Master's Thesis in New Media & Digital Culture

Course goals

The aim of the Master thesis is that you demonstrates that you possess the ability to:
1. design, with partial guidance by a thesis supervisor, a 15 EC research project by formulating, analysing and evaluating issues and problems within the field of new media and digital culture, and setting up a research concept that adheres to the guidelines of the Master’s program;
2. carry out largely independent research on the topic described in the approved research concept;
3. report, in the form of the thesis itself, about this research at a level that complies with generally accepted disciplinary norms.

After completing this course, the student will have:
- the ability to employ relevant theoretical concepts for an analysis of contemporary and/or historical new media objects/phenomena, situated within (a subset of) their cultural, social, and political-economical contexts;
- thorough knowledge of relevant scholarly new media debates;
- the ability to differentiate, apply, and reflect upon the use of relevant methods to answer research questions pertaining to new media objects/phenomena.

Content

The MA thesis is a scholarly text in which you are expected to contribute, on the basis of independent research, to a debate within the field of new media and digital culture. It should be structured around a central research question which is clearly formulated in the introductory chapter and has a strong relevance to active scholarly discussions. The body of the text should show the methodology you employed to answer this question, the theoretical considerations you have made, and what your findings were. In your conclusion you should analyze your findings in light of your original question and explain the broader implications of your conclusions.

Additional information

This course is open only to students enrolled in the MA programme New Media & Digital Culture.

Career orientation
The MA Thesis is a scholarly work that adds to the academic debate on new media and digital culture; as such, it showcases the student's ability to (largely) independently report on research findings, a professional skill that is highly valued within the working field.