COURSE CURRICULUM

The Media and Communications MSc includes a range of compulsory and optional modules designed to explore the complex relationship between media, society and political change, while building strong research and analytical skills. Core modules such as Digital Media, Social Movements and Change examine how activism develops and how media tools, leadership and identity shape the success or failure of movements in the digital age. Media as Power focuses on how communication structures influence control and public discourse. Researching Social and Political Sciences equips students with qualitative research methods essential for dissertations and independent inquiry, while 21st Century Media-Bodies explores how media constructs identities, bodies and lived experiences within cultural, social and political contexts. The Written Dissertation allows students to apply theoretical or research-based approaches to a specialist topic. Optional modules enable students to tailor their learning through contemporary fields such as AI for Journalists, Campaigners and Activists, Digital Media Career Development, Multi-platform Storytelling, and Politics and Digital Cultures, which analyse the role of digital spaces in political communication. Other options include Political and Strategic Communication, Political Satire and Comedy, and Fake News, Images and Websites, which combines theory with practical fact-checking and verification training. These modules collectively develop strategic, creative and critical competencies relevant to careers in media, communications, activism, journalism and political strategy.