M.A. in Communication and Information Studies: Dialogue, Health and Society

The Multimodal Communication track is taught in English. In this track, you will focus on analysing the cognitive processes that take place in the production and interpretation of language. In these processes, multimodality almost always plays a role. For instance, you process what someone says in a different way when you just speak with them over the phone than when you video chat with them. And text with an image is processed differently than text without an image. There is also a difference between when you mean something literally or when you use a metaphor. Analysing and understanding these processes is central to this track.

What the tracks have in common is a focus on studying how messages are crafted. The difference is that, in each track, varying degrees of attention are paid to spoken and written language, persuasive and informative language, language and image, multimodality, normativity, writing culture, and language use in social media.

Curriculum specialization

Multimodal Communication is the only international specialization of the Master's programme Communication and Information Studies. You can find out more about the curriculum below.

Multimodal Communication

Language is more than just words on a page

Some think of multimodal communication as something modern—as combining text and videos on websites, or as both hearing and seeing people when we communicate using apps on our smartphones. But it simply means communicating using a variety of modes, or methods, at the same time. Even a simple face-to-face interaction combines the modes of spoken language and physical gestures.

In this track, you will learn theories and methods for analysing and understanding how multimodal communication works. You will look at how different forms of multimodal communication are crafted in different genres of communication. You will also examine how multimodal communication can be used to convey meaning in different ways (such as making abstract ideas easier to understand through metaphors).

You and your fellow students will explore how meanings, functions, and modes are integrated in different media, including the embodied medium of face-to-face interaction. You will also apply an array of theories and methods to analyse the complexity of audio-visual communication in various contexts—through the natural media of our bodies as well as other material and virtual means. In this track, attention is given to the use of both written and verbal language in combination with other modes of communication.

In the first semester, you will take three required courses on multimodal communication. You will also take two core courses on how to analyse different genres of communication. During the second semester, you will work on your master's thesis (18EC). You will also follow two elective courses (12EC). Before the start of the academic year, you will meet with a member of the staff who will help you to ensure that your choice of electives supports your career goals and provides you with a coherent course of study.

An important part of the programme is the master’s thesis, which enables you to conduct original research under the supervision of a member of the academic staff. You will decide on the subject of your thesis along with your academic advisor.

Upon successful completion of the programme, you will be awarded a Master of Arts (MA) degree.

You can choose your two electives from a range of courses in the study guide. These electives give you an opportunity to explore the particularities of multimodal communication in specific contexts.

Examples of elective courses are:

• Cross-cultural differences in the use of text and image in corporate webpage designs
• Metaphoric and non-metaphoric conceptualisations in commercials: A case study
• The role of discourse: structuring and referential gestures in political speeches