Practice-based coursework and MA thesis

A practice-based MA degree consists of coursework, and/or a media practice project and a thesis. The degree is undertaken over two years.

The intention is to open up a space at the postgraduate level for media practice to function in at least three ways: as a research method(ology) and/or as a media artefact, and/or as an object of research.

The praxis nature of this degree

The projects undertaken by MA students in the School of Journalism and Media Studies should be research-based, probing and imaginative, self-reflexive, critical, analytical, and civic-minded, as well as technically excellent. As such, students will explore knowledges of production in the context of social and media theories, which seek to understand the significance and/or role of these kinds of media productions in society. The media produced need to be more than simple media artefacts but – in the context of broader theoretical research – need to make intellectual contributions to the broader media environment.

The practice work is to be some kind of critical intervention in response to a problem or issue. The outputs of the intervention could consist of, among others, a portfolio of work, an exhibition, a documentary, a website, a narrative report, etc. The nature of this will be discussed and decided in consultation with the supervisor.

The project can take various forms:

1. It can be experimental in form or approach, that is not standard in media work.
2. It can be an MA-level production that is significantly different from undergraduate-level work.
3. It can explore a particular concept in media theory or in media practice.
4. As a research method, the artefact can also generate data for the thesis.

The project-thesis relationship

Each student’s work is likely to be somewhat unique to the research interest and research question being posed, and the media project-thesis theory relationship can take one of a number of forms:

• The practice project can be considered as an artefact which is constructed in a particular medium and is based on the interest/concern of the student. The practice project may have a tangential relation to the thesis, with the thesis only using some aspect of the practice-project as the basis of its research.
• The practice project can be created to generate data for the thesis. In this case, the practice project is constructed in relation to a particular research question which will be undertaken in the thesis, but which is based on the data generated by the practice project. The practice project is undertaken first and then is followed by the thesis. This is usually the case in action-research, in which there are several iterations of the practice/research cycle which is the basis of the thesis.
• Other iterations of this relationship are also conceivable – including a reiterative process where both thesis and project are undertaken simultaneously.

The Practice project work

• The form of the project will be pitched to the postgraduate board for feedback and refinement.
• The Practice Project Intention Document (PPID) is to be drafted by the student with the oversight of the supervisor/s at the outset of the Practice Project. This document will be used as the basis for the pitch which all students must present to the Board towards the end of the first term for feedback. The revised document then forms the basis for the writing of the Project Report, which will be handed in with the artefact at the end of the year.

• NOTE: The ethical requirements of the practice project must conform to journalistic/media ethical standards aspracticedd by the School of Journalism and Media Studies.

The thesis

Usually, the thesis is 50% (and 45 credits) of the degree. It conforms to the usual specifications for such a thesis in the Humanities at Rhodes.

Last Modified: Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:47:06 SAST