MDIA 4002 - Honours Media Research Methods

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2017

This course is designed to provide students with a range of advanced media methodologies and research frameworks to carry out sophisticated research. It focuses on research methods relevant to honours research and requires students to carry out activities that relate to contemporary media research and, where relevant, draw their major project dissertation or creative work closer to questions around research in the 21st Century. How do the methods we choose to perform our research shape the kinds of knowledge we produce? What kinds of insights can be gained through different methodologies? What are the politics and ethics of different research methods? What are the central themes of media discipline research and why? What role does previous literature play in ongoing research? How do you structure a research proposal? How do you find, and keep track of resources? How do you structure a literature review? How do you structure an argument? This course will be partly skills based and partly theoretical and will be closely integrated with student honours projects.

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Course Details

Course Code	MDIA 4002
Course	Honours Media Research Methods
Coordinating Unit	Media
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	6
Contact	2 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Prerequisites	1. Successful completion of a Bachelor of Media Degree or an equivalent undergraduate degree approved by the Media Honours Committee (which includes a major sequence in media, communications or another area significantly related to media). 2. A credit
Restrictions	Available only to students admitted to the relevant Honours program
Assessment	4 x 1000 word essays (40%), 20 min research topic presentation (15%), research proposal (35%), participation (10%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Sal Humphreys

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students will:

Have gained a fuller understanding of the range of research methods available in the field of media
Understand the implications of different research method choices on the kinds of knowledge produced
Understand the components of, and be able to produce a research proposal
Understand the difference between a range of disciplinary approaches to research
Be able to produce a literature review and understand its importance in their own research process
Have gained skills in referencing softwares and data management softwares (if relevant)
Have gained a broad understanding of the research agendas of media studies in general, and how their own project fits within the field.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4,5,7
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1,2,3,4,5,6,7

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There are no set texts for this course. Students will be obliged to find articles and books that are relevant to their project as part of the course assessment. Readings will occasionally be made available via the MyUni site.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

This subject will be run as a weekly seminar. As it is an advanced level, attendance and participation are required – there are no lectures for content delivery, there is only discussion. The content of the seminars will be driven by your own project material and input. A high level of engagement is expected. As assessment tasks start from the first week, you are expected to attend from the outset. This class will be discussion based and very much oriented towards your own individual projects and topics. You will be expected to articulate ideas and problems to the class from the outset. The topic areas will mostly be guided by your own choices and will thus be relevant and interesting to you.

Workload

No information currently available.

Learning Activities Summary

No information currently available.

Small Group Discovery Experience

This entire course will be conducted as a small group discovery experience.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

4x1000 word essays handed up in seminars 40%
20 minute Presentation on your research topic 15%
Essay/Research proposal 35%
Participation 10%

Assessment Detail

Will be made available at the start of the semester.

Submission

Assessment will be submitted in person in class or via Canvas according to instructions in the Course Guide (circulated in Week 1).

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M11 (Honours Mark Scheme)
Grade	Grade reflects following criteria for allocation of grade	Reported on Official Transcript
Fail	A mark between 1-49	F
Third Class	A mark between 50-59	3
Second Class Div B	A mark between 60-69	2B
Second Class Div A	A mark between 70-79	2A
First Class	A mark between 80-100	1
Result Pending	An interim result	RP
Continuing	Continuing	CN

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator