The internet plays an increasingly important role in all aspects of social, cultural and economic life. This unit of study explores cultures and governance of the online world and investigates how politics manifest not only in public debates and policy, but also in the struggle to develop new information architectures and digital ecosystems.

Networked mobile devices and computer games are increasingly prominent in today's mediascapes, supporting practices of individualised mobility and play. This unit of study critically examines the aesthetics, politics and everyday uses of these emerging cultural technologies. It draws on new media studies, game studies and platform studies to explore themes such as the complication of leisure and work spaces, new media industries, gamification, playbour and mobile social media.

Media audiences are experiencing knowledge, art and entertainment in novel ways as cultural industries increasingly take up emerging technologies. New Media Audiences investigates the range of contemporary practices of production, distribution and consumption associated with digital tools. We examine the sites where audiences experience digital media: art galleries, cinemas, theatres, homes, mobile devices, public spaces, workplaces and online. We analyse how these spaces and interfaces structure audience experience, afford interaction and encourage participation.

Digital media technologies are increasingly central to culture, society and everyday life. They mediate individual experience and reconfigure communities. They structure work, play and social interaction. This unit explores the role of digital media in visuality, feelings, identities, power relations, activist practices, mobilities and algorithmic cultures. Students are equipped with tools for researching digital sociality to design a research project using ethnographic and/or text-mining methods.

This unit requires students to commence the conduct of their own research projects under the supervision of a member of staff and write a dissertation of 12000 words (completed in the second semester of enrolment in MECO6905). In some cases these projects will give students the opportunity to extend lines of enquiry suggested by units of study already completed for the degree. In other cases, students may have an interest in an area not covered by the coursework programs offered during their candidature that can be developed as a supervised project.

This unit requires completion of a dissertation of 12000 words, begun in the previous semester. Together with MECO6904, the unit allows students to conduct their own research projects under the supervision of a member of staff.

This capstone unit of study offers Master degree students in the Department of Media and Communications (MECO) 20 days (140 hours) work experience in roles relating to their degree. Internships require critical reflection on professional practice and foster skills, knowledge and experience that enhance employment prospects. Placements may include reporting, editing, producing, designing, researching, publishing, public and media relations, campaigns, and other tasks. Available to MECO Master students only, following the completion of at least two core units of study.

This capstone unit is designed for students' final semester of study, providing them with the opportunity to apply learning from their degree to the completion of a researched project relevant to their career goals. Working with the coordinator, students choose an academic essay, industry report, media campaign or journalism project. Learning is supported by training in literature reviewing and data collection, research methods, project planning and independent consultations.

This is a project-based capstone unit focusing on specific publication and project outcomes. It builds on knowledge, techniques, professionalism and skills acquired by students who have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite units, and further opportunity to enhance that knowledge, and practice those skills. Students will produce a substantial factual audio/video media project and experience many facets of production and problem solving encountered in delivering a major media project in a convergent production environment.

The relation of film to industrial modernity is an ongoing issue for film theorists. With the advent of digital image processes and production the relation of art and industry has re-emerged with a new set of problems. How do we conceptualise the new forms? What theoretical and aesthetic language(s) do we draw on? And how best to rethink film in the face of rapid technological, formal and cultural change? These issues will be investigated via an examination of the history of film theory's attempts to formulate concepts adequate to the age of industrial modernity.

The digital revolution has created new frontiers of information that influence almost every aspect of our lives. But does cyberspace also threaten our security? What are the methods and motives for attack? And how can state and non-state actors respond? Drawing on a unique combination of expertise from the Centre for International Security Studies and the School of Information Technologies, this unit introduces students to the technical and political concepts that are necessary to answer these important questions.

This unit celebrates magazines as an important but often over-looked part of Australian print and digital culture. Starting with an overview of the history of print culture in Australia and the role of iconic magazines like the Bulletin and Women's Weekly in constructing literary and popular culture, we then examine a cross-section of publications from 'little' literary magazines to fashion, gossip, sports, special-interest, custom and online magazines.

Based on close reading of individual authors, this unit introduces students with limited background in cultural theory to key thinkers for contemporary cultural studies. Students will learn about the influence of such theoretical fields as Western Marxism, psychoanalysis and feminism on cultural studies as well as how to relate cultural research to the cross-disciplinary traditions of structuralism and post-structuralism as these have been taken up in different intellectual contexts around the world.

This unit examines cultural policy across a range of sectors such as museums and heritage, the arts, media, and the 'cultural industries'. It will provide theoretical perspectives and practical insight into policy formation processes in Australia and internationally. The multiple actors and rationales that shape policy and ground claims for its relevance amid social change and cultural diversity are considered. Students learn how to analyse policies in relation to the institutional, social and political contexts of their emergence.

This unit provides an introduction to the development of software in design and the creative industries. It teaches an understanding of the fundamentals of computational thinking, as well as skills in the design and implementation of software for creative expression. It introduces students to tools for building interactive design prototypes that express their interaction design skills through programming. It covers knowledge of programming concepts; creative coding practices; and Javascript and the p5.js library. Key concepts covered in this unit include: variables, functions, control flows, and algorithmic thinking. Students learn how to approach creative expression through the medium of code, which will allow them to incorporate programming into their own design practice as well as to collaborate effectively with software developers. This unit is a foundational core unit in the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts program.

This unit introduces students to the fundamentals of user interface design. Interface design is an important element of a human-centred design approach to the development of interactive computational systems. Students will learn about industry standard user interface design and usability principles and guidelines, based in visual design theory and visual perception. They will acquire practical knowledge through the application of tools and techniques for designing and evaluating user interfaces for a variety of different platforms. This includes (1) low-fidelity prototyping (hand sketches, wireframes, clickable prototypes); (2) usability testing and heuristics; (3) web and mobile user interfaces and/or emerging technologies. The aim is to develop appreciation of visual design principles and their impact on the user experience of interactive products. The knowledge and skills developed in this unit will equip students with the essential capabilities for working in the interaction design and user experience profession. This unit is a foundational core unit in the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts program.

This unit of study provides an overview of a human-centred approach to the design of products and systems. It introduces students to design thinking and how it can be productively applied to different design situations. The theoretical concepts, methods and tools for the key stages of interaction design are covered including user research, ideation, prototyping and user evaluation. It provides students with the principles, processes and tools for working collaboratively on design projects in studio. Students learn to build empathy with users, identify and reframe the problem space, develop value-driven design concepts and persuasively communicate design proposals with an emphasis on the user experience through visual storytelling. This unit is a foundational core unit in the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts program.

This Unit of Study introduces the students to some of the concepts, standards and techniques associated with the current professional practice in information technology in the business environment.
Students will encounter a range of concepts, techniques and professional issues including interpersonal and organisational communication, human resources and conflict resolution, globalisation, professional ethics, social impacts of IT, data security, data quality assurance, system audit, investigative research and project management practice. Practical and real world case studies will be used as part of the learning to enhance the in-class teachings to the needs of industry.

An essential skill for an IT manager is the ability to keep up-to-date with emerging technologies, and be able to evaluate the significance of these technologies to their organisation's business activities. This unit of study is based around a study of current technologies and the influence of these technologies on business strategies.
Important trends in innovation in IT are identified and their implications for innovation management explored. Major topics include: drivers of innovation; the trend to open information ("open source") rather than protected intellectual property; and distribution of innovation over many independent but collaborating actors.
On completion of this unit, students will be able to identify and analyse an emerging technology and write a detailed evaluation of the impact of this technology on existing business practices.

This unit of study covers the key components of successfully managing a wide variety of Information Technology projects. The course covers both quantitative and qualitative aspects of project management. Topics include the management of time, scope, budget, risk, quality, and resources through each of the phases of a project.

In today's globalised and multicultural societies, cross-cultural communication is common enough. Even so, it continues to be a challenge, both for people who engage in cross-cultural communication on a daily basis, and for researchers trying to describe and understand it. In this unit of study we will consider a variety of discourse-analytic approaches to studying cross-cultural communication, including conversation analysis, speech act theory, interactional sociolinguistics, the ethnography of communication, and critical discourse analysis. In our analyses of actual samples of cross-cultural communication we will pay particular attention to the social positioning of participants in an interaction, and the ways how social relationships (particularly of power and intimacy) between participants are reflected in their linguistic practices. The unit will end with exploring applied perspectives, particularly on cross-cultural communication in educational, courtroom and workplace interactions.

This core unit hones writing skills as a foundation for all forms of media production. Students are introduced to the elements of journalistic style, the processes of news, and the skills of interviewing and research. While the unit focuses on news and writing, it will be useful for any field that deals with the media, such as PR and communication management.

MECO6902 will introduce students to key legal and ethical issues relevant to journalism and the professional fields of public communication. Students will be given an introductory survey of the main ethical theories in Western thought to establish a framework within which to examine specific ethical issues that relate to media systems. They will also be introduced to the structure of Australia's legal system in comparison with other legal systems, and explore selected law, regulation and policy issues.

This core unit of study analyses corporate communication strategy selection in organisations to determine effectiveness. Students examine the strategic intent of a national or international corporation by studying its corporate communication tactics, specifically its annual reports and other marketing collateral. The unit will equip students to determine the effectiveness of the organisation's communication with stakeholders and strategic publics including customers, employees, environmental groups, governments and shareholders.

Students will develop the skills of structural editing, copyediting and proofreading, on screen and paper, across a range of content for both print and digital output. They will understand the significance of the roles of the editor and proofreader and how these roles have been affected by technological change and globalisation.

This unit introduces students to writing and reporting for online news and information services, with a focus on web, social media and mobile delivery. It is a practical unit involving writing exercises in different genres, including feature and opinion pieces. Students will also examine theoretical issues in social journalism and convergent media publishing. They will be encouraged to blog their work, developing basic skills in text, image and audio-visual production for the web, social media and mobile platforms.

International media practices teaches students to map, compare and debate the power of digital media systems around the world. Within this framework, it explores concepts of hybridity and practical examples of intercultural media practice. Students will access diverse online media and examine future professional employment options.

This unit introduces students to the systems, regulation and uses of Chinese media. Designed for all students, with or without knowledge of the Chinese language, it draws on theories and concepts of global media studies for understanding situations in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Chinese communities in other countries. Implications of media uses by the Chinese authorities, professionals, and ordinary citizens, in the context of globalized communication, are discussed with regard to a range of media, including the Internet.

Publication design focuses on the design and production of magazines and other small-scale publications in print and online form. The unit of study explores the visual language of contemporary magazines and introduces students to basic design principles. Students learn about the complex interplay of text, image and sequence occurring in magazine design through the practical experience of creating their own publication using Adobe InDesign software. The unit links creative design processes to current digital and print practice.

Social Marketing integrates marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviours that benefit individuals and communities. Examples include smoking cessation, HIV prevention and recycling. Key elements include research, theory, competition and segmentation. This unit builds students' knowledge of how social marketing can be used to facilitate behaviour change and improve social outcomes, including health, environment, economic and education programs. It will include how to design, manage and communicate social and behaviour change programs in Australia and internationally.

This unit introduces the fundamentals of strategic social media use for professional and organisational communication, media practice and cultural production. It aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to become competent, ethical social media communicators and to critically analyse social media forms, services and cultures. Students will explore online, mobile and locative platforms for interacting with audiences, publics and online communities, including professional networks.

Interviewing covers a range of styles from the performative to the investigative and is a fundamental skill for media work and much scholarly research. This unit will introduce students to interview research, design and practice for both media and academic outlets. Students will examine best practice examples of a range of interview approaches and techniques, as well as delivering a substantial interview project.

This unit will develop students' knowledge of key research methods used in media, communications and digital cultures research. Students will be introduced to a range of research techniques and methods, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods, and will have the opportunity to reflect critically on these methods through practitioner presentations and directed discussion. The assessment tasks will help students develop their skills to design and undertake a supervised research dissertation and enhance their abilities as researchers and practitioners.

This unit gives students an advanced understanding of the foundational traditions in communications, media, and digital cultures. It relates these traditions to contemporary innovations, rethinking ideas to grasp current and future media and communications forms, practices, structures, and meanings. The unit features detailed reading and analysis of key ideas, texts, thinkers, and contexts.

Podcasting is a relatively new genre of audio production, distribution and consumption with its own aesthetics and values. In this unit students will learn to produce documentary-style audio stories, learning practical skills necessary for working in radio and producing podcasts for various media industries.

Most businesses and institutions are now building online communities, from social media channels and help forums to marketplaces and research groups, in order to strategically engage their workers, audiences, consumers or publics. Community management is a critical aspect of communications, market intelligence, marketing and innovation. This unit investigates how those communities, and their offline counterparts, are scoped, fostered, facilitated, and governed to provide mutual benefit for host organisations and members. The unit will develop theoretical knowledge of community dynamics, deployment, ethics and governance approaches, and practical skills in data collection and social analytics; moderation, facilitation, and conflict management; automation and machine learning tools for managing human interaction. Students will assist in managing communities and create strategic plans for their development.

The aim of this unit of study is to equip you with a conceptual understanding and technical expertise in the use of digital effects for film and video projects. You will be introduced to the use of software programs such as Adobe After Effects to explain how moving images can be transformed over time in combination with text, masks, animation, filters, effects and sound. You will learn how to author in After Effects through an intensive series of tutorials film/video screenings and practical studio workshops. This will culminate in the production of a studio project. The project is to be developed in consultation with an academic adviser.

The aim of this unit of study is to equip you with a conceptual understanding and technical expertise in the use of digital editing for film and video projects. You will be introduced to the use of software programs such as Final Cut Pro HD to explain how edit moving images in to a project and how moving images can be transformed over time in combination with text, masks, filters, effects and sound. You will learn how to edit and master in Final Cut Pro HD through an intensive series of tutorials film/video screenings and practical studio workshops. This will culminate in the production of a studio project. The project is to be developed in consultation with an academic adviser.

This unit investigates the current use and adoption of digital media across the museum and gallery sectors internationally. It considers how museums use digital technologies to augment the visitor experience spatially, intellectually and socially by developing digitally interactive exhibitions, online engagement tools and a social media presence. Combining field trips, workshops, seminars and guest speakers, this course is an opportunity to build critical understanding of diverse applications of technology in the museum context and practical skills in the development of digital engagement programs.

This unit introduces students to key issues, debates and ethical questions in human research, enabling them to acquire knowledge and develop skills for research degrees and funding applications. It examines values and principles of research ethics, and encourages students to reflect on these in relation to research with human subjects.

This Unit will focus on media coverage of political campaigns and politics in America. It will look at the role of the media in American society in shaping debates and also the power of the American media globally. The impact of the internet on American journalism will be discussed as will the future of the media.

This unit examines theories of consumption in regards to cultural and media products and practices, with a specific focus on gender. Drawing upon a wide range of feminist media and cultural theories, we will critically analyse different forms of belonging and identity that are created through these practices. We will also pay close attention to the critiques of globalisation and consumption, theories of the 'citizen consumer' and the realities of geo-political and economic inequalities that underpin many forms of consumption.

This elective is designed for International postgraduates who are new to study in an English language university. It supports the development of study, research, and critical thinking abilities, spoken English and academic language. Knowledge acquired in this unit will strengthen written and spoken English to help meet the standards necessary for successful completion of FASS Masters by coursework degrees. It is recommended that this elective be taken during the first semester.

This elective supports development of skills in critical analysis, writing in different genres, research, presentation, and developing individual scholarly 'voice'. While valuable for all commencing postgraduates, it is of particular benefit to those returning to academia after an extended break, or for International students wishing to orient themselves to local standards of practice for academic communication. This unit is structured to have additional seminars and lectures early in the semester and fewer later in the semester so students have the opportunity to apply new skills to all their coursework. The unit is ideally taken in the first semester of study.

This unit introduces theories of professional writing with a specific focus on composing in the workplace. Students will develop abilities in analysing, writing, revising, and delivering workplace texts, both print and multimedia. By examining and discussing a range of actual workplace documents, from emails to websites, students will gain a broader understanding of the rhetorical principles and ethical responsibilities inherent in professional writing practice. They will improve their ability to negotiate the relationships, tensions, and politics that influence workplace writing contexts.

This unit introduces practical techniques for editing workplace documents for increased clarity and effectiveness. Applying theories and principles of visual rhetoric, students will learn how to improve the readability and reception of workplace texts according to audience conventions and expectations. By analysing actual workplace documents, students will develop their critical reading abilities and gain a better understanding of how to edit texts for word economy, improved design and layout, and inclusive language. Editing print texts for digital or oral presentation will also be emphasised.