Communication, Media and Development

The aims of this module are to introduce students to key critical debates relating to the economics of media and creative industries and their social, cultural and political implications.

The aim of this module is to critically examine and understand key theories and debates associated with the field of international development. The module aims to deconstruct the epistemological underpinnings informing dominant theories of development and examine how they translate into the practice of international and sustainable development as seen amongst key stakeholders such as UN agencies, national governments, companies, civil society organisations and social movements.

This module examines the growing critique of development and explores the diversity of thought reflected in the epistemologies of the South. By further assessing how colonial history, patriarchy and capitalism have influenced discourses and practices of development this module seeks to complexify and nuance our understandings of theories of development and actors of change.

The aim of this module is to give students an opportunity to explore grand challenges facing our global society and to propose imaginative solutions to specific challenges in one or more country.

Students will critically reflect on the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and think about how Loughborough University's Creating Better Futures. Together Strategy might contribute to them.

Students will engage with ideas and approaches to possible solutions from their own programme and gain diverse insights from Loughborough University London's interdisciplinary ecosystem. This will involve solution-oriented thinking and a balance between criticality and possibility, leading to a deep understanding of grand challenges and imagining creative responses to them.

The aim of this module is to introduce and discuss promotional and public engagement strategies and tactics developed by private and public organizations across the world. The module will provide conceptual, contextual and practice-based education on promotional industries, cultures and practices under a perspective of integrated communication, meaning the strategic combination of resources from public relations, advertising and journalism. Conceptual discussions will include issues such as persuasion, visibility, social mobilization, context blindness, perception and representation, public interest, among others.

Students will engage in theoretical debates and practice-based learning in promotional and persuasion campaigns addressing diverse social groups and communities. The combination of conceptual, contextual debates and practical exercises aims to prepare students to develop understanding of and skills in producing promotional strategies in different fields.

The aims of this module are to understand opportunities and constraints associated with urbanisation and simultaneous transitioning to a low-carbon economy by many countries. Using Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, the module will take a `whole system's perspective, discussing technological, social, political, cultural, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainability and resilience in the context of broader urban and development issues.

This module introduces theories and approaches to practice in communication, development and social change to critically explore the role of media and communication in a globalized and changing world. Dominant ideas about international development will be explored. Students will engage with the experiences of people from the Global South, and will explore broader debates on media, communication and social change.

The aims of this module are to give the student the opportunity to study a subject, or research question in depth and to research the issues surrounding the subject or background to the problem.
The module will equip the student with the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding to embark on their individual research project and they will be guided through the three options available to them to complete their dissertation:

• A desk based research project that could be set by an organisation or could be a subject of the student's choice
• A project that involves collection of primary data from within an organisation or based on field research
• A full professional placement within an organisation during which time they will complete a project as part of their role in agreement with the organisation (subject to a suitable placement position being obtained)

Students will achieve a high level of understanding in the subject area and produce a written thesis or project report which will discuss this research in depth and with rigour.

The aims of this module are to:

• Explore the links between developmental interventions and the reduction (and creation) of disaster risks.
• Introduce developmental practitioners to sustainable Disaster Risk Management (DRM) activities (structural and non-structural) worldwide.

The relationship between humans and our changing environments presents one of the most pressing questions of our time. In this course, we will approach ecologies from a design standpoint, taking it as the study of the interdependent relationships between living and non-living entities, as well as their social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.

The aim of the course is to equip students with knowledge and understanding of the relationship between design and ecology, the varied ways in which this is conceptualised, and what this means for social design practices in pursuit of ecological value systems. Taking the latest developments in ecological debates as our points of departure, we will explore the systems of thought underpinning this relationship. This will include exploring recently popularised design concepts and practices spanning `planetary design', and `pluriversal design', to less prominent ideas of `design for ecological democracy', `designing the commons', and more.

By developing creative outcomes informed by critical thinking, the intention is to bring a strong evaluative and interdisciplinary approach to the formulation of design responses to some of today's most urgent challenges, including climate change and biodiversity loss.

Social movements and identities are deeply intertwined with media, communication, and cultural systems. In this module, we will critically examine the complex relationships between media, social movements, and identities. We will explore key conceptual debates on social identities - including gender, sex, class, race, ethnicity, and nationality, and analyse how these identities have become central to social movements.

Through this exploration, we will investigate the role of media in representing and shaping identities, articulating social movements, and influencing changes in our understanding of both. By engaging with theoretical perspectives and case studies, this module will provide students with the analytical tools to assess the impact of media on identity politics and collective action.

It is designed as an interdisciplinary module, welcoming students from diverse academic backgrounds and skill sets. Its assessments cater to students who are comfortable with conceptual thinking and are interested in producing accessible and creative outputs.

The aims of this module are to:

• Develop an understanding of corporate responsibility as behavior by firms that focuses on recognition and minimization of negative externalities caused by firm activity
• Equip students with an understanding of the nature of the pressures and processes that lead companies to 1) formally express their responsibilities to stakeholders other than just shareholders, and 2) commit irresponsible actions
• Generate an awareness of the ways in which companies take on social and environmental responsibilities, and the nature and limitations of such responsibilities

The aims of this module are to:

• enable students to become familiar with a range of methodologies for the analysis of the structure, operation, outputs and uses of the media and creative industries;
• enhance the acquisition of applied skills for research design, data collection and analysis applied to the media and creative industries;
• enhance the acquisition of critical and analytical skills for assessing quality in media research, using appropriate quality assessment criteria and standards.

The aims of this module are to:

• enable students to become familiar with a comprehensive range of research methods and techniques relevant to the investigation of international development practices as well as social change and social justice policies and mobilizations;
• generate insight and understanding of how different methodologies dialogue with different epistemological perspectives, aligned to specific research paradigms or philosophies.

The aims of this module are to:

• Provide students with an opportunity to be exposed to project-based teamwork in diverse settings (understood in this context as involving a range of multidisciplinary, multicultural and demographic elements in differing configurations), aiming to strengthen their cooperative and collaborative working skills and competence, while raising awareness and appreciation of diversity itself.
• Provide students with hands on experience of identifying, framing and resolving practice oriented and real-world based challenges and problems, using creativity, critical enquiry and appropriate tools to achieve valuable and relevant solutions.
• Support the development of students' ability to engage in critical enquiry and individual reflection, as well as to apply individual strengths and skills, building on their own educational backgrounds.
• Provide students with opportunities for networking with stakeholders, organisations and corporations, aiming to enhance the competence and skills needed to connect to relevant parties and build up future professional opportunities.

This module has two main aims. The first is to expose students to concrete development challenges experienced by different stakeholders (policy makers, communities and industry representatives, etc) in developing countries.

The second is to experiment with the ways through which the immersion into the field can inform the identification of development challenges and the formulation of research questions and action plans in the area of development.

Note that there are additional travel costs involved in taking this module.

The aims of this module are to give the student the opportunity to study a subject, or research question in depth and to research the issues surrounding the subject or background to the problem.
The module will equip the student with the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding to embark on their individual research project and they will be guided through the three options available to them to complete their dissertation:

• A desk based research project that could be set by an organisation or could be a subject of the student's choice
• A project that involves collection of primary data from within an organisation or based on field research
• A full professional placement within an organisation during which time they will complete a project as part of their role in agreement with the organisation (subject to a suitable placement position being obtained)

Students will achieve a high level of understanding in the subject area and produce a written thesis or project report which will discuss this research in depth and with rigour.