Dr Bart Cammaerts, S209

MSc Media and Communications (Research), and MPhil/PhD Media and Communications. Students taking non-research track media and communications MSc programmes may take this course instead of MC4M1 subject to their own degree regulations and with the agreement of the teacher responsible. This course is not available as an outside option.

The aims of the course are to provide students with a broad training in research methods and techniques, including research design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, and to enable students to evaluate critically their own research and that of professional researchers.

The course has four components:

1. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: A series of lectures offered by media and communications staff in MT. The lectures will normally cover the following topics central to research design across the social sciences, with a specific emphasis on their application to media and communications contexts: the general nature of research as social inquiry, interviewing, critical discourse analysis, content analysis, visual analysis, survey design/questionnaires, transnational comparative research, ethnography, participant observation and media production, and research ethics

2. Principles of Social Research: A series of five x three-hour workshops (each comprised of two x 1.5 hour sessions) offered by media and communications staff in LT. Students are required to participate in all five workshops.

3. Advanced Principles of Social Research: A complementary series of five x three-hour advanced workshops (each comprised of two x 1.5 hour sessions) offered by media and communications staff in LT. Students are required to participate in all five workshops.

4. Quantitative Analysis: Students will take the following courses offered by the Methodology Institute: MI451 Quantitative Analysis 1: Description and Inference; MI452 Quantitative Analysis 2: The Generalised Linear Model. Please note that these courses are compulsory and automatically included when you register for MC4M2. (Students may be permitted to substitute a more advanced Quantitative Analysis course offered by the Methodology Institute in place of MI451 and/or MI452, with the approval of the teacher responsible.)

i. Principles of Research in Media and Communications: Lecture (one hour) x 9 MT; Dissertation Topic Selection Workshop (one hour) x 1 MT.
ii. Principles of Social Research: Workshop (three hours) x 5 LT (each comprised of two 1.5 hour sessions).
iii. Advanced principles of Social Research: Advanced Workshop (three hours) x 5 LT (each comprised of two 1.5 hour sessions).
iv. Quantitative Analysis MI451: Lecture (two hours) x 9 MT; Computer class (one hour) x 9 MT; MI452: Lecture (two hours) x 9 LT; Computer class (one hour) x 9 LT.

i. Principles of Social Research/Advanced Principles of Social Research: All students are expected to complete advance reading, prepare seminar presentations, and submit one essay of 1,500 words

ii. Quantitative Analysis: Weekly assignments are required.

Flick, U. (1998) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, Sage; Hansen, A. et al. (1998) Mass Communications Research Methods, Macmillan; Webster, R. P. (1985) Basic Content Analysis, Sage; Kent, R. (1994) Measuring Media Audiences, Routledge; Adams, R. C. (1989) Social Survey Methods for Mass Media Research, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; Jensen, K. B. & Jankowski, N. (Eds) (1991) A Handbook of Qualitative Methodologies for Mass Communications Research, Routledge; Alasuutari, P. (1995) Researching Culture, Sage; Silverman, D. (Ed) (1997) Qualitative Research: Theory, Method, Practice, Sage; Habermas, J. (1997) Knowledge and Human Interest, Polity; Bauer, M. W. & Gaskell, G. (Eds) (2000) Qualitative Researching with Text, Image and Sound: A Practical Handbook, Sage; Burton, D. (2000) Research Training for Social Scientists: A Handbook for Postgraduate Researchers, Sage; Robson, C. (1993) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner Researchers, Blackwell; Deacon, D. et al. (1999) Researching Communications: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media and Cultural Analysis, Oxford University Press; Schroeder, K., Drotner, K., Kline, S., Murray, C. (2003) Researching Audiences. London: Arnold; Bryman, A. (2001) Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Bell, A. and Garrett, P. (eds.) (1998) Approaches to Media Discourse, Oxford: Blackwell.

No one book covers the entire syllabus; students will be expected to read widely in appropriate journals, and a list of references will be provided at the start of the course.

1. Coursework: One written assignment of not more than 5,000 words relating to the combination of Principles of Research in Media and Communications, Principles of Social Research and Advanced Principles of Social Research (67%).

2. Two x two-hour examinations in ST relating to Quantitative Analysis MI451 and MI452 (see Methodology Institute course guides) (33%).