and methods, and develops a coherent argument based on a review of existing and/or interpretation of fresh evidence, and application to theory. Please note, the dissertation is restricted to International Development and Environmental Geography & International Development students.

DISSERTATION (WINTER SUBMISSION)

Code DEV-6017A

Credits 40

DISSERTATION (SPRING SUBMISSION)

Code DEV-6018B

Credits 40

MEDIA PRODUCTION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-6013A

Credits 20

The aim of this practical module is to provide an introduction to practical production techniques for storytelling relevant to the field of international development. The module will teach you the basic skills required to make a short film/documentary. Skills taught will include pre-planning a production, working in a team, selecting appropriate equipment, interview techniques, camera work, lighting, sound recording and editing. The module is delivered over an intensive two-week period after the end of the 2nd Year exam period, but counts as 20 credits towards the 3rd Year. The course is taught in collaboration with Duckrabbit who specialise in media training for the third sector.

DEVELOPMENT WORK PLACEMENT

Code DEV-6005A

Credits 20

This module will provide you with the opportunity to work overseas or in the UK, for example working in education, conservation, agriculture, working with vulnerable groups, administration or journalism. You are expected to fund your own project, which must be approved by the module convenor. The School has a database of projects to assist you with your project selection. The work placement can be between 2 - 5 months duration, over a period stretching from the summer (July) at the end of year two through to the end of the autumn semester of year three (November/December). You are expected to work for a minimum of two months and complete 150 hours of work as a minimum requirement. There are two pieces of assessment: an initial reflective piece of writing about the placement, and an essay related to the placement or project work.

Optional A Modules

(20 credits)

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5001A

Credits 20

EDUCATION AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5003A

Credits 20

SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5004A

Credits 20

LATIN AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5005B

Credits 20

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5006B

Credits 20

SOUTH ASIAN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5007B

Credits 20

GEOGRAPHIES OF DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-5010B

Credits 20

PEOPLE AND PLACE

Code DEV-5011A

Credits 20

ECONOMICS FOR DEVELOPMENT 2: Microeconomics

Code DEV-5016A

Credits 20

ECONOMICS FOR DEVELOPMENT 3: Macroeconomics

Code DEV-5017B

Credits 20

POLITICS, DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIETY

Code DEV-5019B

Credits 20

WARS AND HUMANITARIAN CRISES

Code DEV-6003A

Credits 20

Since the late 1950s, far more wars have been fought within the boundaries of single states than between different countries. The occurrence of these violent intrastate conflicts poses significant challenges to the development agenda, as they have often devastating social, political and economic consequences that can lead to severe humanitarian crises. Grounded in the acknowledgment that it is extremely difficult to meet international development targets in states experiencing violent civil conflict, the aim of Wars & Humanitarian Crises is to critically assess the (contested) causes and possible solutions of protracted civil wars. Key themes in the module include competing explanations for the incidence of civil war; the humanitarian implications of civil wars; the role of the media in reporting wars and humanitarian action; terrorism as another form of political violence that is distinct from but in many cases related to violent intrastate conflicts; and strategies and challenges of peace-building.

GLOBALISATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-6006B

Credits 20

The causes and consequences of globalisation are controversial and this module will present alternative theoretical perspectives that lie behind these debates. It extends the analysis of trade and international finance in Economics of Development 3. Specific areas that are examined include global production and transnational corporations, global trade and liberalisation, global finance and debt crises, aid and migration, as well as several cross-cutting issues such as the impacts of globalisation on the environment and on poverty and inequality.

DEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICE

Code DEV-6009B

Credits 20

This module offers you the opportunity to explore how development ideas and aims are reflected in contemporary and emerging development practice. The module content is geared towards giving you tools with which to approach working in development, exploring the process of defining and developing development projects. We explore the history of different approaches to aid enterprises, and how they have been shaped by different geo-political and ideological forces. You will learn the difference between a log frame and a theory of change, how to create both, and how they may be useful to defining your endeavours. You will work in a team to develop your own project, with a justification of the need, an evidence-based approach and a strong analysis of the social and political context in which it is going to operate. This will also need a communications strategy and a fully costed budget, all of which you will be supported to learn how to do. However we will also encourage you to think critically about these processes, looking at how these tools have been developed and why, and being aware of their limitations and benefits.

URBAN GEOGRAPHIES

Code DEV-6010B

Credits 20

This module will examine the historical and contemporary development and governance of urban centres around the globe. In order to understand these processes, we will explore both the structure of human settlements and the multiple relationships and processes that shape and reshape urban spaces. We will examine the changing environmental, political, social, and economic dynamics of cities and smaller urban centres, drawing on case studies from the global north and the global south. The module will cover a range of concepts and topics which have preoccupied urban geographers, including but not limited to: urbanisation and urban growth patterns; urban economic restructuring and neoliberalism; urban infrastructure; poverty and inequality; informality; migration; citizenship; urban nature; and race and sexuality in the city. A one-day field trip focusing on urban planning and regeneration is an integral part of the module.

POLITICS, POLICY AND PRACTICE

Code DEV-6011B

Credits 20

This module builds upon key themes in the politics of development that recur throughout the politics-related modules in DEV: distributions of power and resources, geographies of poverty and inequality, and dynamics of social and political change. The module mixes lectures with student led sessions that are intended to provide space for students to draw out their experiences of development in practice, and to think through concrete strategies for making human society a little less unequal, violent, and destructive. Students are encouraged to approach ‘development’ as a ‘relational whole’, and to think critically about the complex and often contradictory nature of change. The module culminates in a workshop in which groups of students will present strategies for fostering more equitable processes of social change.

MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-6014A

Credits 20

This module will address different forms of migration (e.g. internal, international, circular, return, seasonal, irregular) and reasons why people migrate (e.g. economic, political, social and environmental), and will critically explore the different ways in which these are related to development and change in societies of origin and destination. We will start by exploring migration from a historical perspective, and addressing different theoretical approaches with a multidisciplinary angle (including different methods of researching migration – both quantitative and qualitative), as well as regional differences and heterogeneity in migration trends and patterns across the globe. We will then look at key issues in migration studies including: types of migrants; networks and community organisations that link home and host societies; migrants’ integration into the host society; the impact of climate change on people’s movement; policies, citizenship and human rights; and the refugee crisis. Within these topics, we will also discuss inequalities across population subgroups (e.g. by age, gender, education and ethnicity) in terms of migration opportunities, access, networks and integration. These topics will be discussed through the analysis of case studies in various parts of the world and the participation of local community practitioners or migrants themselves in one or more seminar sessions. The module will also include one visit to a local museum to learn about the long and complex history of migration to Norfolk from the museum curators. With this comprehensive approach to migration this module will move beyond a narrow and casual view of the relationship between migration and development, and contribute to understanding the myriad ways in which global forces influence people’s movements, and how these movements, in turn, have historically been transforming societies and communities.

Optional B Modules

(20 credits)

CONTEMPORARY MEDIASCAPES

Code AMAM5020A

Credits 20

GENDER AND THE MEDIA

Code AMAM5031A

Credits 20

RECEPTION STUDIES

Code AMAM5035A

Credits 20

GENDER AND GENRE

Code AMAM6024B

Credits 20

This module offers an overview of critical and theoretical approaches to gender and genre in film and television, focusing particularly on North American media, over the last decade. Topics explored may include: the articulation and development of postfeminism in film and television; popular and independent film; feminism and authorship; media responses to the political and cultural contexts of postfeminism; responses to the recession; race and the limits of feminist representation; motherhood and fatherhood; representations of queerness. The module is taught by seminar, tutorial and screening.

CELEBRITY

Code AMAM6091B

Credits 20

You'll 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, you'll examine key approaches to the study of celebrity, paying particular attention to the cultural formation of celebrity and how it is bound up with structures of power (e.g gender, class, ethnicity). It will feature a range of case studies that will include Classical Hollywood cinema, the coming of television, the supposed 'tabloidization' of print media, the birth of Reality TV, the growth of the celebrity scandal and the relationship between celebrity and the internet.

JAPANESE FILM: NATIONAL CINEMA AND BEYOND

Code AMAM6102A

Credits 20

This is a 20-credit module, available to visiting/exchange students. Within this module you will explore the concept of Japanese cinema in relation to national, transnational and global discourses and seek 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.

INVESTIGATING AUDIENCES

Code AMAM6109B

Credits 20

In this module you will investigate a range of changing audience practices and cultures in the twenty-first century. You will be introduced to some of the key research on, and theoretical debates around, audience practices in relation to changes in distribution, technology and evolving forms of engagement. You will also study social practices and fan cultures surrounding new technologies, transmedia storytelling, branding, steamed media, event cinema, theme park attractions and other participatory cultures. Investigating Audiences will enable you to expand your critical and analytical skills, and also to develop your abilities as an audience researcher. You will evaluate and assess published academic writing on audience research methodologies, which will then enable you to exercise critical judgement in the design of your own empirical research project.

THE WRITING OF JOURNALISM (AUT)

Code LDCC5013A

Credits 20

THE WRITING OF JOURNALISM (SPR)

Code LDCC5014B

Credits 20

MEDIA, GLOBALISATION AND CULTURE

Code PPLM5003B

Credits 20

LIES, ALGORITHMS AND CONCERTOS: UNDERSTANDING MEDIA AND CULTURAL POLICY

Code PPLM5005B

Credits 20

THE MEDIA AND IDENTITY

Code PPLM5042B

Credits 20

DIGITAL MEDIA AND SOCIETY

Code PPLM5053A

Credits 20

POLITICS AND POPULAR CULTURE

Code PPLM6038A

Credits 20

Popular culture links to politics in a variety of ways, some obvious, some less obvious. There are the politicians who seek the endorsement of film stars; there are the politicians who were film stars; and there are the rock performers who pretend that they are politicians. And then there are the states that censor popular culture, or those that sponsor it and use it as propaganda. We will explore the many ways in which popular culture and politics are linked. You will: - be introduced to competing theories of the politics of popular culture - those that see popular culture as political manipulation and those that see it as political resistance. - analyse examples of popular culture for the political ideas and values they represent. - look at how popular culture is used in political communication. - track developments in the political economy of popular culture, especially in relation to globalisation, digital media and power within the cultural industries. - debate the censorship of popular culture and use of state subsidies to promote it. - reflect on the effects of popular culture, and about its role in personal and collective identity.

TOPICS IN PUBLIC OPINION

Code PPLM6046B

Credits 20

The role of public opinion is paramount in any democracy, as the public is often asked at election times and in-between elections to confer legitimacy to politicians and to their decisions. Yet what determines the public’s opinion? How much does the public know about politics? How does political communication influence the public’s positions? And last, but not least, how do we measure public opinion? You’ll discuss old and new directions in answering these questions, drawing on political psychology and communication theories. The module is well anchored in current politics, and will provide you with the tools to understand current public opinion trends in the UK and other democracies.

DIGITAL POLITICS

Code PPLM6078A

Credits 20

Today's political world is more than ever influenced by digital technologies, from innovative social movements to 'fake news' and digital election campaigns. We will explore how the technologies influence political processes and how political processes in turn influence technology. We will examine the impact of digital media on electoral politics, examining key election campaigns (including recent UK and US elections) and the impact of social media, big data, and targeted advertising on their results. We will investigate how social movements (from Black Lives Matter to the Alt-Right) have been transformed through their use of digital networks. We will navigate the world of online politics, with a particular focus on the new culture wars being fought out in online environments. Finally we will explore the politics of the everyday, and the political effects of the technology platforms on which we live our online lives.

ACTIVIST CAMPAIGNING

Code PPLM6079B

Credits 20

How do grassroots and third sector organisations campaign for social and political change? Rather than pose this as an abstract question, you will partner with existing organisations to conduct campaigns on specific issues such as climate change, tax avoidance or gender inequality. You will receive a brief from a partner organisation and be supported in planning, devising, and carrying out activities that will achieve the aims of the brief. Taught content will include strategies for both online and offline activism, analysing power relations at different scales, and ways of assessing the effectiveness of your campaigns, but the bulk of this module will be the experience of a “live” campaign. You will combine applied research skills with professional practice in the form of a “reverse internship.” As the partner organisations are embedded in the module, you will build valuable skills for employability as well as an opportunity for being supported in the exercise of engaged citizenship. You will be assessed by presentation and critical reflection. In the year 2017-2018 the partner organisation was Greenpeace, but partners may change each year.

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Important Information

Entry Requirements

A Levels

ABB or BBB with an A in the Extended Project

BTEC

DDM. Excludes BTEC Public Services, BTEC Uniformed Services and BTEC Business Administration.

Scottish highers

AAABB

Scottish highers advanced

BCC

Irish leaving certificate

3 subjects at H2, 3 subjects at H3

Access course

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 30 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 15 credits at Level 3

European Baccalaureate

75%

International Baccalaureate

32 points

GCSE offer

You are required to have Mathematics and English Language at a minimum of Grade C or Grade 4 or above at GCSE.

Additional entry requirements

If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes.

If you do not meet the academic and/or English requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO University of East Anglia offers guaranteed progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree:

Any International Foundation course

Alternative Qualifications

UEA recognises that some students take a mixture of International Baccalaureate IB or International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme IBCP study rather than the full diploma, taking Higher levels in addition to A levels and/or BTEC qualifications. At UEA we do consider a combination of qualifications for entry, provided a minimum of three qualifications are taken at a higher Level. In addition some degree programmes require specific subjects at a higher level.

Students for whom english is a foreign language

Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):

IELTS: 6.5 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components)

We also accept a number of other English language tests. Please click here to see our full list.

If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study:

Pre-sessional English at INTO UEA

Academic English at INTO UEA

Interviews

Most applicants will not be called for an interview and a decision will be made via UCAS Track. However, for some applicants an interview will be requested. Where an interview is required the Admissions Service will contact you directly to arrange a time.

Gap year

We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.

Intakes

This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.

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Course Reference Number: 1545673

BA MEDIA AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH OVERSEAS PLACEMENT