MA International Journalisms (2019 Entry)

Overview:

Understanding journalism is crucial in today's mediated world. The spread of the Internet, social media and the advent of comparatively cheap communications technology holds out the promise of enabling a more diverse range of actors to shape journalism. The forms and practices involved in such journalism could also enable greater inclusivity, supporting a range of progressive aims such as advocacy, peace, development and greater intercultural understanding. At the same time, widespread cost-cutting in mainstream journalism and the speeded-up journalistic practices used to service multiple delivery platforms threaten to further entrench the norms and definitional advantages of the wealthy and powerful because of their greater ability to subsidise journalism through public relations material.

This course draws upon the unique positioning of SOAS in higher education in order to examine how such tensions affect contemporary journalistic representations of the Global South and how they relate to different cultural, political, technological and historical contexts. Therefore this course springs from a pluralistic critical perspective: seeking to analyse how others represent Southern countries and events and how Southern actors seek to represent themselves. This contrasts strongly with other Journalism MAs taught in the UK, which are usually constrained by the norms and priorities of British professional accreditation bodies.

To compliment the theoretical focus of the degree and to weave in the practitioner view alongside the media industry's, this degree will have the expertise of Mahfuz Sadique who has had a career of over a decade in the BBC. Mahfuz Sadique , a Research Fellow at the Centre, will hold classes that focus on journalistic agency and newsroom practises in our present political economy. Mr Sadique will also act as mentor to students and provide guidance and insights for a career in the media.

THE ON-LINE MODULE SIGN-UP SYSTEM GUIDES STUDENTS THROUGH THE AVAILABLE MODULES. PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL OPTIONAL MODULES ARE AVAILABLE EVERY YEAR.

• Fees 2019/20 UK/EU fees:

Interested Students.

Structure:

Dissertation Module:

• Dissertation in International Journalisms

Taught Component Core Modules:

All students will take the following core module:

• Theoretical Approaches to International Journalisms

Compulsory Module:

All students will take the following Compulsory Module:

• Qualitative Research Methods

Guided Options:

• All students will take modules to the value of 30 credits from list A: Media Studies modules.

Our mission is to inspire the next generation to develop ideas for a fairer and more sustainable world. We welcome the brightest minds from over 130 different countries, creating a community that is diverse, vibrant and multinational. From day one at our central London campus, our students are encouraged to challenge conventional views and think globally – and that’s one of the reasons why they develop careers that make a real difference. A SOAS student is typically passionate about their subject, opts to learn a second language, loves to learn, to travel, to be surprised; and is interested and engaged with the world around them.