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Applications accepted from November 2008 for 2009-10The media entertain us and inform us. But they are also a vast business sector employing huge numbers of people. This programme examines the media industries across both these dimensions - the cultural and the economic. We look at business trends but we also scrutinise television shows. The social impact of the media is as important as profit margins. From mega-corporations to entrepreneurial independents to lone bloggers, we analyse the full range of media production in modern societies. The scope is international - for the media industries are now global. It is also historical, because present trends cannot be followed without knowledge of long-term developments.To do all this, the programme draws on a number of fields, including communication and cultural studies, economics, business and management studies, sociology, anthropology, politics and law, but also cultural analysis associated with humanities subjects such as literature, art history and music. What's more, the programme is based in a department with its own dedicated Media Industries Research Centre and a number of staff specialising in this area.The media play a central role in modern life, and they can only be understood by understanding the industries that produce them. This programme is your chance to gain such an understanding, in one of theUK's top communications and media studies departments.Who should take the course? Anyone who wishes to work in the media, in related industries such as public relations, or in any area of employment where the media now play a central role, such as politics, sport, leisure, tourism or public policy. Anyone who has worked in the media and wants to gain a better understanding of them. The course is also an ideal basis for a research career, whether inside or outside academia. The international basis of the course makes it suitable for non-EU students as much as for home and EU students.Course content: The two core modules of the programme provide the fundamental basis for understanding the media industries, economically and culturally, internationally and historically.The Media Industries introduces students to the main issues, debates and research traditions in this area of study. The emphasis is on debates about change. How much are recent developments such as digitalisation, marketisation and internationalisation transforming the media industries?Media Production Analysis examines individual media industries, such as television, film, music, the internet, newspapers, magazines and advertising. There is a strong focus on organisational dynamics, and on the nature and experience of work in the media industries. In addition students take two optional modules that allow them to acquire in-depth knowledge in areas such as media policy, audience research, journalism, international communications and media globalisation.Students will also complete a dissertation of 12,000 to 15,000 words on a topic of their choice within the area of media industries. They will be allocated an individual supervisor who is an expert in the field. Research on the dissertation is supported by weekly lectures on academic writing and research methods. For more information: Media Industries. For how to apply: Application Procedure. Course Director, MA in Media Industries: Professor David Hesmondhalgh.The Institute of Communications Studies (ICS) has its origins in The Centre for Television Research, established in 1963 by the noted political communications scholar Jay Blumler. ICS staff are currently undertaking a wide range of research on these topics, funded by a variety of organisations, including the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council and the European Commission. 