Media Studies research overview
The Media Studies department’s research covers a wide range of disciplines concerned with the central importance of media in all facets of contemporary society. We cover a diverse range of established research topics, such as film, radio and television studies, gender and media, political economy, creative industries, cultural and media history, the politics of race and journalism. We are also committed to researching contemporary, trending and emerging topics, such as interactive art installations, social media platforms, the mediated city, digital writing and posthumanism.
We have a strong focus on researching the social implications of the newest dimensions of digital media, in particular labour practices, journalism, city life, consumer culture, politics and social debate. At the same time, we also concentrate on the past, with expertise in researching the histories of media and cultural practices.
The department is committed to practice-based research with creative projects in interactive digital media as well as in film and TV production.
Our internationally recognised researchers publish extensively in both academic and popular contexts – see below and individual pages for examples of recent publications. In addition to this, we have strong connections with the Irish media industry, the MU Social Sciences Institute and the MU Humanities Institute, as well as the global academic community.
Our undergraduate and graduate students benefit from a rich research environment and from the global academic connections developed and maintained by our lecturers. We maintain an excellent research output and remain at the forefront of both Irish and global media research.
We welcome any queries from potential graduate students and research collaborators. A range of doctoral projects and masters projects are supported through our MA in Critical and Creative Media.
Doctoral Candidates
Monireh Astani
Project: Adaptation for Animation: the study of adaptation, as a method of preservation and (re)presentation
Supervisors: Dr. Jeneen Naji and Dr. Anne O’Brien
Overview: the aim of my study is to propose an interdisciplinary approach to the formation of new transcultural stories and narrations of the ancient Persian epic poem Shahnameh, in order to critically analyse the interplay between adaptation and cultural appropriation within the field of Animation studies and practices.
Tugce Bidav
Project: Creative Digital Labour Practices of Irish and Turkish YouTubers
Supervisors: Dr Kylie Jarrett & Dr Sarah Arnold
Overview: drawing on Turkish and Irish YouTubers’ experiences, the effects of multi-channel networks on their digital video production, and relations between YouTubers and their subscribers, my study explores creative digital labour on YouTube. Focusing on periphery countries with a comparative approach, rather than dominant digital labour practices in core countries, my study will produce a richer understanding about shifting labour trends with the emergence of platform economies.
Meredith Dabek
Project: Reading Digital Narratives in Convergence Culture: "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" as Cybertext
Supervisor: Dr. Jeneen Naji
Overview: my research project explores the influence of interactivity and participation in digital narratives. Using The Lizzie Bennet Diaries as a case study, my research examines the reader experience of such stories and seeks to determine if interactive and participatory elements can encourage readers to engage with the story on a deeper level, by allowing them to feel as if they are a part of the story.
Kira Hussing
Project: Motherhood in Contemporary German and Irish Cinema since 1990
Supervisors: Dr. Valerie Heffernan (German Department) and Dr. Denis Condon (Media Department)
Overview: I am a PhD candidate and Irish Research Scholar in the Media and German Studies department at Maynooth University. My research is focused on the representation of motherhood in contemporary Irish and German film. My interdisciplinary project specifically presents alternative depictions on motherhood, such as maternal regret and single motherhood. I currently hold a B.A. in Film Studies and an M.A. in Media Dramaturgy from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.
Paraic Kerrigan
Project: Queering in the Years: Gay Visibility in Irish Media, 1974-2008
Supervisors: Professor Maria Pramaggiore and Dr. Stephanie Rains
Overview: my dissertation analyses the history of LGBT media representation in Ireland over this period from 1974 to 2008. The project is one of the first queer interventions in Irish Media Studies. The thesis argues that LGBT activists originally deployed media visibility for the liberatory potential of advancing LGBT rights. However, mainstream media institutions exploited queer identities for economic purposes; that, coupled with the eruption of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, disrupted the mainstreaming goals of queer visibility. This resulted in queer visibility becoming caught up in a shifting power dynamic between Ireland’s queer community and media institutions. This dissertation explores the development of these shifting dynamics, along with the transformation of queer visibility during this time of significant social change for Ireland's LGBT community.
Katrina Stovold
Project: Building Diversity and Inclusion into Animation Production
Supervisors: Dr. Sarah Arnold and Dr. Anne O'Brien
Overview: I'm researching how changes in policy and practice have either succeeded or failed to enable progress in diversity in animation production. I'll be comparing institutions in the UK, Ireland, and the US. My project is built on a framework of gender in cultural studies, but allows for more intersectional aspects of diversity. I have a background in visual effects and an M.A. in Digital Arts and Humanities from University College Cork. My personal M.A. research and academic blog can be found at http://suddenonset.eu/.