Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Media and Communications

at Goldsmiths, University of London United Kingdom

This Masters, a pathway of the MA Filmmaking, will encourage your understanding of the politics, aesthetics and ethics of documentary production, and the nature and diversity of documentary practice in contemporary society.

What we offer

• The programme is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the-art teaching spaces including a range of digital cameras, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Film Editing suites, Animation, Digital Special Effects, Pro Tools Audio Postproduction suites.
• You will be able to make your own documentaries, learning and refining research, interviewing, self-shooting and editing techniques – but also have the unique opportunity to be part of a programme that includes specialised producers, cinematographers, editors, sound recordists and sound designers, so that you can develop the scope and range of your filmmaking by collaborating with them.
• You work on at least two films during the year, culminating in a major production towards the end of the degree. In addition you can attend classes in related disciplines such as Cinematography and Editing and may collaborate with students across other specialisations on film projects. This framework is designed to provide you with a breadth of filmmaking knowledge combined with a high level of expertise in your chosen filmmaking discipline.

The MA encourages you to develop

• An awareness of documentary production techniques, ethics and aesthetics
• Specific filmmaking and production management skills
• Technical skills (including camera, lighting and sound editing)
• An understanding of the workings of the media and their broad cultural and social impacts

China has been at the forefront of a global economic power shift in the aftermath of the global economic crisis in 2008. This undergraduate degree gives you the chance to study international relations with a year abroad in China at Capital Normal University in Beijing.

Why study BA International Relations and Chinese at Goldsmiths?

• You’ll explore the key concepts, policies, practices and institutions of international relations while developing your Chinese language skills.
• Your time studying in China will give you the chance to gain first-hand experience of the culture, to consolidate your knowledge and language skills, and offer you the chance to discover your own area of interest in China within the larger global context.
• The study of international systems and relations is complemented by studies centred on regions of crucial geopolitical and economic significance today: you’ll focus on China, but will also look at the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
• You can enhance your knowledge in your personal areas of interest, with option modules in security, development and human rights, foreign policy, and conflict and genocide.
• You’ll have the opportunity to apply your academic knowledge to an optional work placement in the international relations sector. This valuable experience will set you apart as you pursue a career in areas such as government, international institutions, policy thinktanks, development agencies and NGOs.
• After graduating you’ll be given the option to study for another year at Beijing Capital Normal University and gain a BA in Chinese Studies. This option to gain an additional BA degree is a unique opportunity and the only programme of its type to be approved by the Ministry of Education in China, which will help to open doors for further employment opportunities.

This course will teach you how to use game design to develop aesthetic awareness, and create meaningful experiences. Students learn how to build compelling mechanics, craft innovative narratives, and develop immersive playable environments. Together, we will push games into new territories and intellectual domains.

As technologies have integrated into our everyday lives, elements from games have been woven into everything, from the way museums educate the public, to how scientists do cancer research. With the rise of mobile games, console creators no longer hold a monopoly on gaming platforms. This new-found freedom has resulted in an explosion of independent games – from putting players in immersive augmented worlds, to telling transformational personal narratives, these new experiences are redefining the rules of play.

Games are now part of everyday life. As a result, markets previously dominated by traditional media have begun to leverage the ability of games to tell stories, generate knowledge, and educate the public. An explosion of games and apps has created a new breed of entrepreneur, who uses small teams to create projects accessible to millions.

Why Study MA Independent Games Design at Goldsmiths?

• This MA has several informal focus areas students can choose from:
  • Independent games design and development
  • Mixed reality (XR), playful experiences, and installation design
  • Games for change
  • Machine learning and game user experiences
  • Using Creative Coding and Physical Computing
• You can build skills to start your own game design studio.
• You will be mentored on how to grow in your creative career.
• When you graduate, you can use game design in a wide range of fields both inside and outside the game industry, including independent games, XR studios, interactive film, advertising and media outlets, journalism, non-profits, education, design, and fine arts.
• You will be part of a supportive community of games creators who actively release titles, and have access to a large library of video games and board games.

You'll learn that we cannot make sense of the ways in which politics affects every aspect of our lives without first addressing the ways in which the concept of ‘politics’ is constructed in the first place.

We will develop your critical and analytical skills, providing you with a thorough grounding in the major aspects of modern political studies, including political theory, international relations, political economy, British and European comparative politics and the politics of non-Western countries.

Through a study of diverse topics, such as feminism, foreign policy, and human rights, you'll sharpen your ability to evaluate complex, challenging claims. You’ll see that politics encompasses the most difficult challenges humanity faces, and you’ll learn how to engage with these challenges in a sophisticated, persuasive way.

A degree in politics is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable subjects you can study at university. And the skills you’ll gain will stay with you forever.

Why study BA Politics at Goldsmiths?

• This programme extends beyond the conventional - we'll look at how and why politics is practised in such different ways around the planet
• Our research interests are as diverse as the discipline of politics; you’ll have the option of studying from the full range of subjects that we offer (subject to prerequisites)
• You’ll learn about the politics of the Houses of Parliament and the United States Senate, but you’ll also learn about the political decisions which take place in the classroom, the company directors’ meeting, the art gallery and the internet forum. Through these (and more) diverse studies, we’ll help you to question your own assumptions and beliefs in order to give you the ability to question the assumptions and beliefs of others
• In your third year you’ll be able to put these skills into practice in our Work Placement programme. We have links with the Home Office, Department for Transport, local government and the European Commission
• We have a lively events programme that attracts renowned speakers, so you'll have the opportunity to hear (and challenge) the latest political arguments, theories and ideas

The MMus Popular Music builds upon our international reputation in the popular music field established by our ground-breaking undergraduate degree.

The Popular Music pathway is designed for music artists who are seeking to deepen their creative practice. We are songwriters and composers, producers and performers, engaged in making work that has relevance to real music scenes.

The programme centres the creative artist in a stimulating and supportive environment where critical enquiry, testing of songs/compositions/performance and experimentation in practice lead to a portfolio of new work.

The development of industry-relevant skills and key cultural-theoretical understandings is led by the needs of our own projects and foundational knowledge. Typically, students make records, explore performance and production methodologies, present shows, write and release new sets of songs/works. The programme offers the opportunity to extend the boundaries of artistry and critically reflect upon our own creativity in music.

You’ll also be able to extend your own practice through options in sonic and studio art, advanced music technology, exploration in audiovisual media, and ethnomusicology.

You’ll acquire graduate-level training in creative practice and subject-specific skills that could set you up for a career as a composer-performer or studio practitioner/producer, as well as other jobs in the popular music sector.

This programme introduces you to recent debates on gender in the disciplines of sociology and media, as well as to the interdisciplinary domains of feminist social and cultural theory. There are a range of topic choices available, including: embodiment, feminist methods, media and sexuality, and postcolonialism.

Why study MA Gender, Media and Culture at Goldsmiths?

• You'll be taught by experts in the Department of Sociology and Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, as well as the Centre for Feminist Research (CFR).
• You’ll develop cutting-edge critical skills in relation to cultural approaches to gender formation and gender theory.
• The degree will provide you with a solid understanding of the importance of epistemology and methodology for the evaluation of empirical investigations of gender formations.
• You’ll be introduced to, and trained in, the key socio-cultural methods for the study of gender in the contemporary world, including methods for the study of visual culture, the body and affect, and memory.
• You’ll benefit from tailored supervision in the development of a research project on a specific topic.
• As an interdisciplinary degree, this programme draws from a range of areas, including sociology, media and communications, humanities, science and technology studies, and philosophy.
• You’ll become part of a lively research environment in a politically active university.

Combine the study of literature with the practice of creative writing. You’ll graduate with the ability to be informed and curious about literature, and with the imagination to turn that curiosity into creativity.

This flexible programme allows you to choose topics related to American literature and culture, comparisons of literature across different cultures and art forms (also known as Comparative Literature), and study diverse aspects of language use in linguistics modules. Your literary and creative studies will be supported by lectures and seminars which will give you practical advice to help you improve your essay writing and refine your research strategies.

Why study BA English with Creative Writing at Goldsmiths?

• You’ll read key literary texts, and experiment with writing prose and poetry. By the end of the creative writing degree you’ll have uncovered your written style and developed an extensive portfolio of creative work.
• We’re based in London, a city that’s full of literary inspiration. Take a look at English student Samantha’s favourite places to write.
• Our alumni have gone on to win prestigious awards including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, the European Union Prize for Literature, and the Dylan Thomas Prize. One of our alumni, Sophie Collins, was awarded a Fellowship by the Royal Society of Literature as part of its inaugural 40 Under 40 scheme in 2018.
• We’re regularly visited by literary guest speakers. Recent visitors have included Ali Smith, Nikesh Shukla, Michael Rosen, Eimear McBride and Howard Jacobson.
• We host an annual literary award – the Goldsmiths Prize – that celebrates work that pushes the boundaries of the novel.

The MA Social Work is an academic and professional qualification which also provides a gateway to more specialist therapeutic qualifications and research degree programmes. Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – we have one of the most respected social work units in the UK, and you'll be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields.

You will learn the values, skills, and knowledge needed to practise as a reflective and ethical social worker, and be well equipped for the challenges of contemporary social work practice. You also will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, the social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention, and social work practice throughout the programme. You will cover some of the following areas:

• Human growth and development
• Community needs and services
• Social work methods and skills
• Assessment in social work
• Law and organisational contexts of social work
• Research methods
• Children and families pathway
• Adults pathway
• Mental health and disability

The MA Multilingualism, Linguistics and Education is an applied linguistics programme with an emphasis on both linguistic and cultural diversity, which provides a solid understanding of key theoretical and practical issues in multilingual and intercultural educational settings.

Why study MA Multilingualism, Linguistics and Education at Goldsmiths?

• You learn how the English language and other languages are structured and used in a range of cultural settings, and how to support the literacy and learning development of students from multilingual backgrounds. The course offers critical engagement with theory, policy and practice, and students benefit from intellectual debates in the disciplines of both education and linguistics.
• Whether you’re a manager, teacher, researcher, or in another profession related to language and education, this degree will help you develop and add value to your professional life.
• You'll gain experience in language teaching, either as an additional or second foreign language, and achieve a wider theoretical knowledge base by exploring topics such as intercultural communication, English language teaching, teaching languages from a multilingual perspective, and race, ethnicity and cultural diversity in education.
• You'll be eligible to apply for one of three international exchange places at our partner institution, the Federal University of Bahia (Salvador, Brazil). This will not require paying additional tuition fees, and – if successful – you will receive a grant for living expenses while in Salvador, provided by Erasmus+ and the UK National Agency.

The programme will introduce you to a range of psychological theories, methods and processes within the context of the legal, criminal and civil justice systems.

Based at a research-led London university with strong links to forensic services, you’ll be taught by world-class researchers, and experienced practitioners from the NHS, and the prison and probation service.

Led by chartered forensic clinical psychologist Dr Caoimhe McAnena, the MSc also includes contributions from world-class researchers and practitioners who will teach on the programme and supervise research projects.

We have been awarded full British Psychological Society (BPS) accreditation, which will give you the opportunity to gain Graduate and/or Chartered Membership of the Society.