Westminster University Journalism Department
Encyclopedia
The Department of Journalism and Mass Communications is the media department of the University of Westminster
. Based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise
, Times Higher Education ranked Westminster as second in the "Communication, cultural and media studies" unit of assessment. Its media research was previously awarded a 5 rating in each of the three past Research Assessment Exercises, in 1992, 1996 and 2001.
The Department's facilities resources include a multimedia newsroom, professional standard TV and radio studios, and edit suites with the latest production software. According to the British newspaper
The Independent
"Westminster boasts the oldest media studies BA in the country, and has cutting-edge facilities and top academics".
The Department is based at the Harrow
Campus of the University of Westminster. The Director of the Department is Dr Peter Goodwin and the Dean of the School of Media, Arts and Design is Sally Feldman.
began as one of Britain's first polytechnic institutes with its purpose to demonstrate new technologies and inventions to the public. In 1839, the Polytechnic became the first institution in London to demonstrate the new invention of photography and in 1841 the first photographic studio in Europe was opened at its headquarters at 309 Regent Street.
The Polytechnic became a centre for the development and study of photography, branching out into related fields such as film, television, graphic design, magazine and newspaper journalism, broadcast journalism and, most recently, digital and online journalism.
In the 1970s it inaugurated the UK's first degree in Media Studies
, adopting a critical and theoretical approach to journalism. This pioneering initiative has since been copied around the world.
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
. Based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...
, Times Higher Education ranked Westminster as second in the "Communication, cultural and media studies" unit of assessment. Its media research was previously awarded a 5 rating in each of the three past Research Assessment Exercises, in 1992, 1996 and 2001.
The Department's facilities resources include a multimedia newsroom, professional standard TV and radio studios, and edit suites with the latest production software. According to the British newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
"Westminster boasts the oldest media studies BA in the country, and has cutting-edge facilities and top academics".
The Department is based at the Harrow
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
Campus of the University of Westminster. The Director of the Department is Dr Peter Goodwin and the Dean of the School of Media, Arts and Design is Sally Feldman.
History
The University of WestminsterUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
began as one of Britain's first polytechnic institutes with its purpose to demonstrate new technologies and inventions to the public. In 1839, the Polytechnic became the first institution in London to demonstrate the new invention of photography and in 1841 the first photographic studio in Europe was opened at its headquarters at 309 Regent Street.
The Polytechnic became a centre for the development and study of photography, branching out into related fields such as film, television, graphic design, magazine and newspaper journalism, broadcast journalism and, most recently, digital and online journalism.
In the 1970s it inaugurated the UK's first degree in Media Studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
, adopting a critical and theoretical approach to journalism. This pioneering initiative has since been copied around the world.
Senior faculty
- Professor Colin Sparks
- Professor Hugo DeBurgh
- Professor Nicholas GarnhamNicholas GarnhamNicholas Garnham is Emeritus Professor at the University of Westminster in the academic field of Media Studies. Garnham attended Winchester College from 1950 to 1955 where the major influence on his thinking was British socialist historian R.H.Tawney...
- Sally Feldman, Dean of School
See also
- Broadcast Journalism Training CouncilBroadcast Journalism Training CouncilThe Broadcast Journalism Training Council is an industry-led body offering accreditation to courses for aspiring journalists.-History:In the late 1970s, the National Union of Journalists was pushing for a more structured approach to training for broadcast...
- National Council for the Training of JournalistsNational Council for the Training of JournalistsThe National Council for the Training of Journalists was founded in 1951 as an organisation to oversee the training of journalists for the newspaper industry in the United Kingdom and is now playing a role in the wider media.-Purpose:...
- Periodicals Training Council