International M.A. in New Media and Digital Culture ­at the University of 
Amsterdam

Call for Applications for­ fall 2016, rolling admissions are open

One-year and two-year New Media M.A. Programs available. For the two-year 
"Research Master's Program: New Media Specialisation," see below.

### International M.A. in New Media & Digital Culture (one-year program) ###

/// Overview
The MA Program in media studies New Media and Digital Culture offers a 
comprehensive and critical approach to new media research, practices and 
theory. It builds upon the pioneering new media scene that Amsterdam is known 
for, with an emphasis on the study of Internet culture. The University of 
Amsterdam has been ranked among the top 10 universities worldwide for studying 
Media and Communication by the QS World University Rankings 
<http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2014/communication-media-studies#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=>.
 In this one year Master students gain an in-depth knowledge in new media 
theory, including perspectives such as software studies, political economy, 
media history and other critical traditions, and applied to such topics as 
social media, data cultures, and locative devices, whilst exploring what is 
actually ‘new’ in new media. Key component is the emerging area of digital 
methods, an ensemble of internet research approaches and techniques that work 
with web data and study natively digital objects. Additionally, students can 
choose to train in the areas of issue mapping, creative industries, digital 
writing and publishing, and social media research. The MA program combines a 
variety of teaching formats, ranging from lectures and group projects to lab 
sessions and creative projects. Students produce a wide portfolio of work, 
including theoretically engaged essays, empirical research projects, new media 
experiments, blog entries, in addition to organizing symposia. The program 
thereby enables students to contribute to timely discourses on digital culture, 
to conduct innovative research projects, and to critically engage in new media 
practices. 

Students maintain a new media issues blog, http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl 
<http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/>, recognized as among the leading academic 
blogs on the subject of digital culture, where they critique and discuss books, 
events, and emergent digital objects. Students also get involved in a lively 
new media culture, both at the university, where internationally renowned 
speakers present their work and collaborative research projects are developed, 
and beyond. Cultural institutions, such as the Waag Society, the Balie Center 
for Culture and Politics, and Mediamatic regularly host inspiring events. The 
Institute of Network Cultures, initiators of such events as UnlikeUs, MoneyLab, 
Society of the Query, MyCreativity, and Video Vortex, regularly collaborates 
with the program. Digital media practitioners, such as Appsterdam, various 
Fablabs, and hacker festivals regularly open their doors to interested 
audiences and students are invited to blog at new media festivals like Impakt 
or Cinekid.


/// Curriculum
The New Media and Digital Culture program is a one year MA (60 EC) that begins 
in early September and ends with a festive graduation ceremony at the end of 
August. It is divided into two semesters:

First Semester (September - January)
In the first semester all students follow new media core courses which focus on 
practices, methods and theories. Students learn how to research digital media 
and how to use digital media for research. The New Media Research Practices 
course engages students in recent methodological debates around big data, 
realtime research, working with web data. Students conduct experimental new 
media projects, run a wiki wiki.digitalmethods.net/MoM/ 
<https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/MoM/> and the Masters of Media blog 
mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl <http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/>. 

The New Media Research Methods unit, taught by Prof. Richard Rogers, trains 
students in digital methods research, a set of novel techniques and a 
methodological outlook for social and cultural research with the web (see 
www.digitalmethods.net <http://www.digitalmethods.net/>). Students use 
“natively” digital methods to investigate state Internet censorship, search 
engine rankings, website histories, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, and other web 
platforms by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data through various 
analytical techniques. They participate in a Data Sprint which is part of the 
international Digital Methods Winter School.

New Media Theories introduces students to major theoretical frameworks in new 
media studies, including cybernetics, software studies, digital labor theories, 
network criticism, media ecology, and cognitive/communicative capitalism. An 
important aspect involves reading influential texts on media forms and digital 
networked technologies, addressing key thinkers such as Marshall McLuhan, 
Norbert Wiener, Vilem Flusser, Friedrich Kittler, Alexander R. Galloway, N. 
Katherine Hayles, Matthew Fuller, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, and Jodi Dean. Students 
engage with theories through creative and reflexive assignments, including a 
symposium presentation.

Second Semester (February - June)
In the second semester, students have the opportunity to further specialize by 
following electives and conducting their MA thesis. In the last years electives 
offered contained courses on issue mapping for politics, social media & 
creative industries, radical publishing, digital activism and other courses 
offered outside of new media (electives may change each academic year). Digital 
Issue Mapping for Politics is concerned with mapping online discourse, and is a 
member of the international network of mapping courses following, amongst 
others, Bruno Latour's methods. Social Media and Creative Industries explores 
the role of social media in the creative industries. 

The program of study concludes with the MA thesis, an original analysis that 
makes a contribution to the field, undertaken with the close mentorship of a 
faculty supervisor. The graduation ceremony includes an international symposium 
with renowned speakers.

/// Career perspectives
Graduates in New Media and Digital Culture will have gained the critical 
faculties, skills, and outlook that will enable them to pursue a career in 
research as well as in the public and private sectors, ranging from NGOs, 
government, and cultural institutions to online marketing, software 
development, startups and the growing field of creative industries. Various 
alumni have also started their own successful new media business. As the 
exposure to the internet, social media and related technologies continues to 
grow, new media researchers are in demand in a variety of sectors. With digital 
technologies becoming the preferred platforms for business, information 
exchange, cultural expression, and political struggle, research skills focusing 
on these complex and dynamic environments are becoming central to working in 
these fields. Further areas of occupation include journalism, digital 
analytics, project and community management. Many alumni also pursued a 
research oriented career, either within organisations or in academia, by 
continuing with a PhD program. Past and present staff of the new media team, 
including Anne Helmond, Esther Weltevrede, and Natalia Sanchez, are alumni of 
the MA in New Media and Digital Culture or have followed the Media Studies 
Research Master.

/// Student Life
The quality-of-living in Amsterdam ranks among the highest of international 
capitals. UvA's competitive tuition and the frequency of spoken English both on 
and off-campus make the program especially accommodating for foreign students. 
The city's many venues, festivals, and other events provide remarkably rich 
cultural offerings and displays of technological innovation. The program has 
many ties to cultural institutions and companies active in the new media 
sector, where internship opportunities and collaborations may be available, in 
consultation with the student's thesis supervisor. Students attend and blog, 
tweet or otherwise capture local new media events and festivals, while 
commenting as well on larger international issues and trends pertaining to new 
media. The quality of student life is equally to be found in the university's 
lively and varied intellectual climate. New Media and Digital Culture students 
come from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and across Europe; 
they draw from academic and professional backgrounds including journalism, art 
and design, marketing, computing, the humanities, politics and the social 
sciences.

/// Application and Deadlines
Rolling admissions from mid November 2015 to spring 2016 for fall 2016 
admission. The final deadlines will be communicated on the Graduate School 
website shortly: 
http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/application/application-deadlines/application-deadlines-2016-2017.html
 
<http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/application/application-deadlines/application-deadlines-2016-2017.html>
 

More Info & Questions
- Applications, entry requirements, scholarships & fees: 
http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/programmes/item/new-media-and-digital-culture.html
 
<http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/programmes/item/new-media-and-digital-culture.html>.
 
- Student information website - http://student.uva.nl/mnm/ 
<http://student.uva.nl/mnm/>
- Further questions regarding admission & applications? Please write to UvA's 
Graduate School of the Humanities, graduateschoolhumanities-fgw[at]uva.nl 
http://gsh.uva.nl/contact <http://gsh.uva.nl/contact> 
- Specific questions about the curriculum? Please write to Dr. Carolin Gerlitz, 
New Media Program Coordinator, University of Amsterdam, c.gerlitz[at]uva.nl

### Research Master's in Media Studies, New Media Specialization (two-year 
program) ###

/// Overview
The New Media Research Master is a specialization within the Media Studies 
Research Master's Degree Program, and focuses on the theoretical, artistic, 
practical and methodological study of digital culture. The University of 
Amsterdam has been ranked among the top 10 universities worldwide for studying 
Media and Communication by the QS World University Rankings 
<http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2014/communication-media-studies#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=>.
 The intensive and selective two year program has been developed for students 
with proven ability in, and passion for, research. The New Media Research 
Master has two 'routes,' the theoretical aesthetic and the practical empirical 
ones. In the theoretical aesthetic route, students focus on contemporary media 
theory and critical media art. The other route is the practical empirical, 
which is the other specialty of new media research in Amsterdam: digital 
methods and issue mapping. Students also may combine coursework from each of 
the two routes, putting together a course package that treats aesthetics and 
visualization, on the one hand, or media art and digital methods, on the other. 

As a crucial component of the Amsterdam New Media Research Program, the New 
Media Research Master encourages fieldwork, studying abroad, and lab work, 
which can also provide materials for the thesis. In undertaking fieldwork, 
students are given the opportunity to spend a period abroad for structured data 
collection and study, doing either a 'research internship' or an independent 
project, supervised by a staff member. For example, in the past students have 
studied ICTs for development in Africa, and electronics factories in China. The 
lab work can result in a research project that combines web data collection, 
tool use and development as well as visualisation. It often addresses a 
contemporary issue, such as NSA Leaks or international protests, and brings 
together a group of researchers in a data sprint, hackathon or barcamp, 
intensively working to output new infographics, blog postings and research 
reports which contribute to international new media debates.

Outstanding New Media research master graduates are expected to compete 
favorably for PhD positions nationally and internationally, and have gained 
skill sets which enable new media research in scholarly and professional 
settings. 

The New Media Research Master Specialization has as its target 15 students 
annually. 

/// Curriculum
- Year one
1st Semester: students follow the core courses of the MA New Media & Digital 
Culture, which provide in-depth training in Internet critique and empirical 
analysis of the web addressing practices, theories and methods. The core 
courses cover an introduction to searching & collecting, key communities & 
journals in the field, blogging, working with data, and relevant methodological 
debates in new media research. Building on these skills, students are trained 
in Digital Research Methods with Prof. Richard Rogers and learn how to collect, 
analyse and visualise web data. Concurrently students take New Media Theories 
classes, which introduce students to some of the major theoretical traditions 
in new media, including perspectives such as software studies, political 
economy, media ecologies, and other critical traditions (For more details on 
these courses, see the one-year MA description above). 

2nd Semester: the students follow the research master core course Media & 
Politics, which places both historically crucial and contemporary political 
manifestos in relation to media analyses, encouraging a consideration of 
concepts such as labour, spectacle, the machine, identity and affect. Students 
also have an elective, and may choose between the electives of the one year 
program, attending Winter or Summer Schools, or tutorials specifically offered 
for the Research MA (For more details on theme seminars, see the one-year MA 
description above). 

- Year two
1st Semester: students follow the research master core course Comparative Media 
Studies or may pursue a "research internship" or a study abroad program with 
partner universities. They may undertake fieldwork for a research project, or 
join a digital methods lab project. Students also may follow an elective course 
or tutorial, taken from the broader offerings of the faculty of the humanities.

2nd Semester: students follow an elective course and also write the thesis, 
which is expected to be original and make a contribution to a discourse in the 
field. The research master's degree program concludes with a thesis conference 
and a festive graduation.


/// Application and Deadlines
Rolling admissions from mid November 2015 to spring 2016 for fall 2016 
admission. The final deadlines will be communicated on the Graduate School 
website shortly: 
http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/application/application-deadlines/application-deadlines-2016-2017.html
 
<http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/application/application-deadlines/application-deadlines-2016-2017.html>
 

More Info & Questions
- International Research M.A. in Media Studies - University of Amsterdam - 
http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/programmes/item/media-studies-research.html 
<http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/programmes/item/media-studies-research.html> 
for details, including fees. When applying, indicate that your application is 
for the "New Media Specialization."
- Student information website - http://student.uva.nl/mmic/ 
<http://student.uva.nl/mmic/>
- Further questions regarding admission & applications? Please write to UvA's 
Graduate School of the Humanities, graduateschoolhumanities-fgw[at]uva.nl 
http://gsh.uva.nl/contact <http://gsh.uva.nl/contact> 
- Specific questions about curriculum and student life? Please write to Dr. 
Bernhard Rieder, Media Studies Research Master Coordinator, University of 
Amsterdam, b.rieder[at]uva.nl


### New Media M.A. Faculty - University of Amsterdam ### 
Richard Rogers, Professor and Chair. Web epistemology, digital methods. 
Publications include Information Politics on the Web (MIT Press, 2004/2005), 
awarded American Society for Information Science and Technology's 2005 Best 
Information Science Book of the Year Award, and Digital Methods (MIT Press, 
2013). Founding director of govcom.org <http://govcom.org/> and 
digitalmethods.net <http://digitalmethods.net/>.

Bernhard Rieder, Associate Professor. Digital Methods, software theory and 
politics. Current research interests include search engine politics and the 
mechanization of knowledge production. http://thepoliticsofsystems.net 
<http://thepoliticsofsystems.net/>
Jan Simons, Associate Professor. Mobile Culture, gaming, film theory. 
Publications include Playing The Waves: Lars von Trier's Game Cinema (AUP, 
2007). Project Director, Mobile Learning Game Kit, Senior Member, Digital Games 
research group. http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/j.a.a.simons/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/j.a.a.simons/>
Carolin Gerlitz, Assistant Professor. Digital research, software/platform 
studies, social media, economic sociology, topology, numeracy, value and 
valuation, brands, and issue mapping online. 
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/c.gerlitz/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/c.gerlitz/>
Niels van Doorn. Assistant Professor. Materialization of gender, sexuality, and 
embodiment in digital spaces. http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/n.a.j.m.vandoorn/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/n.a.j.m.vandoorn/>
Thomas Poell. Assistant Professor. Social media and the transformation of 
activist communication in different parts of the world. 
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/t.poell/ <http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/t.poell/>
Anne Helmond, Assistant Professor. Digital methods, software studies, platform 
studies, social media and data flows between web platforms. 
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/a.p.helmond/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/a.p.helmond/> 

Stefania Milan, Assistant Professor. Technology & society, digital activism, 
politics of big data, alternative publishing. https://stefaniamilan.net 
<https://stefaniamilan.net/> 

Erik Borra, Lecturer. Data science, digital methods, issue mapping online. 
Digital methods lead developer. http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/e.k.borra/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/e.k.borra/>
Esther Weltevrede, Lecturer. Controversy mapping with the Web, temporalities 
and dynamics online, device studies. 
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/e.j.t.weltevrede/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/e.j.t.weltevrede/>
Marc Tuters, Lecturer. New media literary forms, avant-garde media history, 
locative media. http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/m.d.tuters/ 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/m.d.tuters/> 

Natalia Sanchez, Lecturer. Issue mapping, memory, suffering, emotions and body 
sensations.
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/n.sanchezquerubin 
<http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/n.sanchezquerubin> 


Dr. Carolin Gerlitz
Assistant Professor in New Media
Program Director MA New Media & Digital Culture

University of Amsterdam
Turfdraagsterpad 9
1012 XT Amsterdam

[email protected]
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/c.gerlitz/

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