The term ‘cultural studies’ first of all refers to the study of cultural policy at all levels of policy-making and management in the public sector (local, regional, national, international). Cultural policies are anchored in legal texts and best practices. Our programme has a strongly practice-based approach to these policies. ‘Cultural studies’ also refers to a specific type of analysis and interpretation of culture. This approach to cultural studies is mainly indebted to the Anglo-Saxon tradition. Our KU Leuven team has always been an active contributor to this particular field as well.
The MA in Cultural Studies places the following emphases:
The Master of Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary programme that aims at preparing the student for a wide range of executive functions in the cultural field (cultural mediation, criticism, media, heritage). In order to achieve this goal, the programme offers a combination of theoretical and practical modules.
At the end of the programme, graduates:
As both a hands-on and theoretically oriented programme, the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies prepares students for careers in a wide range of fields. On the one hand, many graduates become public servants and cultural policy officers at all levels of government (local, regional, national, international). On the other, many graduates enter the large field of creative industries (music, television, print and online media). The programme's regularly updated internship database provides a good overview of the possibilities open to students of cultural studies.
A fair number of students combine their studies (in 2 years) with a teachers' training programme, which prepares them for a teaching career. Students eager to find their way in the cultural sector should realise, however, that working in culture rarely entails a nine-to-five job. Special qualities such as passion, enthusiasm, creativity, flexibility, teamwork and good verbal and communicative skills are crucial. This programme in aims to hone those qualities.
The world is becoming an ever ‘smaller place’. We are increasingly brought into contact with different languages and cultures. Through multicultural societies, international organisations and online connections. Communication has become an international – and therefore an intercultural – matter. The importance of understanding cultural parameters and mutual perceptions is rapidly increasing in fields such as business, education, conflict resolution, and more.
The Intercultural Communication Master’s programme teaches you how to approach and promote linguistic and cultural diversity in various international contexts.The interdisciplinary and multilingual programme will equip you with the tools to apply theory to international practice. After graduation, your skills as a multilingual and intercultural expert will contribute to mutual understanding within Europe or abroad and to the strong worldwide relationships that are so important in our era of globalisation.
Over the course of one year, this Master’s programme will prepare you for an international career. You will learn to analyse communication products and processes in the multilingual contexts of international organisations. Through rigorous interdisciplinary methods, you will gain experience in communication from linguistic, communicative, cultural, anthropological and management perspectives.
The Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication is a joint programme that incorporates expertise from German, English, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish researchers and lecturers. You can choose your own study path in the form of a language-specific programme that includes a high level of second/international language training in one of the language mentioned above. Alternatively, you can pursue a non-language-specific multilingual programme, in which you analyse communication processes within different languages and cultures. All tracks are open to international students who want to increase their intercultural and multilingual competencies in an international context. Read more about the different tracks.
Communications professionals can improve their career options and promotion opportunities by following the Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication. Whether you plan to take a sabbatical from work or are an independent professional seeking to broaden your opportunities in internationalisation, this Master offers you a number of possibilities. This programme will increase your employability and enrich your CV. You can also enrol in individual courses as time permits.
After graduation from the Master’s programme in Intercultural Communication you will:
After successfully completing your studies, you will be ready for various positions where intercultural communication processes in organisational and cultural contexts are vital. You will also be able to design and implement practice-oriented language and communication research. For example, you may advise companies and organisations on communication processes for migrants and expats (communicative auditing). Read more about possible career prospects.
This course responds to the increasing need in a globalised, interconnected world for highly qualified translators who can navigate different genres of text and negotiate the language needs of diverse audiences and industries.
"Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence" - George Steiner
Based in a truly global city, Goldsmiths’ location makes it the perfect place to study translation.
You will study the theory and practice of translation, giving you the expertise to compete for work as a professional translator. Study in a department with expertise across linguistics, creative writing, and literary studies, with the option to tailor your studies and explore areas in other departments relevant to your own interests. You will also have the opportunity to engage in and apply for translation work experience opportunities with a range of external organisations.
You can choose between three pathways:
Translation Studies
This pathway is for people who are interested in the technical, legal, business, scientific, medical, financial, creative arts and academic fields and enables you to benefit from dedicated core modules offering a solid grounding in the theory and practice of translation across diverse areas of professional practice.
The Translation Studies pathway also opens up to you the specialist teaching and research expertise offered by subject experts in the Department of English and Comparative Literature in linguistics, comparative literature and literary theory, from discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and language and its interface with issues of gender, ethnicity and identity, to key currents of concern in literary and cultural theory and the role of the text in shifting boundaries of cultural and linguistic identity in a globalised, multicultural world.
Cultural Tourism, Hospitality and Cultural Heritage
This pathway focuses on translation for museums, galleries, cultural heritage sites, hotels and other tourist destinations. If you choose this pathway, you will benefit from the specialist research and teaching expertise offered by the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship where optional modules focus on a range of topics relating to the tourism, hospitality, cultural development and cultural heritage sectors, from cultural tourism, language, communication and intercultural mediation in museums, galleries and other cultural organisations, to destination management and the development of new tourism products.
Depending on your optional module choices you may also have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork in the cultural and creative tourism sector in central London.
English-Chinese Translation and Interpreting
This pathway is aimed at native speakers of Chinese (Mandarin) who have a high level of English-language competence and who wish to increase their understanding of professional written translation and oral interpreting practice from English to Chinese, to build their intercultural and interpretive skills and to develop their knowledge across a number of English-language subject areas. It is also open to native speakers of English who have a high-level of competence in Chinese (Mandarin) and who wish to increase their ability to translate and interpret confidently into Chinese from English and to expand their written and spoken Chinese skills.
The core specialist module for this pathway is co-taught by the Goldsmiths Confucius Institute and the Department of English and Comparative Literature and focuses on producing written Chinese translations of a wide range of English-language texts and text types and covers translation across a broad variety of professional domains, from scientific, academic, business and technical texts written in English, to journalism, finance, advertising and marketing, media, literary fiction, poetry, theatre and other creative industries.
Alongside this, and with the help of Chinese and English native speakers, you will develop consecutive and bilateral/liaison interpreting skills for facilitating communication between monolingual speakers of English and Chinese across a range of business, diplomatic, government, community, health and criminal justice contexts.
Core modules on the MA in Translation cover both the theory and practice of translation. These are taught in seminar-based and tutorial small-group sessions and may include an individually supervised practice project.
Students undertaking the translation work placement module will work directly with an external organisation to provide a range of translation and other language services and gain first-hand experience of translation in a professional setting.
You also undertake a dissertation in which you will either reflect critically on one aspect of the theory and/or practice of translation, or focus on the practice of translation in the form of a concrete translation project.
Your choice of core modules will depend on your pathway choice,. Core modules from other translation pathways may also be taken as optional modules, subject to availability and eligibility.
Core modules
Optional Modules
In addition, you are able to choose from a range of optional modules, which allows you to explore your interests and to gain specialist knowledge relating to your future career plans. This could include modules from within the Department of English and Comparative Literature, or from other departments such as the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Media and Communications.
This MA provides you with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in translation. The interdisciplinary option choices allow you to tailor your studies to your career plans. You'll develop professional behaviours and leadership skills through fortnightly workshops which will provide guided mentoring.
This degree will equip graduates with the expertise to work as professional translators across the public and private sector, both in the UK and abroad. The possibility of taking option modules from other departments means that you could develop knowledge ideal for careers in translation for the arts industry, including in the media and publishing.
As part of the course you'll be brought face-to-face with representatives from across the language service industry, from translation agencies and multinational corporations where translations are commissioned or where in-house translators are employed, to international organisations with in-house translation departments, freelance translators and other language professionals. These connections will help you in your future careers.
The MA in Digital Media is unique in its combination of practical and theoretical approaches to contemporary media and technology.
The established and exciting degree is designed to help you understand digital transformations in media, culture and society and apply this understanding in practice, in the media and creative industries and in further research. You will be equipped with skills that can be applied to current and future developments in digital media, social media, computing and other aspects of technology.
The MA in Digital Media educates aspiring media practitioners and academics as well as early and mid-career professionals who seek to reflect on their roles in a structured and stimulating learning environment designed to give all students up-to-the-minute knowledge of digital media and the skills to apply that knowledge to future developments.
The MA offers two pathways:
Pathway 1 is a theory programme where you learn about developments in digital media and technology from a wide range of perspectives
Pathway 2 is a theory and practice programme where you can explore transformations in media, culture and society through the practice of contemporary digital communication. You will work with one or more of the following to create installations, apps and single- and multi-screen work that's responsive to the continually changing digital landscape:
Acclaimed academics and practitioners
Benefit from the experience and expertise of one of the world’s leading media and communications departments. The programme is co-convened by Professor Joanna Zylinska and Daniel Rourke, and you will be taught by theorists and practitioners of international standing.
Work placements and internships
The MA in Digital Media regularly attracts offers of work placements and internships. In the past these have come from Google, The Science Museum and N1creative.com. There is also £6,000 bursary available for UK students studying this course. Find out more about the Stationers' Postgraduate Bursary Scheme on our departmental awards page.
Facilities
Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities including well-equipped lecture and seminar rooms, exhibition spaces, computer facilities and digital media suites.
The department is also currently host to the renowned philosopher of media and technology, Bernard Stiegler and students will have access to his modulein Media Philosophy as well as priority access to the innovative and popular option After New Media. Designed to complement the MA in Digital Media, this course provides a framework for thinking about the current media environment as well as future forms of human and computer interaction.
An established record
The MA in Digital Media has been redefining media theory and practice since 2004. Our students become proficient in:
MA Digital Media students have access to the pioneering option ‘After New Media’, currently a non-assessed online module which explores the themes of self mediation, ethical mediation and intelligent mediation, and develops a framework for thinking about 'life' after new media. As well as accessing a series of podcasts, students are offered reading groups and a masterclass with Professor Sarah Kember co-author of the book Life After New Media on which the course is based.
Overview
The programme consists of:
Core modules
Seen take-home paper; essays; dissertation or practice/theory project and other production work for image-making.
We provide graduates with skills that are cutting edge: in the critical analysis and/or creative production of digital media; in the disciplinary knowledge and conceptual frameworks necessary for current and future forms of media and technology; in the awareness of how digital media and technologies are re-shaping society from the ways we communicate (through social media and web 2.0) to the increasingly ‘smart’ environments in which we live.
Our programme provides a theory and practice pathway and prepares students for work in the following areas:
We welcome proposals for research in any area connected with media, communications, digital media, cultural theory and practice.
We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of our staff.
Research degrees in this department have two elements:
Supervisors and their students form loose research teams, sometimes on a joint basis with another group. When you apply, please indicate your intended research area and any preference for a particular supervisor.
You'll be assessed by a thesis and viva voce.
Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths.
Having celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013, Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications is one of the oldest and largest media departments in the UK. It is also unique in its diversity of approaches to, and articulations of, the disciplinary conjunctures around media and culture.
The department has equal research strengths in media and communications and in cultural studies research, in humanities and in social sciences approaches, and in theory- and practice-driven work. Its work spans a wide range of topics and modes of enquiry – from philosophical studies of technology and human life to sociological investigations of media production and use; from issues of identity, embodiment and becoming to post-feminism, queer theory and critical race studies; from global screen studies and transnational investigations of media and culture to news’ role in contemporary democracy.
The Department’s research falls into five main strands which make up our research groupings:
(1) Media and Democracy: building on the work of the Leverhulme programme on the media’s contribution to democracy, including the changing nature of journalism and political communication; studying globalisation in relation to issues of diaspora and nationhood
(2) Economy, Culture and Communication: investigating communication and discourse in finance and financial media; everyday representations and understandings of the economy and economic life; creative labour, neoliberalism and organisational practices in the arts and cultural industries; the impact of the promotional professions (branding, PR, marketing) on the economy, culture and society
(3) Media Futures: bringing together humanities and social sciences approaches to understanding the changing role of media technologies and global media flows in society, economy and science
(4) Gender, Feminism and Contemporary Cultures: connecting the long tradition of work within the Department on culture, representation, embodiment and affect to its specific strengths in gender, race, sexuality and labour in national and international contexts
(5) Screen Cultures and Media Arts: consolidating the long-standing focus on screen cultures within the Department, as concentrated within the Leverhulme programme, combined with an exploration of media arts such as photography, video, digital imagining, sound and performance.
Many of the projects undertaken within the Department are collaborative in nature - such as the work conducted under the umbrella of Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre, funded with a 2006 Leverhulme grant to study the design and significance of various contemporary media spaces. Members of the Department have also received funding from AHRC, British Academy, British Council, Carnegie Trust UK, Council for British Research in the Levant, ESRC, EPSRC, Guggenheim Foundation, Higher Education Academy, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, JISC, London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Media Trust and Open Society Foundation.
As well as working on collaborative projects, members of the Department have published many books with high-impact international presses, on a diverse range of topics: affect and emotion, artificial intelligence, bioethics, the body and experience, branding, broadcasting, democracy, film history, the future of journalism, media geographies, the mediation of power, post-feminism, postcolonial politics, sound and video cultures.
Members of the Department edit leading academic journals, including Body and Society, Culture Machine and its sister project, Photomediations Machine), Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Subjectivity and photographies.
Find out more about research in the Department of Media and Communications.
We aim to develop students who are able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work. You'll develop research skills, presentation skills, an understanding of the workings of the media and their broad cultural and social impacts and an understanding of the pleasures of media consumption.
The Master of Research (MRes) degree prepares you for study at MPhil/PhD level.
We welcome proposals for research in any area connected with media, communications, and cultural theory and practice.
The programme combines taught modules in research methodology with a 20,000-word dissertation, and offers advanced-level training to appropriately qualified students.
We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of our staff.
You will be assessed through your research dissertation, and a portfolio of two essays.
Having celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013, Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications is one of the oldest and largest media departments in the UK. It is also unique in its diversity of approaches to, and articulations of, the disciplinary conjunctures around media and culture.
The Department has equal research strengths in media and communications and in cultural studies research, in humanities and in social sciences approaches, and in theory- and practice-driven work. Its work spans a wide range of topics and modes of enquiry – from philosophical studies of technology and human life to sociological investigations of media production and use; from issues of identity, embodiment and becoming to post-feminism, queer theory and critical race studies; from global screen studies and transnational investigations of media and culture to news’ role in contemporary democracy.
The Department’s research falls into five main strands which make up our research groupings:
(1) Media and Democracy: building on the work of the Leverhulme programme on the media’s contribution to democracy, including the changing nature of journalism and political communication; studying globalisation in relation to issues of diaspora and nationhood
(2) Economy, Culture and Communication: investigating communication and discourse in finance and financial media; everyday representations and understandings of the economy and economic life; creative labour, neoliberalism and organisational practices in the arts and cultural industries; the impact of the promotional professions (branding, PR, marketing) on the economy, culture and society
(3) Media Futures: bringing together humanities and social sciences approaches to understanding the changing role of media technologies and global media flows in society, economy and science
(4) Gender, Feminism and Contemporary Cultures: connecting the long tradition of work within the Department on culture, representation, embodiment and affect to its specific strengths in gender, race, sexuality and labour in national and international contexts
(5) Screen Cultures and Media Arts: consolidating the long-standing focus on screen cultures within the Department, as concentrated within the Leverhulme programme, combined with an exploration of media arts such as photography, video, digital imagining, sound and performance.
Many of the projects undertaken within the Department are collaborative in nature - such as the work conducted under the umbrella of Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre, funded with a 2006 Leverhulme grant to study the design and significance of various contemporary media spaces. Members of the Department have also received funding from AHRC, British Academy, British Council, Carnegie Trust UK, Council for British Research in the Levant, ESRC, EPSRC, Guggenheim Foundation, Higher Education Academy, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, JISC, London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Media Trust and Open Society Foundation.
As well as working on collaborative projects, members of the Department have published many books with high-impact international presses, on a diverse range of topics: affect and emotion, artificial intelligence, bioethics, the body and experience, branding, broadcasting, democracy, film history, the future of journalism, media geographies, the mediation of power, post-feminism, postcolonial politics, sound and video cultures.
Members of the Department edit leading academic journals, including Body and Society, Culture Machine and its sister project, Photomediations Machine), Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Subjectivity and photographies.
Recent Research Projects
The Department of Media and Communications aims to develop students who should be able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work.
You'll also develop:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
*This is a new course and is subject to academic validation. The course may be subject to change and confirmed details of the content of the course will be published from December 2017, subject to the courses having been validated for delivery.
This course enhances students' theoretical knowledge and provides an opportunity to put theory into practice. Your first semester critically engages with key theories and the second focuses on developing your analytical, investigative and practical skills. During the final part of your course, you will complete a major independent project.
Your modules offer perspectives on a broad range of topics in relation to the study of media and culture, such as the effect of globalisation on media consumption, the impact new media platforms have had upon fandom, and how cultural identities are marginalised through mediatized images.
Work will be evaluated via a range of innovative assessment methods, including pitching your work to industry experts. You will learn collaboratively through seminars, guest lectures and workshops, with a wealth of opportunities to give your learning real-world context. Our academic staff's professional experience will ensure your expertise meets the expectations of potential employers.
We host regular guest lectures from visiting practitioners and researchers providing opportunities to learn from talented and creative minds. Visiting professionals have included newspaper editors, digital marketing executives and radio producers.
You will join a vibrant academic community that works in collaboration with people from a range of disciplines, giving you access to expertise from a variety of subject areas. You will be taught by academic staff whose research is highly regarded around the world, with excellent contacts across a host of regional and national organisations, including newspapers and magazines, sports organisations, social media marketing agencies and radio stations.
A rich variety of volunteering opportunities will be open to you, including the chance to work at broadcast media organisations, with sports journalists, or at radio stations. You will have the chance to contribute to and attend an interdisciplinary conference event that will encourage networking and help provide a platform to showcase your work and ideas.
Studying in the heart of Leeds, you will be close to a wealth of nationally significant cultural sites within the city and across the north, including Media City in Manchester and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.
You will develop a variety of transferable skills and build professional networks that will enable you to progress in industry, move into a new sector or set up your own venture. Alongside your major independent project, your proven critical analysis skills will create roles across a variety of industries, including television, cultural development, mobile technology management, journalism, marketing and events management.
