The Media and Communications STUDY SKILLS Student Guide SKILLS Student STUDY Communications Media and The The Media and Communications The Media and Communications STUDY SKILLS Student Guide All the tips, ideas and advice given to, and requested by, MA students in Media and Communications, are brought together in an easy-to-use STUDY SKILLS accessible guide to help students study most effectively. STUDENT GUIDE Based upon many years of teaching study skills and hundreds of lecture slides and handouts this introduction covers a range of general and generic skills that the author relates specifically towards media and communications studies. As well as the mechanics of writing and presentations, the book also shows how students can work on and engage with the critical and contemplative elements of their degrees whilst retaining motivation and refining timekeeping skills. Of course the nuts and bolts of reading, writing, listening, seminars and the dreaded dissertation and essays are covered too. In addition advice on referencing, citation and academic style is offered for those with concerns over English grammar and expression. Aimed primarily at postgraduate students, there is significant crossover with undergraduate work, so this book will also prove of use to upper level undergraduate readers whether using English as a first or second language. THE AUTHOR Doug Specht is Director of Teaching and Learning, School of Media and Communications, University of Westminster. He has taught across a range of age groups and educational settings around the world, picking up tips and ideas along the way, which continue to enhance his teaching practice. He holds a PGCE, TESOL, and an MA in Higher Education. Specht Doug MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES STUDY SKILLS | STUDENT LEARNING Doug Specht The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide Doug Specht University of Westminster Press www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk Published by University of Westminster Press 115 New Cavendish Street London W1W 6XH www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk Text © Doug Specht First published 2019 Cover design: Diana Jarvis; images shutterstock.com Print and digital versions typeset by Siliconchips Services Ltd. ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-912656-56-1 ISBN (PDF): 978-1-912656-57-8 ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-912656-58-5 ISBN (Kindle): 978-1-912656-59-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book42 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. This license allows for copying and distributing the work, providing author attribution is clearly stated, that you are not using the material for commercial purposes, and that modified versions are not distributed. The full text of this book has been peer-reviewed to ensure high academic standards. For full review policies, see: http://www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/ site/publish/ Suggested citation: Specht, Doug. 2019. The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book42 License: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 To read the free, open access version of this book online, visit https://www.uwestminsterpress. co.uk/site/books/10.16997/book42 or scan this QR code with your mobile device: Contents 1. Introduction: studying for a Masters degree 1 2. Why we study and setting goals 5 Managing your time 7 Procrastination 12 Other study tips 16 References 19 3. Listening skills and getting the most from lectures and lecturers 21 Active and focused listening 21 Nonverbal gestures 24 Reference 26 4. Reading, desk research, taking notes and plagiarism 27 Reading critically 29 Surviving a super long reading list 30 It’s not all about books and journals 31 Notetaking 35 Types of notetaking 36 Referencing 37 Referencing digital media 40 Online tools for notetaking and referencing 41 Plagiarism 44 References 45 5. Seminar skills 47 What is a seminar? 48 Surviving group work 50 Presentations 53 Summary 59 References 59 iv Contents 6. Developing a reflective approach to learning 61 Other ways to become a reflective learner 65 Planning and prioritizing 66 References 67 7. Writing: getting started 69 Understanding the question 69 Defining a thesis statement 73 Preparing a working outline 76 Writing introductions 80 The middle 82 Writing conclusions 85 References 87 8. Reading and notetaking: combining sources 89 Turning notes into essays: summarizing, paraphrasing, and synthesizing 93 Summarizing 94 Paraphrasing 94 Synthesizing 95 References 99 9. The ‘I’ in academic writing 101 Hedging your bets 105 References 107 10. Writing: from the basics towards excellence 109 Grammar 111 Prepositions: time and place 112 Prepositions with nouns, adjectives and verbs 113 Linkers and transitional words 114 Articles 117 Tenses 119 Nominalization 120 Unity 121 References 122 11. Writing questions for research projects 123 Generating ideas 126 The ‘so what?’ test 127 Reference 131 Contents v 12. Empirical research skills 133 Methods and methodologies… what’s the difference? 135 The methodology: quantitative or qualitative research? 136 Quantitative research 136 Qualitative research 137 Mixed methods 138 Methods 140 Interviews 142 Surveys 144 Content analysis 146 Network analysis 148 References 150 13. Putting it all together: writing a dissertation 153 Writing a proposal 153 Parts of a proposal 154 Creating a working title 154 Introduction/background 155 Purpose/aims/rationale/research questions 156 Literature review 156 Methodology 159 Timeline/plan of work 160 References and proposed reading 160 The dissertation 161 Results and discussion 161 References 164 14. Coda: key skills for media work 167 About the author 169 Acknowledgments 171 Index 173 CHAPTER 1 Introduction: studying for a Masters degree If you’ve picked up this book, it probably means you are just starting a degree in Media and Communications or one of the many sub-disciplines in the field, be that Journalism, Public Relations, Media Management, or Media and Cam- paigning, to name just a few. Firstly, welcome to a hugely exciting field. There was a time when people looked at media studies as not being a proper subject (boo!), but those days are long gone. Media and Communications courses are becoming ever more in demand, and ever more demanding. From late night editing sessions, placements in industry, lectures on theory from the Frankfurt School to Marxism, to the ethics of digital technology, and practical sessions on campaigning, sound engineering, marketing, and more, these courses are per- haps some of the most intensive around. Studying Media and Communications is far more than watching films and reading newspapers, it is about research, critical thinking, understanding the industry and the economics of media. It is about understanding and learning about people, society, interactions and how the world works, and who it works for, and who are excluded. As Professor Philip Thickett, former head of Birmingham City University’s School of Media has said, ‘media gives the people a voice or the skill to actually change people’s views or lives […] that is why media matters.’1 And he isn’t alone in thinking that media and communications is important, former Channel 4 chief execu- tive Michael Jackson, Sunday Times editor John Witherow, and hundreds of others have started their careers on Media and Communications courses. And with the second highest employment rate in the UK, why shouldn’t you want to also be part of this exciting and diverse field that seeks to break down the barriers of incomprehension and mistrust? In a world of fake news, spin and 1 See Quin-Jarvis (2014) for other quote sources and wider discussion. How to cite this book chapter: Specht, D. 2019. The Media And Communications Study Skills Student Guide. Pp. 1–3. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book42.a. License: CC‐BY‐NC‐ND 4.0 2 The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide populism, one group of media professors made the argument (in the words of the article’s strapline) that the subject has not only come of age but had ‘finally found its place in the zeitgeist’.2 It is also a degree which, as its name suggests, is hugely sociable, with a focus on talking to other people, studying other people, writing about people, interviewing people, meeting people. There are people everywhere. So, it is also a great way to make connections and friends around the world, creating your own global village as Marshall McLuhan might have said. Balancing all of these elements above, along with the exciting social life that a Media and Communications course affords can be difficult. You will need to maintain your studies, and focus, through a degree that is very challenging. Your insitution will also want you to be both intellectually stimulated and to experience the pressures that you will encounter when you take up jobs within the media. You are going to be learning a whole heap of new skills and practice throughout your studies, and for the most part that is what your course, lec- tures, seminars and workshops are for. But there are two other elements that are common to all Media and Communications courses, that perhaps your stand- ard modules won’t help you with quite as much. These are, according to Pro- fessor James Curran, co-director of Goldsmiths Media Research Centre, ‘the ability to write really well, a skill that most people don’t have but makes a lot of media students highly employable’, and in the words of Philip Thickett, ‘the unspoken [requirement] of being on a pressurized course that reflects what people face in the industry’. These two skills, writing, and time management, form the backbone of what this book is all about.