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Communications: Practical Research Project

Module description

This module provides the opportunity to demonstrate your command of subject-specific skills by pursuing a sustained practical project within the field of Communications. The Practical Project should take the form of a portfolio evidencing an individually completed communications campaign, product, service or series of media materials from conception to completion;

In addition, you will produce a written critical commentary that draws upon theory to reflect on the creative process, demonstrate the appropriate use of resources and methods, explain the decisions taken during the execution of the project, and to signal, as appropriate, any aspects which were commissioned by external experts and / or completed as part of a wider team.

You will receive guidance from a supervisor and receive support through a series of lectures. The dissertation module teaches you time management skills and gives you the flexibility to devise and follow your own area of professional interest, extending your knowledge in a specialism that you have particularly enjoyed or that is targeted towards your future career.

Module aims - intentions of the module

To provide the opportunity, at the end of your BA programme, to produce a sustained practical project demonstrating your ability: to initiate, develop and realise distinctive and effective work in an area of communications; to select and apply research techniques appropriate to your specific project; to develop your understanding of relevant industry standards and how they are defined and achieved; to select and deploy relevant production skills and practices and to be adaptable, creative and reflexive in producing outputs for your chosen audience; to reflect critically upon your decision-making process; and to manage a large project independently.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate the capacity to produce a practical Communications project, as agreed between you and your supervisor
• 2. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of processes and professional practices relevant to the communicative industries and appropriate to your chosen audience
• 3. Demonstrate an ability to manage a large-scale project independently

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Demonstrate advanced conceptual, analytical, methodological, theoretical and practical communication skills introduced and established in previous modules on the programme
• 5. Demonstrate advanced understanding of the potentials and limitations inherent to specific forms and methods of communication in the targeting and engaging of specific audiences.
• 6. Demonstrate advanced understanding of the professional and occupational codes and practices in communicative industries that are relevant to the distribution, circulation, and reception of a successful media project

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Through writing the critical commentary, deploy appropriate research and bibliographic skills
• 8. Through producing the portfolio, deploy advanced skills in communications practice using appropriate methods, research and technologies

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content of the module may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will include some or all of the following elements:

Information about deadlines for submission and tips on developing your practical project will be provided through a series of lectures. Responsibility for the selection and development of your media project is left to you, though you are invited to discuss it with one or more members of staff.

The completed Dissertation Proposal Form, signed by a member of staff, must be submitted by the specified deadline in Term 1 of your final year of study. Allocation of an individual supervisor will be organised and confirmed in the first week of Term 2. Early in the term, the supervisor will arrange a one-hour group meeting. Thereafter, it is your responsibility to arrange and attend four further one-to-one supervisions (1 hour each) during the term. Supervisors will read and comment on up to 2000 words of written drafts, to be submitted as a formative assessment.

Dissertations are regarded as examinable components and as such, feedback will not be available until after the exam board has met.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

 To be developed by you in consultation with your supervisor. 

• Burton, M. (2015). Campaign Craft: The Strategies, Tactics and Art of Political Campaign Management. Santa Barbara: Praeger.
• Grix, J. & Watkins, G. (2010). Information Skills: Finding and Using the Right Resources. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Howard, P. (2005). New Media Campaigns and the Managed Citizen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Kim, C.M. (2019). Public Relations: Competencies and Practice. London: Routledge.
• Kim, C.M. (2016). Social Media Campaigns. London: Routledge.
• McCarthy, P. (2002). Presentation Skills: The Essential Guide for Students. London: Sage
• Percy, L & Rosenbaum – Elliot, R. (2016). Strategic Advertising Management Oxford: OUP (5th edition)
• Portny, S. (2006). Project Management for Dummies. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
• Posner, K. & Applegarth, M. (2008). Project Management Pocketbook. 2nd Edition. Alresford: Management Pocketbooks.
• Pricken, M. (2010). Creative Strategies: Idea Management for Marketing, Advertising, Media and Design London / New York:  Thames & Hudson
• Solomon, M. et al (2016). Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective. London: Pearson.
• Szmigin, I. and Piacentini, M. (2018). Consumer Behaviour 2^nd ed. Oxford: OUP

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

The Exeter Learning Environment is an online resource which will accompany the module, offering students a forum to discuss their work and to access links to external sites that might help in their research. Electronic versions of all course materials will also be hosted at this location. The ELE site will include links to useful online resources, including support for academic writing and lists of key journals and websites.