mastertrack global communication
TRANSCRIPT
Roadmap
1
What’s this program about?
The courses
Research skills/methodology
Premaster program
Thesis
E-zine [Diggit Magazine]
Academic culture
Preparing for what comes after
Our organization
Actual experiences of our Master students
Introduction
2
Introducing ourselves?
What do you expect from this Program?
PERSPECTIVES FROM THE TWO AMBASSADORS OF
THE PROGRAM:
Mick, who has just started the program
Anastasia, who has just completed the program
What is global communication?
3
Student & Teacher perspectives on Global Communication:
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-
programmes/global-communication/
Diploma versus Job
4
Research into employment patterns of Psychology
graduates:
• Only 1 in 6 doing a job directly related to Psychology
• Other 5 doing jobs in all sorts of fields
• Employees search for advanced skills, such as:
• Communication skills
• Effective decision-making skills
• Higher level analytical and critical skills
• Higher order thinking skills: analysis, synthesis,
evaluation, inference, identifying causes of problems and
offering solutions, and so on.
• Most basically, open-minded, self-reflective critical
thinkers.
Our Program
5
Globalization and Digitalization
Culture is constantly changing but some things are always
the same.
People move around a lot more (‘superdiversity’) but there
has always been group formation, cultural mixing, contact,
influence, borrowing etc.
People need to learn many new skills, especially digital
ones, but learning proceeds the same as it always has
(people’s brains haven’t changed)
Our life and that of the society around us changes rapidly
but change is a constant feature of life.
Managing all this is a challenge, as it has always been.
Our Program
6
Global nature of our Program
Most international programs on Global Communication
have similar focal points.
Our program is the same as programs offered by Brown
University or London School of Economics - LSE.
We have an international group of scholars – benefit:
offering diverse perspectives!
Number of elective courses
Research and application orientation
Aims of the Program
7
Globally shared aims of our Program (Brown + LSE)
Develop an understanding of intercultural communication
and mediation in the global context
Develop skills to critically assess existing research relating
to global communication
Understand the value of cross-cultural communication and
the exchange of ideas for the purpose of shaping global
communication.
Produce independent, original scholarly work of
publishable quality.
Understand and critically evaluate the implications of
digitalization for traditional understandings of community
Our Program
8
Program Structure
Studying in 3 Blocks instead of Semesters
Advantages:
• Intense focus on a limited number of subjects
• Meeting twice a week (2X2 hours)
• Highly interactive lectures and discussions
• Completing a Block within 8 weeks
• Enabling early focus on possible Thesis topics
• Reserving sufficient time for Research and Thesis.
Our Program
9
The Courses:
Individuals and communities in the digital age (Block 1)• About how we form short-lived ad-hoc communities online
Language, globalization and superdiversity (Block 1)• About how globalization affects the way we communicate
Traditional and non-traditional modes of learning (Block 2)• About how we learn, in school and in life
Linguistic and cultural change (Block 2)• About how globalization and digitalization affect our
communicative repertoires and our communicative skills
Policies on language in a super-diverse world (Block 3)• About how society attempts to deal with the growing diversity in
communication skills
Our Program
10
The Courses:
Online writing and publishing (Block 3)• Hands-on practice in communicating professionally in online
environments
Working as a cultural professional (Block 3)• Exposure to what may be your professional field after you
graduate: the transition between academic knowledge and
professional practice
Research skills/methodology
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The Courses:
Methodology: In order to do research, you need certain skills
Choice of several courses, 3 ECTS each (you choose two)
Particularly relevant for this program: both quantitative and
qualitative research.
• Hermeneutical research of discourse and visual images
• Research Interview and narrative analysis
• Ethnography
• (Anthropology and fieldwork)
Premaster Program
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First semester:
• Doing Research 2.1
• Language, culture and globalization
• Discourse and Media Theory
• The multicultural individual
Choose one from:
• Language learning and socialization
• Digital culture and society
Premaster Program
13
Second semester:
• Doing Research 1: The basics
• Knowledge in the digital age
• Sociolinguistics
• Doing Research 2.2
Choose one from:
• Social implications of globalization
• The digital individual
THESIS
14
18 ECTS
You start in the third block, and then continue full time in the
fourth
Start thinking about possible topics from next week on, but
take your time deciding
Contact individual teachers about your topics of interest
A thesis coordinator (Dr. Rian Aarts) will manage the
process
Don’t underestimate it: you need to integrate content
knowledge from the classes, research skills, and curiosity,
and do it all yourself (with effective supervision).
E-ZINE
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The digital form of the school journal
We’ll start a platform that will function as the link between us
and the public
Us = all students and staff
Public = journalists, politics, interested lay people, policy
workers, etc.
It will contain essays, papers, articles, videos, blogs,
presentations, and so on organized into thematic files
This is integrated with most courses, so that some of your
coursework will be published online: Good for your career!
www.diggitmagazine.com
Academic Culture
16
What do teachers do?
University professors don’t just teach.
University education is based on research: that’s what we
do the other half of our life
Our research: culture studies, media studies, linguistics,
sociology, anthropology
To take full advantage of the academic culture, try to take
part in the academic life of the department (we’ll inform you)
Go to talks, lectures and workshops
Consult and contribute to the e-zine
Preparing for what comes after
17
The year will be over before you know it
After that, work life awaits
Try to strike a balance between enjoying the now and
worrying about the future
Orient yourself on the job market: what fields attract your
interest, what do people do who work in them, what
networks do teachers and ex-students have that may be of
use to you?
Choose a thesis topic that might be a useful ticket to a field
of employment
Preparing for what comes after
18
Job Prospects:
• Research position
• Trainer / lecturer
• Management consultant
• Policy advisor
• Program manager in the education / training / cultural sector
• Community manager
• (Social) Media manager
• Customer relationship manager
• Journalist / columnist
• Business sector: consultant, intercultural communication
specialist.
Our organization
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Coordinator: Kutlay Yağmur
Teachers: Jan Blommaert (anthropology), Ad Backus
(linguistics), Sjaak Kroon (policy), Rian Aarts (education),
Kutlay Yağmur (sociolinguistics), Max Spotti (ethnography),
Piia Varis (media studies), Jef van der Aa (ethnography), Ico
Maly (anthropology), and others
Study advisor: Cathy de Waele
E-zine coordinator: Ico Maly
Experience Tells More!
20
How did the current students experienced our program?
http://www.postgradabroad.co.uk/olesya_bath.html