Studios

From the second semester, you will be offered so-called studios. Here, you can choose between two different options per mandatory elective module. The studios focus on linking theory and application in selected sub-areas of digital communication and creative media production in networked societies. All studios are held in cooperation with industry partners.

  • Studio 1a: Journalism and Digitalisation

    Digitalisation also presents new challenges and potential for the journalism sector: on the one hand, journalists are increasingly competing for the attention of their target audience, vying with the huge variety of information and entertainment content available online. On the other hand, they are being offered new opportunities for communicating news via multimedia output and for interacting with users in innovative ways. In Studio 1a, students closely investigate topics issues regarding news development and reporting, as well as changes to the way in which media are used in modern societies. They also develop innovative digital formats and applications for communicating information in cooperation with a partner from practice (from the field of journalism).

  • Studio 1b: Community and Society in Digital Transition: Advancing Constructive Media Interactions and Communication Processes for Social Relations and Networks

    Digitalisation and mediatisation are transforming public life, democracy and society. New possibilities for communication and media interaction are giving rise to both unknown opportunities and unprecedented challenges at society level. Platforms are enabling new communities to be formed and objectives to be achieved beyond the level of the individual (follower networks and virtual communities). At the same time, however, we are seeing lines of conflict growing more intense and a fear of polarisation is emerging. Studio 1b is devoted to critically exploring the risks and potential for social cohesion which arise in the context of digital communications and networked media.

  • Studio 2a: Sustainability in Digital Communication and Media Production

    Digitalisation and sustainability are key concepts in this day and age. They both have a major impact on our communications and the media sector. This gives rise to questions regarding responsibility and sustainability in relation to the conception, production and distribution of media products, as well as media interaction. Economic, social and environmental factors play a significant role in this respect. Studio 2a is devoted to exploring the potential and challenges of digital media and communication aimed at establishing sustainability objectives in society, in addition to aspects relating to sustainability in communications and the media themselves. This includes, in particular, the importance of sustainability issues in media production and communications, sustainability communication strategies, green media production, sustainable governance and green nudging.

  • Studio 2b: Media, Information or Digital Literacy? Developing Skills to Thrive in a Mediatized World

    Given the ongoing developments associated with the advancing mediatisation of society and constant changes in the way media are used and produced, it is important to discuss the skills required in this regard. In this context, students explore key skills concepts such as media, information, digital and algorithm literacy and debate current developments and approaches to this issue, for example with regard to the risks and potential of media services, teaching the corresponding skills and their normative nature and potential in political terms. Within the framework of Studio 2b, students focus on a sub-area of media and digital skills and subsequently team up with a partner from practice to develop a service/application involving media/digital literacy for a specific target group based on relevant research and preliminary studies.

  • Studio 3a: Strategic Communication in the Digital Age

    Digital applications are now included in the standard strategic communications repertoire of many companies, political organisations and NPOs, as well as their stakeholders (customers, members, investors/backers, media, etc.). They use websites or their own app, for example, to publicise key organisational objectives and relevant content, to participate in debates on social media or to reach out to stakeholders with videos explaining corporate goals, products and services. Studio 3a teaches students theoretical principles and concepts and shows empirical findings and possibilities for using strategic online communications. This studio is also designed to offer a hands-on opportunity to develop and implement a digital application for strategic communications with a partner from the field of politics, business or society.

  • Studio 3b: Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship

    Digitalisation is opening up many new distribution channels, forms and formats for news, information and entertainment. Closely associated with this is the question of what new business models are possible in the digital world and which are particularly suitable The Media Innovation & Entrepreneurship Studio focuses on investigating this in terms of media economics and on the development of new business models. To this end, students consider and discuss the necessary basic concepts and approaches for the ongoing debate in the field of media innovation and in relation to media economics. They come up with new products and business models for the media and communication sector, testing them in cooperation with partners from practice.

The content of the joint master’s programme is not only theoretical, but is also designed to be relevant to practical application and real-life occupations. It focuses on the latest technologies involved in visualised knowledge production and its communication, as well as on the complex practices relating to digital interaction and communication technologies/methods.

 

Partners from practice

Throughout your studies, you will work on real projects from real partners who are active in various economic, technological, and social fields. Our practice partners include, for example: