Preamble
The MA (MCJ) programme has been designed with the purpose of developing comprehensive understanding of the field of communication and it’s centrality to human existence and survival. Understanding the philosophies of communication and the creativity required for effective communication is the main focus. It aims at developing the communication skills – written, oral, visual and digital and thus contributing effectively in an information and knowledge based society. Other major areas are critical and integrative thinking, research, monitoring and evaluation and problem solving ability and socially responsible decision making.
1. Introduction
Human beings are endowed with a questioning mind; ask questions, learn, and share the learning (knowledge) with others. This involves communication. In the process groups, communities and societies are formed, norms are set and cultures develop. Creativity and philosophical justification make communication effective. Questioning leads to discoveries, innovation and progress/ development. Sharing of learning leads to enrichment, empowerment and also to domination and subordination. And communication is central to all such transactions.
Today, incidentally there is a big shift from the traditional media and classical mass media systems to the new digital media paradigms; the user becomes the axis of the communication process, the content is the identity of media, multimedia is the new language, realtime is the only time, hypertext is the grammar and knowledge is the new terminology for information. The most important parameters of the transition are : from audience to interactive user, from media to content, from mono-media to multimedia, from periodicity to realtime, from information scarcity to information to information overload, from mediated to non-mediated technology driven, from distribution to access, from one way to interactivity, from linear to hypertext and finally from data to knowledge.
In the contemporary times, the sudden explosion of communication technology and the media across the globe has fueled the need to study and research communication, media and journalism. Communication makes networking an important part of social life these days. Study in communication has been attracting the attention of scholars from anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, cultural studies, and developmental studies making it interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary.
2. Qualification descriptors for the graduates
- ● Systematic understanding of the domain knowledge
- ● Understanding of the research techniques used to interpret and create new knowledge
- ● Understand the centrality of Communication in cultural, political and social transactions.
Skills & Techniques
- ● Application of skill sets in content creation and interpretation
- ● Contextualising and refining of skills for ensuing independent problem-solving ability
- ● Enhancement of skills and techniques
Competence
- ● Independent and community learning ability
- ● Decision making even in complex and unpredictable situations and accepting accountability
- ● Understanding original research and critical enquire
Graduates Attributes
- ● A knowledge base for communication studies
- ● Identification and analysis of social problems related to multidisciplinary field of communication
- ● Critical thinking and inquiry
- ● Life-long learning
- ● Code of conduct, ethics and equity
- ● Effective communication with grassroots participation
- ● Content creation and dissemination to meet the informational, educational and entertainment needs of people
- ● Entrepreneurship and leadership
Programme Objectives
The graduates shall be so trained that they would acquire -
- ● Effective Written, Oral, Visual and Digital Communication skills: Develop comprehensive ability and skills to create and share written words, audio, video, visuals, graphics, blogs as descriptive, analytical and twitterati narratives for informational, educational, developmental and infotainment purposes.
- ● Critical and Integrative Thinking: Develop a critical and epistemological thinking in Glocal politics, economy, ethics, culture, religion, social institutions and their interconnectedness with the media.
- ● Social Scientific and Environmental awareness: Discern the responsibility as a journalist/communicator as well as a media student to improve our social condition, scientific temper and environment sustainability.
- ● Ethical Reasoning and Practices: Learn and apply ethical communications, principles and practices in academic, journalistic, personal, vocational and civic pursuits.
- ● Leadership: Be an entrepreneur and serve media industry and society interests as a means toward the greater goal of serving the people and the society, and also to directly promote media literacy and empower people at the grassroots level to participate in the process of governance and the development diaspora.
- ● Research and Innovation: Inculcate the culture of research and innovation in social engineering and communication
Program Outcome
- ● Envisage, Synthesize and CREATE: Comprehend, synthesize and utilize communication theories, perspectives, principles and concepts to create and produce messages (print audio, video, blogs, tweets etc.), appropriate to the purpose and context.
- ● Analyse: Demonstrate the ability to critically draw interrelationship between various sectors of society and ideas; and analyse messages by comparing, contrasting and bringing in consensus required in a democracy.
- ● Evaluate: Demonstrate the skill, ability and critical thinking to evaluate the communication processes and practices, and their participation in communication decision making.
- ● Apply: Apply theoretical principles and strategies in a variety of creative, cinematic, organisational, professional and journalistic premises to execute, demonstrate and solve any communication related social problem.
- ● Accomplish: Demonstrate the ability and desire to accomplish communicative goals in social processes through inquiry and research