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Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices

Title
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices
Semester
E2022
Master programme in
Media and Communication
Type of activity

Project

Teaching language
English
Study regulation

Read about the Master Programme and find the Study Regulations at ruc.dk

REGISTRATION AND STUDY ADMINISTRATIVE
Registration

Sign up for study activities at STADS Online Student Service within the announced registration period, as you can see on the Study administration homepage.

Registration for project-exam: Please remember to confirm your registration by signing up for exam as a group when the group formation is final. The registration is through STADS Online Student Service

When signing up for study activities, please be aware of potential conflicts between study activities or exam dates.
The planning of activities at Roskilde University is based on the recommended study programs which do not overlap. However, if you choose optional courses and/or study plans that goes beyond the recommended study programs, an overlap of lectures or exam dates may occur depending on which courses you choose.

Number of participants
ECTS
10
Responsible for the activity
Chris Peters (cpeters@ruc.dk)
Head of study
Chris Peters (cpeters@ruc.dk)
Teachers
Study administration
IKH Studieadministration (ikh-studieadministration@ruc.dk)
Exam code(s)
U60312
ACADEMIC CONTENT
Overall objective

The project Media Platforms and Communication Practices is a problem-oriented, exemplary, participant-driven, and group-based activity, where the student develops and documents knowledge, skills, and competencies to work with a defined, self-chosen, professional problem with a focus on media practices associated with a specific organization. The project focuses on understanding the development and realization of a mediated communication process from its initiation at an organizational level, to its actualization as a mediated communication product, to its reception, taking into account the broader context in which it is disseminated. Students can choose to prioritize one or more of these elements in the project. The project must include a detailed and systematic assessment of relevant scientific literature within the chosen issue and employ a multi-method design as part of its analysis, alert to the ethics of digital media research. The aim of the project is to use a real-life case to investigate how the media ecology impacts communicative affordances and choices, as well as the associated experiences and interpretation of relevant users, target groups, publics, and/or stakeholders, potentially across a variety of media platforms and devices. The project report must be based on relevant, academic literature of at least 500 pages.

Detailed description of content
Course material and Reading list
Overall plan and expected work effort

The project takes place intensively over the second half of the semester, allowing the students to utilize knowledge from the two semester courses in their project work. Groups are formed administratively, based on students prioritizing different semester themes, which vary year-to-year based on pressing societal challenges and issues. Upon completion of the project, students will present their projects: for a public audience at a large ‘project festival’; and for an academic audience at the oral exam.

The total study effort for the student (ECTS points converted into hours) = 270 hours. The hours are divided as follows:

  • Project start (including problem formulation seminar and literature search workshop): 30 hours
  • Supervision meetings (including preparation and feedback): 20 hours
  • Public presentation of project (including preparation): 10 hours
  • Oral exam (including preparation): 20 hours
  • Project work, both in group and independently (including literature search, empirical work, group meetings, reading, preparation of working documents, and writing report): 180 hours
  • Other activities (Semester start, guest lectures, etc.): 10 hours
Format

In principle, teaching activities take place on campus. The teaching can be arranged so that one or more activities take place elsewhere than at Roskilde University. This can also be online.

Evaluation and feedback

Evaluation will be based on the evaluation practice of the study board.

Programme
ASSESSMENT
Overall learning outcomes

At the end of the project work, the student is able to:

  • Demonstrate research-based knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and practical problems and opportunities associated with mediated communication in and from organizations and associations to stakeholders.

  • Understand and discuss research-based concepts, theories, and methods with a particular focus on organizational communication practices and the associated influence of digital media technologies.

  • Identify relevant empirical phenomena and establishing problem-oriented research questions.

  • Search out, identify, and synthesize relevant academic research literature around a well-defined topic in digital media and communication studies.

  • Design and implement a mixed-method research project, explain the strengths and limitations of its analysis, and produce and present research-based solutions to identified problems.

  • Identify, sample, and potentially recruit relevant participants to participate in a study focused on evaluating a communication initiative.

  • Independently initiate and complete a media and communication project and enter into professional collaborations with others.

  • Take responsibility for one’s own professional development and specialization in the field of media and communication studies.

Form of examination
Oral project exam in groups with individual assessment


Permitted group size: 2-6 students.

The character limits of the project report are:
For 2 students: 43,200-52,800 characters, including spaces.
For 3 students: 48,000-57,600 characters, including spaces.
For 4 students: 52,800-62,400 characters, including spaces.
For 5 students: 57,600-64,800 characters, including spaces.
For 6 students: 60,000-72,000 characters, including spaces.
The character limits include the cover, table of contents, summary, bibliography, figures and other illustrations, but exclude any appendices.

The project report must include a summary, that is part of the assessment. The summary can either be written in English or Danish.

Time allowed for exam including time used for assessment is for:
2 students: 60 minutes.
3 students: 75 minutes.
4 students: 90 minutes.
5 students: 105 minutes.
6 students: 120 minutes.

Writing and spelling skills in the project report are part of the assessment.

Permitted support and preparation materials at the oral exam: All

Assessment: 7-point grading scale.
Moderation: External examiner.
Form of Re-examination
Samme som ordinær eksamen / same form as ordinary exam
Type of examination in special cases
Examination and assessment criteria

The exam is an oral group exam. It is based on the written project report and begins with a presentation from each student, with a maximum of 5 minutes per student. The examiner can ask short, clarifying questions after each presentation. On the basis of both the presentation and the project report, the examination then takes place as a conversation between the students, examiner, and external examiner about the project report’s area of study and associated literature.

In the assessment, emphasis is placed on the extent to which the student(s) demonstrate the ability to:

  • Identify and discuss a concrete and relevant media and communication topic and examine how it is expressed in a specific organization.
  • Systematically and extensively select, explain, and discuss academic literature from the field of media and communication studies that is relevant to the problem formulation.
  • Select, discuss, and apply relevant approaches for a mixed-methodological, empirically-grounded analysis of a mediated communication process; from its initiation at an organizational level, to its actualization as a mediated communication product, to its reception.
  • On the basis of the project’s findings, analyze, assess, and possibly prepare proposals for alternative mediated communication approaches, alert to the ethics of digital media.
  • Critically reflect on core theoretical concepts and their basic assumptions about digital media and communication
  • Communicate field specific knowledge clearly in an oral presentation with precise use of concepts, including delivering an introductory presentation that is well-delivered and logically structured in relation to the time available
  • Formulate themselves correctly, precisely, and conceptually clearly, including being able to summarize the project report's content, arguments, and conclusion in a short and precise summary.

In addition, the evaluation assesses whether the project report meets all formal requirements. At the oral exam, the student(s) must also demonstrate the verbal ability, based on the project report, to:

  • Disseminate research-based knowledge about communication to both peers and non-specialists clearly and precisely, using well-chosen forms of communication and presentation.
  • Discuss the chosen media and communication studies problem, focusing on the selection and inclusion of relevant theories and methods, and the implications therein.
  • Be able to account for and reflect on collaboration and group dynamics (roles, expectations, etc.) in relation to relevant actors and enter into a qualified group conversation (listen, build on, opportunities to speak, etc.)

An overall assessment is made based on the written and oral components of the exam.

Exam code(s)
Exam code(s) : U60312
Last changed 16/09/2022

lecture list:

Show lessons for Subclass: 1 Find calendar (1) PDF for print (1)

Thursday 08-09-2022 12:15 - 08-09-2022 14:00 in week 36
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Thursday's talk (KOMM)

Thursday 22-09-2022 12:15 - 22-09-2022 14:00 in week 38
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Thursday's talk (KOMM)

Thursday 06-10-2022 12:15 - 06-10-2022 14:00 in week 40
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Thursday's talk (KOMM)

Monday 31-10-2022 10:15 - 31-10-2022 16:00 in week 44
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Project activities (KOMM)

Tuesday 01-11-2022 10:15 - 01-11-2022 12:00 in week 44
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Project activities (KOMM)

Wednesday 02-11-2022 10:15 - 02-11-2022 16:00 in week 44
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Project activities (KOMM)

Thursday 03-11-2022 12:15 - 03-11-2022 14:00 in week 44
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Thursday's talk (KOMM)

Thursday 17-11-2022 12:15 - 17-11-2022 14:00 in week 46
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Thursday's talk (KOMM)

Thursday 01-12-2022 12:15 - 01-12-2022 14:00 in week 48
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Thursday's talk (KOMM)

Thursday 15-12-2022 12:15 - 15-12-2022 15:15 in week 50
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Pitch and Presentation I (KOMM)

Wednesday 04-01-2023 10:00 - 04-01-2023 10:00 in week 01
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Hand-In (KOMM)

Monday 09-01-2023 09:00 - 09-01-2023 16:00 in week 02
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Pitch and Presentation II (KOMM)

Monday 16-01-2023 08:15 - Friday 27-01-2023 18:00 in week 03 and week 04
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Oral exam period (KOMM)

Wednesday 01-02-2023 08:15 - Tuesday 28-02-2023 18:00 in week 05 to week 09
Project: Media Platforms and Communication Practices - Oral reexam period (KOMM)