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Developing practical skills

With the development of new media platforms, tools and technologies, new aspects of skill development are now relevant for those interested in the media, marketing and advertising industries.

Today, digital platforms and tools tend to complicate traditional boundaries between production and consumption, amateur and professional, artists, audiences and fans. This transformation is central to how skill development is supported within our degree.

Whether it is looking at viral videos or at the relationship between social media and activist campaigns, optional modules on your degree will help you to experiment with media practice while also studying its social and cultural role. In every year of your degree, we will ensure that you are registered on at least one module that has an assessment with some practical component. These types of assessments can both open up new insights into media cultures you are already a part of, as well as building important skills that are increasingly relevant for even non-media organisations.

Ellie Borgman

Ellie Borgman, BA Hons Film, Media and Cultural Studies

I had no real experience in broadcasting before I joined LA1TV. Yet, from the very first week I was involved and by the end of the first term, I learnt so many skills from controlling a sound desk to working an autocue. Being part of LA1TV enabled me to transfer knowledge and skills between my two degree subjects – Film and Media and Cultural Studies. Learning new skills and working with industry standard equipment has made me stand out to major broadcasting companies. Not many people can say they organised the television coverage of the largest inter-university sports tournament in Europe!

Sruthi Chilukoti, BA Hons Media and Cultural Studies

As a student representative, I helped to develop the media project option for our final year dissertation. I was passionate about implementing this option because it allows people to express themselves in creative ways. When I took the module I made a lookbook about cultural appropriation in fashion. It allowed me to explore aspects of the topic that couldn’t be easily expressed in words alone.

Digital Media Studio

As a student in our Department, you would have access to our Digital Media Studio technology to help build and enhance your skills in (digital) media practices.

In addition to being available to support coursework, dissertations or projects, it can support your own experimentation and familiarity with industry-relevant technology related to media practices such as:

  • Journalistic reports, documentaries, and shorts
  • Digital ethnography
  • Visual storytelling
  • Digital audio podcasts
  • Computer programming/hacking initiatives
  • Service-learning and community storytelling

Will Macluskie, BA Hons Media and Cultural Studies

Through the LU Film Production Society I gained experience of cinematography, special effects, managing groups and projects. Many of the academic insights I gained, particularly those pertaining to visual culture, classical art and social theories of inequality, complemented my practical film work, fundamentally influencing all factors of production. Two documentary filmmaking modules explored the theoretical approaches to film and practical aspects too, which worked well with an existing sociological knowledge which my group utilised to produce a focused narrative for our film.

Developing your skills

In addition to work in the classroom, our students often develop additional skills and knowledge through involvement in student societies such as:

Media and Cultural Studies at Lancaster

  • Your first year of Media and Cultural Studies

    During your first year, you have the flexibility to both explore something new and deepen your existing knowledge.

  • Preparing for your career

    The pace of change in media industries and jobs means that preparing for your career is about being able to provide insights and unique combinations of experience that set you apart.

  • Studying Media and Cultural Studies

    Our degree helps you understand how changing media is affecting who we are, how we think and what we value

  • Study abroad

    During your degree you have the opportunity to study at one of our partner universities overseas.

Media and Cultural Studies courses

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