MA International Political Communication

Course details On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry. Core units Social Theory & Political Communication: A contextual grounding for political communication in social, communication and media theory. There will be discussions about globalisation, neoliberalism and democratic theory, considering issues of power, gender, economics, social equality and the environment. You'll also discuss the role of communication within and between societies, the role of mass (online and offline), alternative and ‘new’ media, and new forms of social, corporate and political communication in online and digital environments. Political Psychology & Sociology: A foundation for understanding the psychology of leaders and citizens, where you'll debate the understanding of humans as rational and emotional beings and contextualise this in political behaviour. You'll discuss socialisation and the links between psychology and sociology, the interrelation between individuals and political structures and institutions, political ideas and how the conditions for political participation develop. These are loosely defined from voting through to political consumerism. Political Journalism: Debates around the role of journalism and media with practical studies of journalism, mass media effects and citizen journalism. Alongside understanding the nature of political journalism, you'll be introduced to its forms and practices to develop your skills-base for underpinning your vocational aspirations. Political Marketing & Campaigning: Analysis of the marketisation of political discourse and permanent campaigning, exploring the behaviour and communication of political parties, governments, not-for-profit organisations, lobby groups and guerrilla activists. Diplomacy & International Relations: The contexts, processes and psychology underpinning interactions between nations and the relationships they have with supranational bodies. The unit will draw on historical perspectives of international relations, theoretical models of power distribution and political economy perspectives for a rich understanding of how the world functions and malfunctions. Research Imagination: Drawing on your research knowledge and experience from undergraduate level, this unit challenges your understanding of academic research and applied research in the communications industries. You'll be exposed to cutting-edge research practices and introduced to the opportunities and challenges of conducting applied research using industry data collection and analysis techniques. Final Project: You'll write an academic dissertation of 15,000 words. This unit will end with a student showcase where you'll present your work to peers and academic colleagues. Programme specification Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used. Download the programme specification for MA International Political Communication. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.