Master of Arts in Media and Cultural Studies

Description

Summary of Programme

The M.A. Media and Cultural Studies focuses on both theory and practice and aims at honing the skills of media production and research within a framework that enables the development of a critical perspective on media, culture and society. In contemporary society, media and culture are crucial sites where identities are produced and consumed. Cultural Studies enables us to meaningfully engage and interact with constantly transforming modes of being and doing. By making us conscious of the many complex ways in which power impinges on our lives and constructs our cultures, it has the potential of empowering us to critically read the media and other cultural institutions and texts, to understand how they shape our identities, and to reflect on how we could possibly shape them. It enables students’ to perceive themselves as both consumers and producers of media.

The School has a strong research focus and students work on their master’s dissertations through the four semesters. This programme imparts hands-on training in video production, including direction, research, scripting, editing, camera and sound. This will enable students to produce documentaries and short films. The programme culminates in the production of a documentary and a dissertation. It also teaches basic skills in community radio, graphics and web design. The students have access to the well-equipped facilities and the visual archive of the School. The teachers of the programme include School and TISS faculty, as well as visiting professionals.

With its unique blend of theory and practice, the M.A. Media and Cultural Studies works towards the creation of a lively group of media ‘thinking doers’ and ‘doing thinkers’ who could then choose to branch out into a diverse range of work or educational situations. The students of this programme are equipped to work in the areas of film and television production, independent media practice, media education, advocacy and research. Potential employers include television production houses, educational and research institutions, NGOs, and governmental agencies.

The School has successfully engaged and included its students in various funded research and media production projects on the themes of gender, leisure, and digital cultures. The students primarily contributed to projects through creating Public Service Announcements and documentary films around key research themes for public outreach.

Programme Objectives

1. To orient students to critical media pedagogy which aims to train media scholars and producers sensitive to the society's needs and aspirations.
2. To equip students with a range of philosophical and theoretical perspectives in order to critically engage with contemporary issues in media and cultural studies.
3. To impart critical media research skills that allow the students to carry out a  supervised research project in the broad areas of media, technology, culture and society.
4. To impart a range of media production skills to enable students to carry out professional work in documentary film production, journalism, radio and podcasting.
5. To strengthen industry exposure and linkage through compulsory and supervised internships.
6. To inculcate curatorial and organisational skills among the students through a range of seminars, film festivals, and workshops as co-curricular activities.

Programme Outcomes

• The students will research and write a number of term papers on subjects spanning media analysis; media law, policy, and institutions; media audiences; historical issues in culture and society; contemporary cultural issues; and cinema, television, digital media, and visual art practices.
• The students will work across the four semesters to produce a supervised MA research dissertation.
• The students will produce news reports, public service advertisements, short documentaries, podcasts, and visual art installations across the four semesters.
• The students will carry out a supervised and graded industry internship for a period of six weeks.
• The students will organise a post-graduate national student seminar and a national student film festival, among other talk and discussion-based events for visiting scholars and artists.

Semesterwise Courses:

Note:The curriculum structure is tentative and subject to change.

Fee Structure:

 *Institute reserves the rights to revise the Fees Structure of programme if necessary.

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