London School of Economics - MSc Media, Communication and Development

The MSc Media, Communication & Development programme offers an intensive, year-long exploration of a wide range of contemporary issues in media, communications and development.

The main aim of this programme is to offer an advanced interdisciplinary education and training in contemporary theory and research in the field of media and communications and its application in the Global South, with a particular emphasis on low income country contexts.  It aims to:

• provide an opportunity to critically examine the intersection of the fields of media and communications and development research
• provide research training for students wishing to go on to MPhil/PhD research in the media, communication and development field and for entry to a variety of media, communication and development related careers
• enable students to develop a critical understanding of a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of media and communications, and development, in the Global South, with a particular emphasis on low income country contexts
• allow flexibility for students to pursue particular topics of interest in the field of media and communications with an emphasis on issues that arise in low income countries.

The programme attracts students from a diverse range of backgrounds, often including those with professional experience working in media and communications or development related fields. The opportunity for cross-cultural meetings and critical exchange of ideas among the student body is a valuable feature of studying at LSE.

Click here for more information.

Students are required to take one course on media and communications theories and concepts; a course in research methods; and a media, communication and development course.  They can also choose courses from a range of options within the Department and across other relevant departments, such as International Development. The compulsory courses are as follows:

• Theories and Concepts in Media and Communications I (Key concepts and interdisciplinary approaches) - Addresses key theoretical and conceptual issues in the study of media and communications, within a broadly interdisciplinary social science perspective. Click here for more information.
• Critical Approaches to Media, Communication and Development - Addresses the history of and tensions between 'media for development' and 'communication for development', while challenging mainstream perspectives on the role of media and communication in low income countries. Click here for more information.
• Methods of Research in Media and Communications (including Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis) - Aims to provide you with a general training in research methods and techniques including research design and the collection, analysis and interpretation of data.
• Dissertation - An independent research project of 12,000 words on an approved topic of your choice.

Students can choose three half-unit optional courses, which run in Michaelmas or Lent terms.  Recommended half unit optional courses include (click on the text to find out more):

• Film Theory and World Cinema

• International Media and the Global South[unavailable in 2016-17]

• Media, Culture and Neoliberalism in the Global South

• Information Communication and Knowledge Systems

• Current issues in Media and Communications: Policies for ICTs, Society and Development

• Global Political Economy of Development

• The State and Political Institutions in Latin America

• Health Communication

Click here for a more detailed information on all course options.

To find out about key literature recommended for each course, click here. If you click on a course for more detail and scroll down, there is a list of indicative reading for each course. 

Dr Shakuntala Banaji – the programme director for MSc Media, Communication & Development, has published extensively on young people, children and media as well as gender, ethnicity and Hindi cinema. She has also published on creativity, the Internet and civic participation. Her current research addresses the intersection between socio-political context, media, identity and participation.
Click here for a list of publications by Dr Shakuntala Banaji (select “Publications" Tab).

Key staff related to this Master’s degree include:

Dr Shakuntala Banaji , Programme Director for the Master’s in Media, Communication and Development,  and lecturer on International Media and the Global South, Film theory and World Cinema, and Critical Approaches to Media, Communication and Development.   Click here for more information about Dr Shakuntala Banaj.

Dr. Wendy Willems, assistant professor at LSE Department of Media and Communications. She specialises in supervising student who are interested in areas such as media culture and neoliberalism; media and religion; media anthropology; humour and resistance; music, performance and politics; mobile phones/social media and social change; race and media; media and nationalism.  Click here for more information about Wendy Willems.
 
Click here for the full list of Faculty staff.