6 ECTS credits
152 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4021139FNR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
1st and 2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Communication Sciences
Educational team
Iris Jennes (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
8 contact hours Lecture
40 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
104 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

In this course, students work together on a project relating to media, strategy and marketing. Students learn (1) generating scientifically grounded insights, (2) providing academically grounded advice and (3) developing innovative ideas that have a direct relevance outside the university. The project can be done on behalf of an external body, the organization can be both profit and non-profit. The project can also be initiated from SCOM (the department or involved research groups). In any case, the project starts with a specific issue or problem and the project aims to help customers, clients or stakeholders to advance by providing appropriate responses.

To execute the project, the students go through a learning program in which they learn to translate and valorise successfully, under guidance of experts, the gained scientific knowledge of media, journalism and politics in a non-university context. To achieve this, the emphasis in this project course lies on practice-oriented deepening of this already gained 'hard skills' and the development of complementary soft skills. More specifically, this course is designed to teach, cultivate and hone the following skills and competencies:

Hard skills: generate problem-solving and advice-oriented insights

  • Frame problems from a scientific perspective: analyze and contextualize customer questions using scientific knowledge on media and communications;
  • Targeted deployment of an appropriate mix of methods for acquiring knowledge (state-of-the-art research, short-term empirical research ...) in order to generate actionable insights.

Soft skills: project-based work and effective communication

  • Critical and creative thinking with the aim of developing innovative ideas;
  • Run a consultancy assignment in team: organization (division of responsibilities, planning, follow-up ...), cooperation (self-reflection, give constructive feedback, conflict management, leadership);
  • Maintain a professional relationship with the customer: professional attitude, authentic listening, negotiating, presenting ...;
  • Self-development (positioning within the group, assess its strengths and weaknesses, growing in the group ...).
Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Opdrachten, projecten en cases is terug te vinden in een handleiding, Canvas
Additional info

Programme in semester 1:

  • hands-on workshops by professionals
  • working up the subject
  • introducing and getting to know the client
  • prepatory work

Programme in semester 2:

  • developing the project
  • presenting the project to the client

Study material:

  • slides of the lectures and workshops
  • bibliography of relevant literature (project- and client-related)
  • reader of relevant literature (project- and client-related)

More detailed information on the assignments, projects and cases can be found in the course manual on Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

General Competencies

  • Students are able to detect, analyse and assess the social, professional and policy implications of trends and problem areas in a media landscape, from a theoretical reference and analysis framework that matches the field of communication science approaches to media, internet and globalisation.
  • Students have the ability to communicate information, insights and both existing and own research findings to diverse audiences, both in writing and orally through the necessary multimedia support.
  • Students are able to learn and act, under supervision, independently, creatively, critically and entrepreneurially.

At the end of the course the student will have learned to:

  • answer/solve a specific question/problem from a customer or stakeholder by means of applied academic research;
  • set up an consultancy study and carry it out in team;
  • guarantee the proper functioning of a team;
  • translate research results into insights that can be used immediately by the customer/stakeholder;
  • think in an advice-oriented, problem-solving and creative ways.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Teamwork with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.
  • End Product with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.
  • Individual Role with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Evaluation of the individual role in the project: 20% of the end result

Evaluation of the teamwork: 30% of the end result

Evaluation of the end product: 50% of the end result

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Communication Studies: Media, Strategy and Marketing (only offered in Dutch)