MA Critical Media and Cultural Studies (2019 Entry)

Overview:

Students must take 180 credits comprised of 120 taught credits (including core and option modules) and a 60 credit dissertation Select the equivalent of FIVE Modules comprising full (30) and half (15) Modules including the dissertation

This is the unique Masters-level programme offered that specifically addresses Critical Media and Cultural Studies of the non-Western world. The degree introduces students to the key contemporary issues discussed in Asian and African media and provides them with the opportunity to engage directly in research on an aspect of these media. It has a strong theoretical element, equipping students with the intellectual tools to consider the production, distribution and reception of non-Western media in new ways and to challenge the English-language, Eurocentric approach of most media studies scholarship.

While media studies degrees usually concentrate on media production, distribution and reception in North America and Western Europe, this programme considers critical issues in media and cultural studies in their full global complexity, with a focus on the cultures and societies of Asia and Africa and their diasporas. The degree is distinctive in the depth of theoretical and cultural background to contemporary media processes that it provides. Optional courses offer a range of approaches to the critical study of Asian and African discourses, from cinema to music, comparative literature to language, gender, religion, art and archaeology.

The programme is designed for students with an interest in critical theory; media professionals seeking alternative ways of understanding the media and culture industries; and those in NGOs and government organizations interested in challenging the hegemony of media corporations. It is well suited to students wishing to proceed to MPhil/PhD research in media or cultural studies, visual cultural studies, urban studies, sociology and anthropology.

The on-line module sign-up system guides students through the available modules. Please note that not all optional modules are available every year.

• Overview duration: 1 Year Full Time, 2 or 3 Years Part Time
• Fees 2019/20 UK/EU fees -

Interested Students.

Structure:

Occasionally the availability of optional modules changes as a result of staffing and other circumstances. Students who had signed up for such modules will be notified as soon as possible and given the opportunity to choose from available alternatives.

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.