Program Overview

Introduction to the Research Institute for Media, Arts and Performance

The Research Institute for Media, Art and Design welcomes applications for post-graduate research. It offers supervision for research degrees: Masters by Research (1 year), MPhil (2 years) and PhD (3 year).

Completed PhD Dissertations

Completed PhD dissertations include projects about:

• UK news coverage post-9/11
• Al-Jazeera Arabic
• Social media as a platform for activism in the Middle East
• Social media and political debates in the UK
• Media reporting of war crimes trials in Sierra Leone
• Post-1988 Anglophone Pakistani fiction
• Independent dancers and the choreographic process
• Narrative and ideology in radical crossover fiction
• Nigerian modernism(s)
• Gender politics in Russian fairy tales
• Late Victorian identity crisis
• Representations of punishment in the Hockliffe collection
• The fiction of George R R Martin

Masters by Research

The Research Institute for Media, Arts and Performance (RIMAP) runs a series of Masters by Research Awards across the range of its subjects and skills. Students may work towards an MA in areas such as:

• Art and Design
• Film
• Multimedia
• Creative Writing
• Radio
• Journalism
• English Literature Students will work on a project within the subject area, supervised by a member of academic staff on a one-to-one basis.

Support and Facilities

The Institute will provide additional support lectures to acclimatize students to academic research, and there is a regular series of seminars presented by researchers and practitioners. There is a Research Student Room, equipped with computers, for private work and small workshops on the Luton campus, and study space on the Bedford campus.

Degree Structure

This is a one-year full-time research degree (two years part-time). If students choose a practice-based Masters by Research, they will concentrate on a piece of practice-based work (a film, piece of art-work, or a creative text), which will be supported by a thesis of about 15,000 words explaining the context, methodology and research history of the project. If students choose to do a Masters by Research without a practice-based element, they will produce a thesis of 25,000 words.

Assessment Process

The assessment process includes a short presentation, plus viva-voce examination. The range and scope of the project will be discussed at the outset by the student and their supervisor to ensure the correct balance between creative work and thesis if practice-based, and to make sure that the project is capable of completion within the time-scale of the course.

Entry Qualifications

Entry qualification is usually a BA (Hons) degree 2:2 or above in a relevant discipline, although students with considerable practical experience in the subject area, and with a BA in a different discipline, should not be discouraged from applying.

Proposed Research

The first stage will be to discuss the student's experience and proposed research with the Subject Leader in that particular area. The proposed area of research will be discussed to ensure it aligns with the institute's expertise and resources.