Student records documentary with ITV
Global Journalism and Public Relations MA student Jason Evans records documentary with ITV which chronicles the contaminated blood scandal.
In our increasingly connected, digital world, news spreads quickly and without the constraints of national boundaries. Journalists are frequently called upon to report on diverse global issues and this Master’s course prepares you for practice and analysis of global journalism and media.
Benefiting from our current links with the media industry, including the BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky, Africa-based media and online outlets both here in the UK and USA, this Master’s course prepares you for practice and analysis of global journalism and media. It covers all the areas of journalism, from legal and ethical issues to practical interviewing, writing, broadcast and web skills. More importantly, it will improve your intercultural competence and familiarity with the international issues that make headlines worldwide.
Currently, taught by practiced journalists and presenters, you will in addition have opportunities to attend guest lectures (subject to availability), which amongst others, have previously been delivered by the BBC Director General and Channel 4 founder, as well as presenters Jon Snow and Jeremy Paxman.
Gaining hands-on experience, you will be expected to work as part of a team to write articles, as well as edit, design and publish a digitally-distributed magazine, Global Eye. In the 2016 edition, one student predicted Wales’ success in the European Championships, while another wrote an analysis on the perceptions around immigration – one of the key issues in the European Union ‘remain or leave’ vote in the UK.
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
We are currently in the process of a major redevelopment of our Faculty of Arts and Humanities buildings. The building will be open to the public as well as students, and will feature an expansive gallery space.
We hope that you are all staying safe in these uncertain times. Creative activities can really help fill the days, while we are spending more time at home and we have some ideas to keep you busy.
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Global Journalism and Public Relations MA student Jason Evans records documentary with ITV which chronicles the contaminated blood scandal.
The Global Journalism and Public Relations Masters challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and achieve great results.
If you’re interested in a career in the media industry worldwide, our course is a comprehensive interdisciplinary introduction to an advancement of global journalism and public relations, which is underpinned by hands-on professional practice from the outset.
We will consider how news and other related outputs are produced and consumed in the modern world – and why media and communication is no longer an issue of control and concern either for the Nation State or a factor limited to national economies or internal affairs alone. Examples include Wikileaks exposés and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ work.
We cover the different functions, communication policies and activities of transnational and international, governmental and nongovernmental organisations or institutions, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the European Union (EU) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).
We will analyse the role of international media and communications, for example, exploring ethical or socio-cultural issues, using specific examples to demonstrate how the media constructs identities and reinforces stereotypes through social stratification, nation, class, gender, race, religion, sexuality and age. We will also examine some of the contemporary global issues facing and addressed by various media – drawing from recent headlines. For example, in recent years, we have looked at Middle East conflict, UNESCO recognition of Palestine and US withdrawal of funding to UNESCO, climate change, environmental disasters, global health challenges, global security, weaponisation of media e.g. propaganda and fake news, freedom of expression restrictions and resistance, sexual harassment and resistance e.g. the #MeToo campaign.
We provide general tips on how to build and maintain networks of contacts, peers and audiences, using both conventional techniques and social media methods. For example, we will cover how to establish and build contacts, carry out pre-assignment and on-assignment research, deliver outputs in consideration of deadlines and time zones, work with others and consider safety measures.
You will plan, coordinate and implement specific ‘assignments’ – organising photo-shoots, interviews and video/audio recording, often in multiple locations – working to a series of tight deadlines, as you would be expected to in professional employment. You will develop a portfolio of journalistic work across the segments of study in a wide range of formats and subject areas – anything from news to features and documentaries.
Course Specification
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We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
Nowadays, it could be argued there is no such thing as ‘foreign’ news. Whether it is sport, leisure or entertainment, politics, crime or the economy. What is happening in one part of the world often affects not only neighbouring populations, but also distant corners of the globe, if not the whole world. We are often willing to consume multiple media channels 24/7/365 to keep abreast of what is happening globally.
This shift towards global news has led to major changes within the media industry, over and above the rise of more flexible, digital platforms and the general decline in printed press. Many journalists are mobile or based in other countries, while news is reported in different countries and from different perspectives.
This course helps you develop journalistic skills and knowledge in the context of global media. We help you understand and report on our increasingly complex and globalised world, confident and capable of covering anything from socio-cultural to technological-scientific issues.
Our current teaching team include journalists, writers and media authors, with experience between them of working for journalism outlets in the UK, Europe, Australia, the USA, India, South Africa and Kenya. Course content is largely guided by the requirements of professional journalism training bodies, The Periodicals Training Council (PTC), Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) and National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). It covers journalism theory, law and ethics, together with the practical techniques of research, interviewing, writing, page layout, audio/video production and online digital newsgathering and publishing platforms.
There will be opportunities to work on ‘live’ projects, contributing articles to our magazine, Global Eye, which can be printed to order, together with mainstream and online media, as well as collaborative initiatives such as Global e-News Immersive Initiative or GENII, Pop-up Newsroom and Global News Relay. Previous students have covered international events, and for example, one recent student wrote a story on 2015 UNESCO General Conference in Paris for a leading newspaper in Kenya and East Africa.
Access to professional broadcast equipment via our dedicated Media Loan Shop and studios.
Our main study themes are:
* This course is currently accredited by CMI for the 2021/22 entry. If there are any changes to the accreditation of this course, we would notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
The course can be studied full-time over one year, starting in September or January. It is also possible for part-time students to study alongside the full-time students, with successful completion usually taking two years. Modules are taught over approximately 11 weeks with formal teaching typically taking place over three full working days or fewer.
Working with multiple forms of media – you will be expected to generate traditional print, audio and video content, all the while embracing new technologies and creating parallel digital content, from social media to blogs and other web-based content. Previous students have found themselves reporting on the Olympics and the Scottish computer administrator ‘Solo’, who was accused of hacking 100 US government and military computers. Others have reported in situ from Bangladesh on ‘the longest beach in the world’, from Malaysia on ‘cursed island’, from Gibraltar on landscape and weather, and from East Africa on wildlife (Tanzania) and urban environment (Nairobi, Kenya). They have provided content for international or foreign outlets, such as The Daily Nation (Nairobi, Kenya) – East Africa’s leading newspaper.
We cover different aspects of professional practice by encouraging students to work as a team to produce and resource a group magazine project to deadline – identifying a story, the research process, working to a deadline and finally delivering the required product to a professional standard. Group projects such as Broadcast News Day from a designated studio and digital magazine with print-on-demand option, aim to prepare you for the impact that convergence has had on newsrooms.
The award-winning teaching team currently includes a category winner at CNN Africa’s Journalist of the Year Awards 1999, the winner of the Guild of Motoring Writers Timo Makinen Trophy in 2007 (for the book ‘Ford Cosworth DFV: The Inside Story of F1's Greatest Engine’) and winners in Information Communication and Technology Journalism at African Information Society Initiative Awards. Our guest speakers provide an opportunity to hear direct from the presenters, editors, producers, photographers, and writers, who report on news for various outlets. They come with experience of international media organisations, like BBC, Sky and the Guardian.
You will be taught in our wifi-enabled newsrooms, radio and TV studios, The Tank, featuring large cameras, mixing facilities, fibre optic wiring throughout and triple glazing provides offering professional grade soundproofing, with the option of privacy and darkness provided by unique light blocking curtains set-up around the room.
There are opportunities to take part in educational and cultural visits within the UK and abroad*, where you will have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills through fieldwork and group projects. UK trips in the past have included visits to BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Birmingham studios, as well as Birmingham Crown Court, where in late 2016 the students witnessed live reporting of a case by an ITV crew.
Subject to availability, application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include coursework, essays, practical or project work and presentations.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.
On successful completion, you will have knowledge of:
On successful completion, you will be able to:
In a typical teaching week, you will have up to 13-14 ‘contact’ hours of teaching. This generally includes:
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Our course is designed to reflect the increasingly international context of journalism; this is reflected strongly in the course curriculum. Content includes conflict/war situations, governments and inter-governmental organisations, markets and business, civil society and non-governmental actors. You may have opportunities to undertake preparatory research before visiting a foreign country* or covering an international event, finding and relating with fixer/s, timelines/zones and deadlines, cultural contexts, technological and environmental factors, security considerations, ethical and legal dilemmas.
You will be given opportunities to engage with international students at home and abroad, for example, through Global e-News Immersive Initiative or GENII, Pop-up Newsroom and Global News Relay. We also offer a range of short visits and field trips abroad*, which are reviewed annually. Recent fieldtrips have included Kenya and Tanzania to cover urban environment and tourism, as well as Bangladesh, Malaysia, Gibraltar and Italy to write about landscape, culture and food.
(* Subject to availability, application, meeting visa requirements and additional costs)
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we were able to provide a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
The Global Journalism and Public Relations Masters challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and achieve great results.
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
This course prepares you for a broad range of positions in regional, national or international journalism, media and communications – as a researcher, reporter, writer, editor or presenter, for example.
Career prospects are vast and varied, from established national and international media outlets, broadcasting organisations, newspapers and magazines, to emerging broadcast contexts, such as web-based text journalism, web-TV and web-radio.
Our Faculty of Arts and Humanities Talent Team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries*. The course equips students for work in a wider range of careers that require transferable knowledge and skills such as global awareness, research, writing and communication with specific or general audiences including via various media. Our dedicated enterprise officers also can offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.
We are committed to preparing you for your future career and aim to give you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University's Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
(*employment and placement opportunities are subject to availability and application)
Recent graduates have secured jobs as regional director of a government radio station in Pakistan and social media director for an online music platform. Other roles have included writing for online news sites like Huffington Post or mainstream media outlets, such as The Guardian UK.
Others have gone into public relations, communication for social change, cultural entrepreneurship and various forms of media research. The programme is also an excellent preparation for doctoral research in Journalism, Media and Communication Studies or Information Systems.
Believe it or not I submitted the dissertation on the 19th August [2019] and started working on the 20th August 2019.
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2020/21 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the University will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.