8.+What+is+MCM?

Master of Convergent Media is a year full time Master degree in Convergent Media at the University of Western Sydney.
 * My Masters – MCM **

When I arrived back to Australia in 2007 I was determined not to be idle and researched a course that was innovative, focused on new media and was a pioneer in education. When I discovered MCM at UWS it ticked all the boxes. It respected traditional media but focused on the future of media which was the convergence of traditional and new and how best to optimise the interactivity of both. I started MCM in 2008 as one of the first students and my journey has been enlightening, sometimes confusedand but mostly inspirational. This Wiki is a snap shot of part of that journey, my Internship, of which I hope to continue to expand and evolve.

Always exploring innovation.. a continuous life journey..

I thought I would give you some further details about the course in case you are interested. Definitely a challenge and worth everything you put into it. ...............................................................................................................................................** Master of Convergent Media ** http://yourfuture.uws.edu.au/postgraduate_study/comm_design/convergent_media Creative producers need to design content across all platforms, while user-generated content is being used as an interactive tool to generate a dialogue with audiences. The School of Communication Arts is offering the Master of convergent Media and Graduate Diploma in Convergent Media encouraging students to explore the social, cultural and technological impact of new technologies on audience and consumers. If you want to refresh and renew your skills in emerging media technologies you will want to know more about this course. The MCM offers the environment for you to develop new digital content and explore programming genres.

The MCM is designed to assist you to effectively navigate through this new environment and provide you with options for industry internships. The convergent’ media future focuses on engaging audience dialogues through ITP, TV, broadband, and pod/vod casting. Industry terminology reflects these changes, with the term convergent media now used to describe the multi-platform integrated environment. 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time Penrith Campus Course Structure ** Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 80 credit points including the units listed in the recommended sequence. The MCM program is presented through a series of seminars by industry professionals and academic staff from the areas of media production, animation, scriptwriting, media and audience theory, advertising and professional communication. Working with professionally oriented staff, you will be guided through practical project pitches and/or corporate communication briefs. In the project units you will develop a professional pitch and pilot in the production format of your choosing – television, web, pod/vod cast, mobiletv and will receive critical feedback from leading industry professionals. You can also choose to trial a project through an internship placement at Television Sydney (TVS) or a media/marketing organisation. The School of Communication Arts offers superior academic and production resources with a recent refurbishment of its studio, broadcast facilities, streaming server and a new live outside broadcast remote facility. How to Apply ** All domestic applications for entry to UWS postgraduate courses must be made through the [|Universities Admissions Centre] (UAC). Step by step instructions are available on [|How to Apply] pages. Admission Requirements ** Any undergraduate degree from a recognised University or equivalent.
 * Duration **
 * Location **
 * Facilities **

Semester 1 ** The introduction of broadband, internet and mobile media have transformed audiences from passive consumers to creative consumer/producers of media content. They have enriched the media experiences of audiences by facilitating the creative use of collective intelligence and social networking while increasing levels of surveillance and diminishing personal privacy. This unit explores the uneasy fit between creative and mobile audiences, new media arts practice, global commercial significance of media arts and new media audiences today in terms of the theoretical and policy issues, and interrogates questions raised by increased access and mobility. It includes case studies of existing and emerging new media forms such as those found at YouTube, MySpace, Flickr and other mass user sites and examines the social impact and ethical issues raised by these developments. The unit is organized into three modules: Global Media Trends; The Network Society; and Key Policy Debates. This unit offers each student the opportunity to develop a detailed media project proposal to the proof of concept/pilot stage in response to a chosen set "live" brief. Projects may be for television, online delivery or cross platform delivery. The project proposal will cover background research, precedent and case studies, specification/treatment, pilot and pitch to industry professionals. The objective is to provide a detailed specification for the major media project production unit that follows. This professionally oriented internship consists of two components - work internship placement with Television Sydney (TVS) or a corporate media or community communications division of an organization. The focus on the internship is to research audience/community liaison and the cross media marketing plans of the organisation. During the placement students will develop a practical audience-oriented research project based on a specific agency or community group. The project could form the research stage of a project to be developed in other units of the course. These agencies may include UWS research centres, and educational and community and cultural agencies within Sydney, corporate organisations or off-shore, as agreed. Students research and develop a multiplatform project concept specifically targeted at a selected audience, with an understanding of television media markets. This unit is designed to introduce students to the basics of reporting for television news and information programs. Students will analyse the kinds of stories commonly covered by television news and information programs and undertake their own projects. Students will also analyse he construction and function of television news and information programs within the broader media environment. Students will prepare prepackaged material and also present reports or 'location hostings' from outside the studio to be linked back to central control. Semester 2 ** In the field of media and communication studies citizens have been largely ignored as producers of media. This unit provides an introduction to community media practices and contexts and provides an in-depth examination of contemporary community media production. In the last ten years there has been an exponential growth in research and interest on 'community media', 'alternative media', 'radical communication', 'small media', 'autonomous media', 'participatory media' and 'tactical media' and therefore this unit looks at a range of representational exemplars of community media from public access television to blogging. Case studies are chosen from Australian and international contexts leading to a better understanding of best practices in community media content production. It investigates the traditional and new media interventions of some communities, identifying how they have used the media and media production strategies to challenge dominant media structures, foster social change and cultural revitalization, preserve and re-invent values, attitudes and stories and ultimately, provide spaces for alternative media production and community building. This unit offers an individual, or group of, student(s) the opportunity to develop, produce and evaluate a Media Project developed in the media project proposal unit. The project production will cover implementation and evaluation issues relevant to media products. The outcome is intended to be a significant media product. This professionally oriented internship consists of two components - work internship placement with Television Sydney (TVS) or a corporate media or community communications division of an organization. The focus on the internship is to research audience/community liaison and the cross media marketing plans of the organisation. During the placement students will develop a practical audience-oriented research project based on a specific agency or community group. The project could form the research stage of a project to be developed in other units of the course. These agencies may include UWS research centres, and educational and community and cultural agencies within Sydney, corporate organisations or off-shore, as agreed. Students research and develop a multiplatform project concept specifically targeted at a selected audience, with an understanding of television media markets. This unit is designed to introduce students to the basics of reporting for television news and information programs. Students will analyse the kinds of stories commonly covered by television news and information programs and undertake their own projects. Students will also analyse the construction and function of television news and information programs within the broader media environment. Students will prepare prepackaged material and also present reports or 'location hostings' from outside the studio to be linked back to central control. Part-Time ** This unit offers each student the opportunity to develop a detailed media project proposal to the proof of concept/pilot stage in response to a chosen set "live" brief. Projects may be for television, online delivery or cross platform delivery. The project proposal will cover background research, precedent and case studies, specification/treatment, pilot and pitch to industry professionals. The objective is to provide a detailed specification for the major media project production unit that follows. This unit offers an individual, or group of, student(s) the opportunity to develop, produce and evaluate a Media Project developed in the media project proposal unit. The project production will cover implementation and evaluation issues relevant to media products. The outcome is intended to be a significant media product. All other units listed above may be taken in any session, depending on unit offerings. .............................................................................................................................. This professionally oriented unit consists of a work internship placement with a corporate media or community communications division of an organisation. These agencies may include UWS research centres, and educational and community and cultural agencies within Sydney, corporate organisations or off-shore, as agreed. The focus of the internship is to research audience/community liaison and the cross media production and/or marketing plans of the organisation. During the placement students will develop a wiki to capture and manage ideas about professional development, industry trends, good professional links, case studies and the like. The wiki should reflect their choice of internship which in turn reflects the desired professional development direction. After the placement students will lead a class discussion using the wiki to evaluate their findings regarding audience, script development and market positioning. **Objectives:** At the completion of this unit, students will demonstrate · Competence in the conceptual and content planning stages of a media project · Competence in the prototype/pilot stages of a media project **Student Workload:** 
 * Recommended Sequence **
 * Full-time **
 * Media Contexts: Audience and Trends **
 * Media Project Proposal **
 * Choose one of: **
 * Convergent Media Internship **
 * Live Links: Scripting, Interviewing and Presenting **
 * Media Contexts: Community **
 * Media Production **
 * Choose one of: **
 * Convergent Media Internship **
 * Live Links: Scripting, Interviewing and Presenting **
 * Media Project Proposal **
 * Must be completed before Media Production **
 * Convergent Media Internship - 101426 - greater details **
 * Advanced competency in research skills which focus on audience analysis and cross media marketing plans
 * Content:**
 * Advanced skills in self -directed learning
 * Industry placement
 * Negotiation of Individual Learning Contract
 * Development of a wiki orientated towards professional development
 * Industry and market specific research
 * 40 hours internship
 * Weekly consultations with lecturers
 * Outline attached:** [[file:MInternship_09_3 Outline.doc]]