The Doctoral Program in Emerging Media Studies consists of a minimum of 68 credits (cr). All students entering the PhD Program in Emerging Media Studies must have completed a master’s program by the time they enroll at BU.
Candidates for the PhD degree in emerging media studies must complete a minimum of 68 credits of graduate-level coursework beyond the master’s degree. Credits are distributed among fundamental courses, required content area courses, courses on pedagogy and instruction, directed readings, and participation in an extended group research project. In addition, doctoral students must pass a qualifying examination (typically at the end of the second year) and independently complete a doctoral thesis (at the end of the third year) which constitutes an original scholarly contribution to the field.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge of the field: Identify, situate, and synthesize relevant scholarly literature to explain, analyze, and generalize that information, thereby evidencing a knowledge of major theorists and their perspectives, and principles and approaches to emerging media studies.
- Demonstrate knowledge of specialization: Synthesize and articulate knowledge from a student’s area of specialization and apply this knowledge to problems in the field.
- Conduct high-quality research: Conceptualize and carry out a full-scale research project that constitutes an original contribution to the field, demonstrating an understanding of research design and advanced quantitative data analyses; students should also be able to exhibit a grasp of qualitative and critical approaches. Throughout the program, students should employ strategic integration and multi-level analysis of programmatic activities.
- Apply knowledge in a professional environment: Effectively convey complex information and use methods, concepts, and theories in practice and in classroom settings. Students should display reflexivity in research and self-awareness in their professional pursuits and individual vision, enabling them to flexibly deploy research skills to address problems in a dynamic environment, and apply project management and leadership skills across professional domains.
- Master oral and written skills: Give oral presentations as well as produce written research with a high level of conceptual understanding, critical competence, and originality, producing writing that is deemed publishable by peer-reviewed journals.
A well-prepared student’s curriculum might closely resemble the following, although the specifics change from year to year.
Year One
FALL SEMESTER
The seminar will aim to enhance the core competencies in the areas of teaching, project management and leadership, communication, and self-awareness. Further, it will aim to add new perspectives in the areas of research skills and discipline-specific knowledge. Designed to develop and refine professional skills among graduate students. This course entails reflexive consideration of teaching practices and praxis, methods of professionalization, skills for success in the academic and non- academic intellectual environments, and effective self-presentation in higher- level settings. Additionally, on an intermittent basis, researchers and speakers from a variety of backgrounds present their views about research, theory, and professional achievement.
This course provides a specialized emphasis on data processing and predictive modeling through time series and panel regression modeling. In doing so, it trains students in advanced social-scientific methods for large-scale data analysis and visualization. This course also incorporates approaches that integrate the analysis and graphing of social data and corresponding networks using both time and spatial models.
This course, which takes place during years 1 and 2 of the PhD program, provides the student with a higher level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field in terms of the theories, methods, and conventions of applied research in communication and the social sciences. Emphasis is given to enhancing students' pedagogical and professional practices.
The object of this course is to provide students with substantial theoretical training to understand and interpret the emerging media creation and co-creation activities. We will explore and discuss a range of contemporary theories and concepts, which cut across economical, sociological, cultural and psychological dimensions of analysis. Special attention will be paid to how collaboration takes part in content creation practices. Students are also encouraged to take a step forward developing their own concepts, models and theories to explain the emerging communication phenomena. The enduring theme of this course is to examine how new communication technologies affect the ways people create media content, and how that process changes our lives at the individual, institutional, and societal level.
SPRING SEMESTER
The seminar will aim to enhance the core competencies in the areas of teaching, project management and leadership, communication, and self-awareness. Further, it will aim to add new perspectives in the areas of research skills and discipline-specific knowledge. Designed to develop and refine professional skills among graduate students. This course entails reflexive consideration of teaching practices and praxis, methods of professionalization, skills for success in the academic and non- academic intellectual environments, and effective self-presentation in higher- level settings. Additionally, on an intermittent basis, researchers and speakers from a variety of backgrounds present their views about research, theory, and professional achievement.
This course focuses on government-media relations with a focus on the new frontier of media, and as such it largely examines the role of media in politics, policy formation and political campaigns. This is a seminar that attempts to acquaint you with studies of the relationship between politicians and journalists and other media professionals, the nature of news media coverage of politics and the effects of news coverage on the public and policy, with consideration given to a variety or national contexts and media environments.
This course, which takes place during years 1 and 2 of the PhD program, provides the student with a higher level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field in terms of the theories, methods, and conventions of applied research in communication and the social sciences. Emphasis is given to enhancing students' pedagogical and professional practices.
SUMMER SEMESTER
In this course, students will learn about the emerging field of internet studies. We begin the course by reading classic texts from the sociology of technology, highlighting theories and methods of science and technology studies from a range of critical perspectives. The main focus of the course will be a survey of contemporary books and articles engaging with the study of information and communication technologies. The final project for the course will include students designing and scripting a rigorously researched episode for a podcast series called "This is Internet Studies."
This course, which takes place during years 1 and 2 of the PhD program, provides the student with a higher level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field in terms of the theories, methods, and conventions of applied research in communication and the social sciences. Emphasis is given to enhancing students' pedagogical and professional practices.
- One elective chosen with advisor consultation.
Year Two
FALL SEMESTER
The seminar will aim to enhance the core competencies in the areas of teaching, project management and leadership, communication, and self-awareness. Further, it will aim to add new perspectives in the areas of research skills and discipline-specific knowledge. Designed to develop and refine professional skills among graduate students. This course entails reflexive consideration of teaching practices and praxis, methods of professionalization, skills for success in the academic and non- academic intellectual environments, and effective self-presentation in higher- level settings. Additionally, on an intermittent basis, researchers and speakers from a variety of backgrounds present their views about research, theory, and professional achievement.
This course develops a high level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field concerning critical studies of emerging media as well as philosophical perspectives on emerging media. It aims to do this through readings, in-class discussions and analytical writing assignments. Through group discussion and classroom lecturers and analysis, students will develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between critical approaches and philosophical and historical studies of emerging media. The merits and limitations of different methodological approaches and intellectual approaches are probed.
This course, which takes place during years 1 and 2 of the PhD program, provides the student with a higher level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field in terms of the theories, methods, and conventions of applied research in communication and the social sciences. Emphasis is given to enhancing students' pedagogical and professional practices.
- One elective chosen with advisor consultation.
SPRING SEMESTER
The seminar will aim to enhance the core competencies in the areas of teaching, project management and leadership, communication, and self-awareness. Further, it will aim to add new perspectives in the areas of research skills and discipline-specific knowledge. Designed to develop and refine professional skills among graduate students. This course entails reflexive consideration of teaching practices and praxis, methods of professionalization, skills for success in the academic and non- academic intellectual environments, and effective self-presentation in higher- level settings. Additionally, on an intermittent basis, researchers and speakers from a variety of backgrounds present their views about research, theory, and professional achievement.
This course, which takes place during years 1 and 2 of the PhD program, provides the student with a higher level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field in terms of the theories, methods, and conventions of applied research in communication and the social sciences. Emphasis is given to enhancing students' pedagogical and professional practices.
- One elective chosen with advisor consultation.
SUMMER SEMESTER
In this course, students will learn about the emerging field of internet studies. We begin the course by reading classic texts from the sociology of technology, highlighting theories and methods of science and technology studies from a range of critical perspectives. The main focus of the course will be a survey of contemporary books and articles engaging with the study of information and communication technologies. The final project for the course will include students designing and scripting a rigorously researched episode for a podcast series called "This is Internet Studies."
This course, which takes place during years 1 and 2 of the PhD program, provides the student with a higher level of sophistication for students in the emerging media studies field in terms of the theories, methods, and conventions of applied research in communication and the social sciences. Emphasis is given to enhancing students' pedagogical and professional practices.
- One elective chosen with advisor consultation.
Year Three
FALL SEMESTER
Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of advisor and instructor. This course is for PhD students who have completed all required coursework, prior to completion of their qualifying examination. Supervised reading or research for student's specific needs, particularly in addressing the qualifying examination. Directed studies EM 902, which offers four credits, is designed to provide an environment in which the doctoral student supervisor, aided by members of the student's qualifying committee, will oversee the reading and intellectual exploration of the doctoral student taking this course. One of the goals of this course is to assist the student in comprehending and assimilating major works of the field that are relevant to the doctoral- level qualifying examination. Regular class room meetings are not foreseen; rather it will be operated like an independent study course.
- Take Qualifying Exam
SPRING SEMESTER
Graduate Prerequisites: consent of advisor. This course is only taken after the student has successfully passed their qualifying examination and has advanced to PhD candidacy. This research course is designed to provide the doctoral student with close supervision by the thesis advisor, aided by the thesis committee members, as the doctoral student pursues work on the dissertation. It is a 4 credit hour course which may be repeated.
SUMMER SEMESTER
Graduate Prerequisites: consent of advisor. This course is only taken after the student has successfully passed their qualifying examination and has advanced to PhD candidacy. This research course is designed to provide the doctoral student with close supervision by the thesis advisor, aided by the thesis committee members, as the doctoral student pursues work on the dissertation. It is a 4 credit hour course which may be repeated.
- Defend Thesis