Media Research Design and Practice
Module code: MS7619
This module introduces you to the basic principles of research theory, design and ethics as well as to a range of individual quantitative and qualitative research methods commonly used in media and communications research. In addition to each week’s presentations and key readings the module’s e-tivities provide opportunities to reflect on particular methodological issues, and to try out some of the research methods involved through small-scale exercises.
Topics covered
- Introduction to Media and Communication Research
- Research Theory and Design
- Research Ethics
- Researching Journalism
- Researching Public Relations
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Content Analysis
- Introduction to SPSS
- Archives and Corpus Analysis
- Big Data Analysis
- Ethnography
- Focus Groups
- Interviews
- Visual Analysis (Semiotics)
- Critical Discourse Analysis
Learning
- 80 hours of lectures
- 5 hours of tutorials
- 215 hours of guided independent study
Assessment
- Research Proposal Outline, 500 words (10%)
- Annotated bibliography, 1,000 words (30%)
- Research proposal, 3,000 words (60%)