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Global Media and Communication (MA)

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Global Media and Communication at NUI Galway

Course Overview

Introduction

This programme aims to prepare you to work as a professional in the international media and communications industries with a specialism in a chosen area. The programme will give you a critical understanding of the 21St Century complex global media ecosystem, and will prepare you to work as a communications professional with high-end production skills to work across multiple platforms. You will have an opportunity to further specialise and develop a niche in a subject area of particular interest via a choice of elective programme streams. Students from all streams will also complete a capstone module DJ6124 Final Project (30cr) and may undertake an optional internship during the third semester.

Programme streams

Stream A: Social Media and Digital Technology

This stream prepares you to thrive in networked environments and combines emerging theory around traditional and social media with skills such as production, creative coding, video and podcasting. You will develop your capacity to communicate effectively in a multimedia environment and on graduation you will be ready for roles such as social producers and executives in digital communication and marketing.

Semester one
DJ6142 Global Media and Society (5cr)               
DJ6129 Social Media & Digital Production (10cr)     
DJ6132 Digital Sandbox (10cr)                                    

Semester two
DJ6133 Data Journalism and Visualisation (10cr)
DJ6122 Researching the Media (5cr)
DJ6137 Strategic Communication (10cr)

Choose additional 10cr from:

  • DJ6135 Reporting Economics and Politics (10cr)
  • DJ6125 Investigating Miscarriages of Justice (10cr)

Stream B: Global Business and Financial Communication

You will build expertise in communicating a wide range of issues relating to the financial world and learn to humanise and visualise sometimes complex issues to make them accessible to a general audience. On graduation you will be ready to work in roles including financial journalism/communications, and in financial markets. Successful completion of this stream includes the Bloomberg BMC certification.

Semester one           
DJ6142 Global Media and Society (5cr)   
DJ6129 Social Media & Digital Production (10cr)       
DJ6135 Reporting Economics and Politics (10cr)        

Semester two 
DJ6134 Business and Financial Journalism (10cr)
DJ6137 Strategic Communication (10cr)
DJ6122 Researching the Media (5cr)
DJ6133 Data Journalism and Visualisation (10cr)

Stream C: Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Communication

This stream will help you develop your critical skills literacy and an ethical awareness to make sense of scientific and environmental issues and the expertise to communicate these issues through multiple media formats. On graduation you will be ready to work in roles including as climate advocacy and science communication officers with the UN, NGOs, climate, environmental and civil society organisations.

Semester one                                              
DJ6142 Global Media and Society (5cr)                      
DJ6129 Social Media & Digital Production (10cr)       
TI216 Weather and Climate (5cr)                               

Semester two
DJ6133 Data Journalism and Visualisation (10cr)
DJ6122 Researching the Media (5cr)
DJ6144 Communicating Climate Action and Science (10cr)

Choose additional 15cr from:

  • LW5124 Climate Justice (5cr) OR TI2108 Introduction to Paleoclimatology (5cr) OR DJ6143 ‘Media Law (5cr)
  • DJ6125 Investigating Miscarriages of Justice (10cr) OR DJ6135 Reporting Economics and Politics (10cr) 

Stream D: Humanitarian Communication and Human Rights

In this stream you will explore the relationship between humanitarian communication and human rights and you will have an opportunity to take elective modules offered by the Irish Centre for Human Rights with guest professors such as UN experts in areas like migration and refugees. On graduation you will be ready to work as humanitarian communication officers with the civil and public service, the diplomatic corps, development organisations, the EU and the UN, NGOs, and civil society organisations. 

Semester one     
DJ6142 Global Media and Society (5cr)   
DJ6129 Social Media & Digital Production (10cr)
LW5117 International Human Rights Law (10cr)        

Semester two
DJ6139 Humanitarian Communication (10cr)
DJ6122 Researching the Media (5cr)
DJ6126 Investigating Miscarriages of Justice (10cr)

Choose additional 10 cr from:

  • DJ6135 Reporting Economics and Politics (10cr)
  • LW5123 International Peace Operations (10cr)
  • DJ6133 Data Journalism and Visualisation (10cr)
  • TI216 Weather and Climate (5cr)
  • DJ6143 ‘Media Law (5cr)
  • LW5124 Climate Justice (5cr)

Applications and Selections

Application is online via the online application system. To apply, you should complete the application form and submit together with the following documents: 

  • An up-to-date CV
  • A 700-word personal statement outlining your interested in, and suitability for, the programme. You should indicate which stream you intend to choose and why.
  • A sample of your writing OR other media. This can be an academic essay; a short video or podcast, an article in student media; or a published piece of media. We welcome innovative and non-traditional samples of creativity.
  • Your university transcript.
  • A copy of the picture page of your passport as proof of ID (the original will be checked on registering).
  • In cases where English is not your first language you will need to provide an IELTS test. 

Shortlisted applications will be invited for interview.

 

Who Teaches this Course

  • Fiona McGarry, Lecturer, Discipline of Journalism and Communication
  • An Dr Uinsionn Mac Dubhghaill, Lecturer, Discipline of Journalism and Communication
  • Kelly Fincham, Lecturer, Discipline of Journalism and Communication

Adjunct Professors:

Sean O’Rourke, RTÉ journalist and radio presenter
Conor Brady, former The Irish Times editor

researcher
Mr Tom Felle
BSc, MA
Head of Discipline
Discipline of Journalism and Communication, Arts Millennium Building
NUI Galway
University Road
Galway H91 TK33, Ireland
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Requirements and Assessment

Assessment on the programme is 100% course work. This includes a variety of assessment methods such as term papers, project work, production of media, and individual and team-based projects.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

To be accepted you must have a minimum Second Class Honours degree, or be in your final year of study and expecting to graduate Summer 2022. We also welcome applications from people with prior experience in journalism looking to update their skills. The programme is particularly welcoming to international students. We welcome application from all academic backgrounds, particularly Arts and humanities, science and business graduates. 

The English language requirement for this programme is: IELTS of 7.0 overall with not less than 6.5 in any component.

Additional Requirements

Duration

1 year, full-time

Next start date

September 2022

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

50

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

Applications will be considered in two rounds. Round 1 closing date—30 April 2022. Round 2 closing date—31 July 2022.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

90

Award

CAO

Course code

1GMC1

Course Outline

Students will be offered a diet of taught core and elective modules across three semesters including both academic learning and practically-focused teaching and independent learning. Students will be offered 30 credits of modules per semester in semesters one and two, including core subjects, and a choice of elective options from media and communications and related subjects. Students will choose their stream with a pre-determined module structure. In their third semester students will undertake either a final practice-based project under supervision and a work internship, or an academic dissertation also under supervision. 

These carefully planned modules and streams blend to create a programme that will allow students the opportunity to build core communication capacities such as writing, reporting, production and storytelling across multiple platforms as well as providing students with a grounding in theoretical approaches to media and communication. This will allow students to develop their critical thinking capacities as well as acquiring advanced knowledge about norms and practices in global media – and how to challenge these. The suite of modules available offers students an opportunity to engage with real-world challenges and opportunities through a range of visiting speakers and innovative project-based assessment. Students are also given the opportunity to apply and synthesise the skills and knowledge developed over the programme within the final project or individual dissertation that are developed and produced in their final semester. 

Module diet (social media and data stream)

Semester one: Taught modules (30 ECTS)

DJ6127 Global Media and Society (10 ECTS) 
DJ6129 Social Media and Digital Production (10 ECTS)

Semester two: Taught modules (30 ECTS)
DJ6131 Global Media Innovation (10 ECTS)
DJ6133 Data Journalism and Visualisation (10 ECTS)

Choose one of:
DJ6134 Business and Financial Journalism
DJ6100 Features Journalism
DJ6125 Investigating Miscarriages of Justice
DJ6132 Digital Sandbox
DJ6135 Reporting Economics and Politics 
DJ6137 Strategic Communication 

Semester 3: (30 ECTS)
DJ6123 Dissertation (30 cr)
OR
DJ6124 Final Project and workplace learning (30 cr)

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Required DJ6127: Global Media and Society


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module will introduce you to contemporary issues that shape the Irish and international media landscape, such as ownership, the UK press post Leveson, the Irish Press Council and media regulation generally. The ethics portion of this module will act as a roadmap to guide you through the cross-section of ethical and professional issues that impact on journalists in contemporary media. Legal and regulatory issues will be examined through lectures and instruction on court practice, media law, defamation, and other restrictions.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Develop an understanding of global issues of concern to the media including the role of the media in democracy, and pressures on that function including ownership, press-power relationships and moral decay
  2. Acquire knowledge of legal and regulatory issues in media such as media law and defamation, freedom of information, copyright and court practices.
  3. Demonstrate an awareness of ethical principles in media and develop a personal ethical 'compass'
  4. Show an awareness of the recent history of media ethical debates including partisanship in political coverage, the Leveson inquiry in the UK and misogyny and gender issues.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Media Ethics" by Clifford G. Christians,Mark Fackler,Kathy Brittain Richardson,Robert H. Woods,Peggy Kreshel
    ISBN: 9780205897742.
  2. "Manufacturing Consent" by Edward S. Herman,Noam Chomsky
    ISBN: 9780099533115.
    Publisher: Random House
  3. "Media Law in Ireland" by Eoin Carolan,Ailbhe O'Neill
    ISBN: 9781784518004.
    Publisher: Bloomsbury Professional
  4. "Media Performance" by Denis McQuail
    ISBN: 9780803982956.
    Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
  5. "Media Ethics" by Patrick Lee Plaisance
    ISBN: 9781412956857.
    Publisher: SAGE
The above information outlines module DJ6127: "Global Media and Society" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DJ6129: Social Media and Digital Production


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module aims to give students the professional production skills to operate competently as a professional journalist as well as understanding current theory and best practice in editorial design and production.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive knowledge of current research and scholarship on editorial production across multiple platforms.
  2. Operate a range of hardware and software used in editorial production across multiple platforms.
  3. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the processes involved in sourcing, producing editorial content including the ethical principles, and copyright and legal restrictions.
  4. Evaluate, plan and implement strategies for improving editorial content and increasing audiences across multiple digital channels.
  5. Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems; in particular with working in teams, managing creativity and negotiating complexities in editorial practice across multiple platforms.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book (2018 Release)" by Maxim Jago
    ISBN: 9780134853239.
    Publisher: Pearson Professional
  2. "Editorial Design" by Cath Caldwell,Yolanda Zappaterra
    ISBN: 9781780671642.
    Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
  3. "Social Media for Journalists" by Megan Knight,Clare Cook
    ISBN: 9781446211137.
    Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
The above information outlines module DJ6129: "Social Media and Digital Production" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DJ6131: Global Media Innovation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will equip students with the professional knowledge and capacity needed to transition into the fast-changing media industry. Students will develop the knowledge and understanding necessary to create innovative ideas; to help bring fresh thinking to a media organisation; to create dynamic content for a start-up enterprise; or to launch their own product.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between editorial, audiences and revenue sources, and the impact of financial considerations on editorial decision making.
  2. Effectively analyse the opportunities afforded by industry disruption.
  3. Work independently and collectively to identify, analyse and develop an entrepreneurial solution to a journalistic need.
  4. Identify the commercial viability of a new media innovation or product.
  5. Work successfully as part of a team.
  6. Reflect on personal strengths and develop self-awareness of areas for improvement.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Digital Transformation in Journalism and News Media" by Mike Friedrichsen,Yahya Kamalipour
    ISBN: 9783319277868.
    Publisher: Springer
  2. "Becoming a reflective practitioner" by Christopher Johns ; with contributions from Sally Burnie ... [et al.].
    ISBN: 0470674261.
    Publisher: ; Wiley-Blackwell
  3. "The Art of Innovation" by Tom Kelley
    ISBN: 9781781256145.
  4. "Communicative Figurations" by Andreas Hepp,Andreas Breiter,Uwe Hasebrink
    ISBN: 9783319655840.
    Publisher: Springer
The above information outlines module DJ6131: "Global Media Innovation" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DJ6133: Data Journalism and Visualisation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module students will learn a range of techniques for sourcing, analysing, and visually representing data-based stories, through practice-driven learning.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Develop stories that rely on leveraging the internet as a research tool and production space.
  2. Select and use appropriate analytical tools for a particular task to analyse database stories.
  3. Generate narrative storylines from patterns identified in large data sets.
  4. Analyse data using appropriate statistical techniques.
  5. Use appropriate visualisation tools to communicate complex data-based narratives to audiences effectively.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future" by Tom Felle
    ISBN: 9781845496630.
    Publisher: Theschoolbook.com
  2. "The Digital Reporter's Notebook" by Blaine, Mark
    ISBN: 9780415898614.
    Publisher: Routledge
  3. "Practicing Convergence Journalism" by Janet Kolodzy
    ISBN: 9780415890304.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "The Investigative Reporter's Handbook" by Brant Houston
    ISBN: 0312589972.
    Publisher: Bedford/St Martins
  5. "Principles of Convergent Journalism" by Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant, Douglas J. Fisher
    ISBN: 9780199838653.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  6. "The Online Journalism Handbook" by Bradshaw, Paul and Liisa Rohumaa
    ISBN: 9781405873406.
  7. "The Multimedia Journalist" by Jennifer George-Palilonis
    ISBN: 9780199764525.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  8. "Online Journalism" by James C. Foust
    ISBN: 9781934432174.
    Publisher: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers
  9. "Producing Online News" by Ryan Thornburg
    ISBN: 9781604269963.
    Publisher: CQ Press College
The above information outlines module DJ6133: " Data Journalism and Visualisation" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6132: Digital Sandbox


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

The aim of this module is to introduce students to computer coding applications to produce creative works that can fulfill audience needs and market demand. Students will explore relevant areas of creative practices and the advanced technologies that provide new possibilities to problem-solve, disrupt, generate content as well as a means of promoting and distributing their works.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the essentials of technical writing
  2. Develop skills using appropriate coding languages for media
  3. Display knowledge of the object-oriented programming paradigm and be able to develop simple, well-structured programs in an appropriate high-level object-oriented language.
  4. Acquire problem-solving capacities through the use of problem-based learning (PBL) and design thinking
  5. Acquire knowledge of relevant theories and scholarship in the area of creative media technology
  6. Learn to work in multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively
  7. Reflect on the impact of your work on society through appropriate theoretical frameworks including ethical issues and data privacy.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Learn Python Programming" by Fabrizio Romano
    ISBN: 9781788996662.
    Publisher: Packt Publishing
  2. "HTML and CSS" by Jon Duckett
    ISBN: 9781118008188.
    Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  3. "JavaScript and JQuery" by Jon Duckett
    ISBN: 9781118531648.
    Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  4. "Creative Coding in Python" by Sheena Vaidyanathan
    ISBN: 9781631595813.
    Publisher: Quarry Books
The above information outlines module DJ6132: "Digital Sandbox" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6125: Investigating Miscarriages of Justice


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will give students an introduction to the wrongful treatment of people by the state and powerful institutions and the investigative journalism techniques that can be used to highlight and report on gross injustices in Ireland and internationally.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental causes of miscarriages of justice.
  2. Showcase applied investigative journalism skills.
  3. Employ research and investigative skills and communicate effectively.
  4. Display an understanding of the complex nature of working independently and as part of a team on a multifaceted long-form investigation.
  5. Demonstrate awareness of critical failings in the justice system.
  6. Display knowledge of how advanced DNA testing can unearth and potentially prevent miscarriages.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church" by Investigative Staff of the Boston Blobe
    ISBN: 978031627153.
    Publisher: Back Bay Books
  2. "The Framing of Harry Gleeson" by Kieran Fagan
    ISBN: 9781848892460.
    Publisher: The Collins Press
  3. "Convicting the innocent: where criminal prosecutions go wrong" by n/a
    ISBN: 978067406611.
    Publisher: Harvard University Press
  4. "Maamtrasna" by Jarlath Waldron
    ISBN: 9780946130078.
    Publisher: Edmund Burke Publisher
The above information outlines module DJ6125: "Investigating Miscarriages of Justice" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6123: Dissertation: Journalism, communication and media


15 months long | Credits: 30

This is a capstone research module where students will have the opportunity to engage in a substantial piece of independent research into an academic subject within the field of journalism, media and/or the wider communications field. Students will plan and produce research on a particular topic, drawing on appropriate scholarship in the field, and will be guided through the process of preparing for and producing the dissertation via regular academic supervision with an assigned supervisor.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate familiarity with a broad range of research literature in the area of journalism studies.
  2. Choose and situate a project within the context of an existing body of scholarly investigation, and appropriate areas of professional practice.
  3. Apply appropriate humanistic and social science theories to problems in the field of journalism studies.
  4. Choose and implement appropriate research methodologies.
  5. Produce academic writing that adheres to professional conventions and standards within the field of journalism studies.
  6. Articulate ideas to present a convincing academic argument.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Research (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks" by Meenakshi Gigi Durham (Editor), Douglas M. Kellner (Editor)
    ISBN: 9780470658086.
    Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
  2. "Key Readings in Journalism" by Elliot King (Editor), Jane Chapman (Editor)
    ISBN: 9780415880282.
    Publisher: Routledge
  3. "Irish media" by John Horgan
    ISBN: 0415216419.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001
  4. "News: The Politics of Illusion" by W. Lance Bennett
    ISBN: 0205082416.
    Publisher: Pearson Education
  5. "The Media Studies Reader" by Laurie Ouellette (Editor)
    ISBN: 9780415801256.
    Publisher: Routledge
  6. "Media in Ireland" by Ireland) Cleraun Media Conference 1998 (Dublin, Damien Kiberd (Editor)
    ISBN: 9781851825097.
    Publisher: Four Courts Pr Ltd
  7. "Media in Ireland" by Ireland) Cleraun Media Conference 2000 (Dublin, Damien Kiberd (Editor)
    ISBN: 9781851826247.
    Publisher: Open Air
  8. "Media in Ireland" by Damien Kiberd
    ISBN: 9781851823154.
    Publisher: Four Courts Press
  9. "Bicycle highway" by edited by Rosemary Day
    ISBN: 9781905785377.
    Publisher: Liffey Press
  10. "Democracy without citizens" by Robert M. Entman
    ISBN: 019506576X.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press
  11. "Keywords" by Raymond Williams
    ISBN: 0006861504.
    Publisher: Fontana Press
  12. "Television" by Raymond Williams; edited by Ederyn Williams; with a new preface by Roger Silverstone
    ISBN: 9780415314565.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2003.
  13. "Empire and Communications" by Harold A. Innis, Alexander John Watson (Introduction)
    ISBN: 1550026623.
    Publisher: Dundurn Press
  14. "The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction" by Walter Benjamin; translated by J. A. Underwood
    ISBN: 9780141036199.
    Publisher: Penguin
  15. "James Carey" by Eve Stryker Munson and Catherine A. Warren, editors
    ISBN: 0816627037.
    Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
  16. "The culture industry" by Theodor W. Adorno; edited and with an introduction by J. M. Bernstein
    ISBN: 0415253802.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001.
  17. "Manufacturing consent" by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky; with a new introduction by the authors
    ISBN: 0375714499.
    Publisher: Pantheon Books
  18. "Culture and imperialism" by Edward W. Said
    ISBN: 0679750541.
    Publisher: Vintage Books
  19. "Rethinking media theory" by Armand Mattelart + Mich�le Mattelart; translated by James A. Cohen and Marina Urquidi
    ISBN: 0816619107.
    Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
  20. "The invention of communication" by Armand Mattelart; translated by Susan Emanuel
    ISBN: 0816626979.
    Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
  21. "Theories of communication" by Armand Mattelart and Mich?ele Mattelart; translated by Susan Gruenheck Taponier and James A. Cohen
    ISBN: 0761956476.
    Publisher: Sage
  22. "The economic regulation of broadcasting markets" by edited by Paul Seabright and J�rgen von Hagen
    ISBN: 9780521696340.
    Publisher: Cambridge ; Cambridge University Press, c2007.
  23. "Comparing media systems" by Daniel C. Hallin, Paolo Mancini
    ISBN: 9780521543088.
    Publisher: Cambridge, UK ; Cambridge University Press, 2004.
  24. "Understanding Media Industries" by Timothy Havens, Amanda Lotz
    ISBN: 9780195397673.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  25. "Theorizing communication" by Dan Schiller
    ISBN: 0195101995.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press
  26. "Critical theories of mass media" by Paul A. Taylor and Jan Ll. Harris
    ISBN: 0335218113.
    Publisher: McGraw Hill/Open University Press
The above information outlines module DJ6123: "Dissertation: Journalism, communication and media" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6124: Final Project for journalism, media and communication


15 months long | Credits: 30

This module provides students with an opportunity to complete a substantial piece of research-based professional journalism as a capstone to their degree programme, so as to enable them to identify and research thoroughly a subject of their choice, on an original theme and which is worthy of sustained journalistic inquiry.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of specific fields under investigation
  2. Identify and evaluate academic and journalistic research methodologies and sources of information (interviews, texts, internet, journal articles, cuttings, broadcasts, libraries)
  3. Display a critical awareness of the responsibilities and roles of journalists and the social, ethical and legal contexts in which they work.
  4. Plan and conduct a piece of original journalistic research; analyse and evaluate information for editorial importance; identify and resolve inconsistencies.
  5. Demonstrate editorial balance and fairness, apply appropriate research strategies and effective and appropriate interviewing for the medium and the target audience.
  6. Apply the habit of reflection and a critical approach, showing an awareness of different cultural perspectives.
  7. Value and be aware of high-level professional standards, including accuracy, protection of sources, balance, fairness and relevant legal requirements.
  8. Display an awareness of the ethical dimensions of news gathering and reporting; display intellectual integrity, awareness of copyright implications, the importance of crediting the work of others and the unacceptability of plagiarism.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Reflective Practice" by Gillie Bolton,Russell Delderfield
    ISBN: 9781526411709.
    Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
  2. "The Reflective Practitioner" by Donald A. Schon
    ISBN: 9780465068784.
  3. "Becoming a Reflective Practitioner" by Christopher Johns
    ISBN: 9781119193920.
    Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  4. "Video Journalism for the Web: A Practical Introduction to Documentary Storytelling" by Kurt Lancaster
    ISBN: 9780415892674.
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DJ6124: "Final Project for journalism, media and communication" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6130: Employability and Career Skills


Semester 1 and Semester 2 | Credits: 0

This module will equip students with the professional knowledge and skills needed to transition into the fast-changing media industry, and develop their social capital. Students will develop the knowledge and understanding necessary to start their careers and gain employment.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Showcase employability skills by having successfully completed a workplace internship or shadowing programme and having cultivated a professional digital presence.
  2. Effectively analyse the opportunities afforded by industry disruption.
  3. Work successfully as part of a team.
  4. Reflect on personal strengths and develop self-awareness of areas for improvement.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Digital Transformation in Journalism and News Media" by Mike Friedrichsen,Yahya Kamalipour
    ISBN: 9783319277868.
    Publisher: Springer
  2. "Becoming a reflective practitioner" by Christopher Johns ; with contributions from Sally Burnie ... [et al.].
    ISBN: 0470674261.
    Publisher: ; Wiley-Blackwell
  3. "Communicative Figurations" by Andreas Hepp,Andreas Breiter,Uwe Hasebrink
    ISBN: 9783319655840.
    Publisher: Springer
The above information outlines module DJ6130: "Employability and Career Skills" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6105: Political reporting


Semester 1 | Credits: 5

In this module students will develop the skills necessary to produce politically-focused journalism in an Irish context. Through practice-led learning, students will gain an understanding of the Irish political and legal system; learn how to report on courts and legislative bodies; learn how to use tools such as Freedom of Information requests.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically assess the structure and operation of the Irish political system.
  2. Critically assess the structure and operation of the Irish courts system.
  3. Assess the utility of a range of journalistic research tools (including various forms of interviews, Freedom of Information requests, etc.) to particular stories, and apply them appropriately.
  4. Produce ethically responsible and critically-engaged political reporting to a professional standard
  5. Translate complex social and political developments into narratives easily understood by lay audiences.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Broadcasting and Public Life" by John Horgan
    ISBN: 1851828397.
    Publisher: Four Courts Press
  2. "Irish media" by John Horgan
    ISBN: 0415216419.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001
The above information outlines module DJ6105: "Political reporting" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6135: Reporting Economics and Politics


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

In this module students will develop the skills necessary to understand fundamentals of macro-economics and politics. Through practice-led learning, students will gain an understanding of the Irish political system as well as the interplay between business, government and the economy; and the impact of policy on economic decision making.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically assess the structure and operation of the Irish political system.
  2. Develop knowledge of fiscal and monetary policy
  3. Gain an understanding of macro-economics and the interplay between government and the economy.
  4. Assess the utility of a range of journalistic research tools (including various forms of interviews, Freedom of Information requests, etc.) to particular stories, and apply them appropriately.
  5. Produce ethically responsible and critically-engaged reporting to a professional standard
  6. Translate complex social, economic and political developments into narratives easily understood by lay audiences.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The government & politics of Ireland" by Basil Chubb
    ISBN: 9780192850645.
  2. "Irish media" by John Horgan
    ISBN: 0415216419.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001
  3. "The Battle of Bretton Woods" by Ben Stell
    ISBN: 9780691162379.
    Publisher: University of Princeton Press
  4. "Business Journalism" by Keith Hayes
    ISBN: 9781430263494.
    Publisher: Apress
The above information outlines module DJ6135: "Reporting Economics and Politics" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6100: Features Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Students will be introduced to the field of features journalism, and to a range of specific formats within the genre. Through extensive practical work, they will learn to identify and pitch stories; to research and investigate; and to write to format and deadline.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify and shape promising topics
  2. Conduct the research appropriate to various article types, to include interviewing, observation, document analysis
  3. Prepare a range of feature journalism pieces in the appropriate formats and styles
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "English for journalists" by Wynford Hicks
    ISBN: 9780415404204.
    Publisher: Abingdon, Oxon, [England] ; Routledge, 2007.
  2. "Writing feature articles" by Brendan Hennessy
    ISBN: 9780240516912.
    Publisher: Oxford ; Focal Press, 2006.
  3. "Essential English" by Harold Evans
    ISBN: 9780712664479.
    Publisher: Pimlico
The above information outlines module DJ6100: "Features Journalism " and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6122: Researching the Media


Semester 2 | Credits: 5

This course provides students with an understanding of the inter-related fields of journalism and media studies, through study of a range of scholarly works and independent research.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Describe the development of the field of journalism, in the context of various social and technological changes.
  2. Understand various normative models for the role of the press, and apply them to case studies.
  3. Critically examine the organisation and operation of news organisations.
  4. Analyse the content produced by the news media.
  5. Place Irish journalism and media in an international context.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (70%)
  • Oral, Audio Visual or Practical Assessment (30%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Key Readings in Journalism" by Elliot King (Editor), Jane Chapman (Editor)
    ISBN: 9780415880282.
    Publisher: Routledge
  2. "What are journalists for?" by Jay Rosen
    ISBN: 9780300089073.
    Publisher: New Haven ; Yale University Press, 1999.
  3. "Media work" by Mark Deuze
    ISBN: 9780745639253.
    Publisher: Polity
  4. "The Rise of the Network Society: Volume I: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture" by Manuel Castells
    ISBN: 9781405196864.
    Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
  5. "The global media" by Edward S. Herman and Robert W. McChesney
    ISBN: 9780826458193.
    Publisher: Continuum
  6. "Global media governance" by Seán Ó Siochrú and Bruce Girard with Amy Mahan
    ISBN: 9780742515666.
    Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
The above information outlines module DJ6122: "Researching the Media" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6134: Business and Financial Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Confidence that you can cover financial/business/economic news gives you a useful skill to offer and can be an advantage in getting many jobs in journalism. Financial crises and their human impact have helped project business news onto front pages and regularly dominate the news cycle, and have implications that can spread far wider than the money markets and factory floors. This module will focus on making financial news more relevant, accessible and credible to a wider audience. Making sense and use of numbers in finding and telling stories without letting them take over will be a key issue.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically and systematically analyse how the world of business and finance functions, from SMEs to transnational corporations, with reflective insights into how the activities of these institutions are reported and interpreted.
  2. Display a critical awareness of the structure, balance and narrative in business stories, and of the kinds of information which need to synthesised and evaluated by the professional journalist.
  3. Critically analyse complex issues of journalistic activity for financial reporting and communicate them effectively to colleagues and to the public.
  4. Develop interviewing skills with a wide range of stories and covering complex issues
  5. Manage the implications of practical, operational and ethical dilemmas in the specific area and work to produce solutions.
  6. Apply knowledge to practical writing tasks and reflect on practice.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "How to read the financial pages" by Michael Brett
    ISBN: 0712662596.
    Publisher: Random House Business
  2. "How to Speak Money" by Lancaster, J
    ISBN: 9780571309849.
    Publisher: Faber & Faber
  3. "Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" by Chris Roush
    ISBN: 0415876559.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "Bad News How America’s Business Press Missed the Story of the Century" by Anya Schiffrin
    ISBN: 9781595587725.
    Publisher: New Press
  5. "Covering globalization" by edited by Anya Schiffrin and Amer Bisat
    ISBN: 9780231131759.
    Publisher: Columbia University Press
The above information outlines module DJ6134: "Business and Financial Journalism" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

This programme prepares graduates for a wide range of careers. The valuable oral and written communication skills, advanced research skills, and critical thinking skills that the MA Global Media and Communication programme will offer students are highly transferrable and sought after by employers in sectors including the digital media, news, communications, culture and knowledge industries. Students will be able to specialise in a specific stream within the programme thereby further developing their capacities and enhancing their employability. Graduates can progress to an exciting variety of careers including news and current affairs; media and creative industries; advocacy, civil society, policy and civil society organisations; strategic communication; social media and digital content production, digital communication and data analysis; publishing; broadcasting; public relations; and financial journalism and communication. The programme also offers clear opportunities to pursue further study and research at postgraduate level. 

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€9,000 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Tuition

€8,860 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Non EU

€17,500 p.a. 2022/23


Student levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.  Further detail here.

Find out More

Kelly Fincham
E: kelly.fincham@nuigalway.ie

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Downloads

  • Postgraduate Taught Prospectus 2022

    Postgraduate Taught Prospectus 2022 PDF (14.3MB)