[Air-L] new degree program

[Matthew Allen]

Curtin University has been running a BA (Internet Communications) program since 2001, first with the title BA (Internet Studies).

We have a strong record of employability and focus on cleverly combining skills which lead to first employment, but with deeper concepts and ideas drawn from history, media, sociology, political science and so on. 

Our student enrolments have spiked significantly in the past three years, partly because of the fact we teach fully online.

Four things which work:

1) the word media or communications is probably a key selling point  'studies' didn't cut it; indeed we have a shortened major as part of a BA (Mass Communication) called 'web media' which also sells well

2) practical, hands-on work is vital - not without ideas, critique and and so on, but as a complement. The focus is on creativity - blogging, web media production, curation projects, connecting the 'inherent' network sensibilities of people with their more professional context.

3) the selling point is also what you can do along with the major - students with us tend to do a double major or equivalent in digital design, or in marketing / public relations. So, the Internet communications major is the central point, but there's flexibility. This may vary though depending on expectation, culture, degree rules etc.

4) Coherence between individual courses (units in Australia) - so the four second year units build on first year; the third year units push further beyond second year and there's a clear link between them.

Hope that helps - and http://netstudies.curtin.edu.au has the details

Cheers
Matt

Professor Matthew Allen
Head of Department, Internet Studies
School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts
Curtin University of Technology, CRICOS 00301J Australia
+61 8 92663511 (v) +61 8 9266 3166 (f)


________________________________________
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org [air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] on behalf of Michael Baron [webbaron at gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 28 February 2012 3:49 PM
To: Catherine Brooks
Cc: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: Re: [Air-L] new degree program

Hi, Cathrine

I think the issue of employerbility of the Internet studies graduates is a
very interesting one.  There are already plenty of unemployed sociologists
(who fail to secure a uni or research job). However, there appears to be a
significant demand for specialists skilled in:
Internet Marketing, Integrated communications, managing online business
ventures, developing business blogs etc.

cheers,
Michael

On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 3:41 PM, Catherine Brooks <cbrooks4 at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Hello! I am developing a new undergraduate program that focuses on the
> interdisciplinary study of an "eSociety." My list of targeted areas of
> study are below, but I am thinking about the demand for such a degree
> program. Put simply, can you help me think about why we need to train
> students to live in this digital age? What is the demand for such a new
> degree program? This is tough to talk about given that we don't know what
> "jobs" students will end up getting or what kinds of new careers will be
> out there... To develop a new degree program, we have to talk in terms of
> what jobs and skills students will have. I haven't much more than my own
> intuition. Any thoughts out there on jobs or outcomes for student training?
>
> I know this is a list of "researchers," but why does our work need to be
> translated to a student population who need 'job preparation?'
>
> Catherine
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >________________________________
> > From: "Deller, Ruth A" <R.A.Deller at shu.ac.uk>
> >To: "'air-l at listserv.aoir.org'" <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> >Sent: Monday, February 27, 2012 6:31 AM
> >Subject: [Air-L] Work with young people
> >
> >I'm wondering what people's recent experiences have been in terms of
> working with young people online - particularly around issues of ethics
> (e.g. anonymity, consent).  I'm about to start researching an online fan
> community that is not teen-only but does have a large number of teen
> members, many of whom are involved in 'high' levels within the fandom (e.g.
> moderating forums, running popular blogs).  I know, like with all teens
> online, that for some of them their parents are fully aware of their
> participation, whilst for others their parents don't have a clue what they
> get up to!
> >
> >The research (planned to be a wide-scale anonymous survey initially, with
> follow-up in-depth interviews and participant observation with a smaller
> number of participants) could exclude the teens altogether, or I could just
> involve them in the survey rather than the follow-up, but as they are a
> crucial part of the community I'm looking at it would be a shame not to
> involve them purely because it was ethically 'difficult'.
> >
> >Ruth
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
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--
Dr. Michael Baron
CEO, Baron Consulting
Website: www.baronconsulting.info
"My Body is my Temple"
"Be The Change You Want to See In The World." Gandhi
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