Communication Research (MPhil) (PhD)

The role communication research has to play in the world is more vital than ever. Social, health and ecological crises are shaping a ‘new normal’, a situation increasingly framed as fragile and precarious. Networks, systems, and communities are being re-thought, suggesting dystopic and utopic possibilities. Communication researchers bring much-needed critical positioning to this dynamic. They mobilise new kinds of knowledge formation; exploring, probing and creating ways to open dialogues on what it means to be human in rapidly shifting environments.

Our four postgraduate researchers contributing to RCA2020 are pushing at the edges of their individual fields of study, yet they remain firmly at the apex of interdisciplinary practices. As independent researchers they draw on theories and methods from media archaeology, digital humanities, ecological studies, visual perception, reportage, and performance practices, in order to offer crucial new insights.

In addition, our graduates exhibit an acute understanding of the sensory and ephemeral nature of experiences, whether recorded as visualisations, through light and motion or via performance events. The world is changing quickly, and new thinking and making is not only essential but can map the communication landscape of the future.

Find out more about Communication Research at the RCA: www.rca.ac.uk