University of East Anglia - MA Media and International Development

At the heart of this Masters programme are two unique modules. Media and international development is a theory module which provides students with theoretical frameworks for critically understanding the broad range of issues relevant to the relationship between media and development. It addresses the fields of development communication, media development and media representations of development, as well as considering the relevance of media to conflict and environmental change and the importance of social media.

The module Media and Development in Practice provides students with the opportunity to work with one of a range of clients to design, implement and evaluate a media and development related project in the local community. Recent clients have included DFID, Water Aid, Future Radio, BBC Radio Norfolk, NEAD, Content Consultants and YourWorldView. Students also use this opportunity to reflect upon their own professional practice and on the role of media in development.  Click here for more information on this module.

Students are required to complete a combination of compulsory and specialist optional modules.

Compulsory Study: 

• MA in Media and International Development: Exam
• Media in International Development
• Media and Society   

Optional modules:

• Development Work: Placement: This module gives students an opportunity to identify, apply for and do an internship or work placement as an integral part of their Masters programme.
• Dissertation - Students are required to produce a short (8000-12000 words) dissertation on an approved topic.
• Critical issues in development practice
• Development perspectives
• Gender perspectives in international development
• Governance, democracy and development
• Introduction to education for development
• Perspectives on globalisation
• Politics and media
• Research techniques and analysis
• Rural livelihoods and agrarian change
• Social analysis for international development
• Water security - concepts
• Welfare and evaluation in development
• Conceptualising social science research   
• Issues in media and cultural politics
• Studying media
• Understanding digital media
• Advanced qualitative research and analysis
• Applied methods for impact evaluation
• Climate change and development ii: governance, policy and society
• Conflict, civil wars and peace
• Contemporary world development
• Critical issues in development practice 2
• Educational policy and practice for development
• Gender diversity and social development
• Globalisation, business and development
• Globalised agriculture and food systems   
• Health and development
• Media and development in practice
• Political ecology
• Politics and media
• Rural policies and politics
• Tools and skills in environment and development
• Water security for development - practice
• Feminisms and television from Wonder Woman to Hannah Horvath
• Free speech
• Economic policy analysis
• Macroeconomics of development
• Practical video and TV news production
• Public relations, public affairs and the media
• Analysing Hollywood cinema

Click here for more detail on each of these modules (scroll down and click on the title of each course option). 

The Masters degree is offered over one year full-time, or two years part-time. The courses use small group teaching methods and workshop formats. as well as lectures.  The staff’s first-hand experience with development research and projects feeds directly into teaching and learning.

As an alternative to writing a conventional dissertation, students have the opportunity to do a work experience placement relevant to media and development. In the past, students on this course have secured internships and work placements at various organisations including the UN, Inter Press Service, UNESCO, UNRISD, the BBC, the Overseas Development Institute, BBC Media Action, Save the Children, and Video Volunteers.

Assessment is usually by essays, team project work, design of policy briefs and presentations, and a dissertation.

• Scott, M. (2017) The myth of representations of Africa: A comprehensive scoping review of the literature, in Journalism Studies 18(2) pp. 191-210
• Scott (2017) How not to write about writing about Africa, in Africa's Media Image in the 21st Century : From the "Heart of Darkness" to "Africa Rising". Routledge pp. 40-51 ISBN 9781138962323, 9781138962316
• Scott, M. (2015) Distant suffering online: The unfortunate irony of cyber-utopian narratives, in International Communication Gazette 77 (7) pp. 637-653
• Scott, M. (2014) Media and Development, Zed Books ISBN 9781780325514 , 9781780325507
• Stavinoha, L. (2016) Losing the media battle, waging the policy war: The pharmaceutical industry’s response to the access to medicines crisis in the Global South, in Global Media and Communication 12 (3) pp. 275-294
• Stavinoha, L. (2016) Quiet legal (r)evolutions? TRIPS, TTIP and corporate power in post-democratic times, in Krisis 2016 (2)

Click here for more publications by Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for studies in Media and International Development, Martin Scott.

• Dr Martin Scott - Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for studies in Media and International Development, School of International Development
• David Girling - lecturer and Director of Research Communication in the School of International Development (DEV)
• Dr Ludek Stavinoha - Lecturer in Media and International Development