Political Communication (MRes)

Background

The MRes in Political Communication is a new programme which is designed to meet the needs of aspiring political communication academics, and it will also be attractive to applicants who wish to gain a research-based qualification at Masters level.

The programme examines key subjects on political communication, empirically and theoretically, while also providing training in social science research methodology to fulfill the postgraduate research training requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Therefore, it serves as excellent preparation for doctoral work, and is eligible for the ESRC 1+3 scheme.

In addition to the academic curriculum, the Political Communication Seminar enables students to discuss key issues in the field with top practitioners. In recent years, guest speakers have included Andrew Baird (Head of News for the Scottish Government), Peter Barron (Google’s Director of Communications for the UK, Ireland and the Benelux countries), Dorothy Byrne (Channel 4 Head of News and Current Affairs), Steven Lawther (former Head of Communications for the Scottish Labour Party), David Muir (Glasgow almunai and former Director of Political Strategy for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown), and Kirsty Wark (highly-regarded BBC presenter).

The student body has a very cosmopolitan character with a mix of students from all over the world including the UK, Germany, Spain, the US, Canada, China and Malaysia. You will also share classes with students from other programmes. This adds to the liveliness and breadth of experience in classes and it enriches the student experience for all.

Our students benefit from being taught by staff from one of the UK's leading institutions for political studies. No other University in Scotland produces as much world class research as Politics in Glasgow, as indicated in the latest Research Assessment Exercise. Our instructors include Dr Ana Langer and Professor Andrew Hoskins. Dr Langer, who recently published a book on the personalisation of politics in the United Kingdom, focuses on the relationship between media and politics, and on how this affects the conduct and nature of the democratic process. Prof Hoskins focuses on the theoretical and empirical investigation of today’s ‘new media ecology’ and the nature of/challenges for security as well as individual, social and cultural memory in this environment. 

We actively promote small-group student-centred teaching and we guarantee individual dissertation supervision. Our students benefit from intensive teaching by political scientists with strong publishing profiles and international reputations in their areas of expertise.