Crisis Contacts

In a crisis situation, please contact:

• National Crisis Textline – Text NUIG (or any message) to 50808
• University of Galway Student Counselling – email: counselling@universityofgalway.ie
• Student Health Unit – call 091 492 604 or email: healthunit@universityofgalway.ie
• Chaplaincy service – call or text 087 203 7538 (also emergency laptop loan)

How to contact us

We are here to help, and we enjoy hearing from you. However, to avoid a significant volume of unnecessary queries (especially at crunch points in the semester) we ask you to stop, think, and seek out all available information and help first. Before getting in touch do please first consult all the information in this handbook, especially by consulting all relevant sources listed above. If you have checked through all these sources of information and need further help, you should consider contacting individuals in Journalism and Media.

Contact list and About Us available at this link https://bit.ly/jm_lecturers

In all email correspondence with academic and support staff, remember to address the recipient politely, formally, and properly, or your query may not get answered. Please include your student number as well as relevant course titles and codes.

For general enquiries please email Journalism and Media Administrative Officer Ms Shania Collins (shania.collins@universityofgalway.ie)

For enquiries or concerns about individual courses, students are encouraged to approach relevant members of our teaching staff. Academic staff may also hold drop-in in-person or virtual consultation hours during the semester and students can discuss any issues during these times or make an appointment. Problems are resolved far quicker in person. Individual contact details can be found on our website as above.

If you are experiencing difficulty in dealing with the academic demands of a course you are enrolled in, please contact the individual lecturer in the first instance. With so many students in class, it is easy to feel lost; it is very important to us that you let us know if we can help.

If you have questions concerning the programme that cannot be answered either by the Secretary or other sources detailed in this Handbook, the Programme Director, Dr Kelly Fincham can be approached about academic concerns. This is best done by dropping in during office hours, advertised at the beginning of each semester. Dr Fincham’s office is upstairs in St Declan’s (some virtual meetings may also be available).

Student Consultation Hours, Semester One Monday 3-4pm and Tuesday 3-4pm. In St Declan’s

If you cannot make the times posted drop in or make an appointment by emailing Dr Fincham at (Kelly Fincham @ University of Galway.ie)

All general enquiries that cannot be answered in this Handbook should be directed to the Journalism and Media Administrative Officer Ms Shania Collins (shania.collins@universityofgalway.ie)

Feedback on your experiences can be provided to your class representatives: they are appointed early in the year through the Student Union and meet regularly with lecturers on the staff-student committee in Journalism and Media.

Feedback on your experiences can be provided to your class representatives: they are appointed early in the year through the Student Union and meet regularly with lecturers on the staff-student committee in Journalism and Media.

Key information

This Handbook provides an introduction to your programme and contains key information about:

• organisational and administrative procedures;
• planning your studies;
• assessment;
• teaching and learning;
• extenuating circumstances; and
• university regulations

We hope you find this handbook useful. It is revised every year to include new information and to make it easier to use. If you have any comments you may wish to make on the Handbook or suggestions for improving the information provided, please forward your comments to the Discipline of Journalism and Media  administration at journalism@universityofgalway.ie.

Disclaimer

The statements in this handbook represent Discipline of Journalism and Media  (JM) policy and/or advice. We reserve the right to alter policies during the academic year and will notify students when this happens. In the case of any conflict between university regulations and JM policies, university regulations take precedence. The information in this handbook is correct at the time of going to press in September 2024. The University reserves the right to make amendments to:

1. a) the contents of the Programme Handbook and in particular to the timetable, location and methods of delivery or the content, syllabus and assessment of any of its programmes as set out in the programme and module specifications in this Handbook and/or on the University’s website; and
2. b) its statutes, ordinances, regulations, policies, procedures and fee structures,

provided that such amendments are (i) as a result of student demand (or lack thereof), (ii) as a result of unforeseen events or circumstances beyond the University’s control or (iii) are deemed reasonably necessary by the University.

In the event that amendments are made, the University shall take reasonable steps to notify you as soon as is reasonably possible.

Our Ethos

In our teaching, research and other activities, we hold the following values:

• We believe that media are important: We engage in practice, research and teaching that aims to have a measurable impact on the lives of people and society. Often, this work will explicitly relate to matters of social justice, defence of human rights and minorities, holding power to account, and defending democracy. We believe that working in media means sharing those values that enrich communities, societies, and democracy.
• We believe that our students are important: Our teaching is inspired by the belief that our graduates will make societal impact. We want to inspire you to excel and to reach your personal best during your time with us. You will graduate as a Global Ambassador for this Discipline, our programmes and our University. We are very proud of you all.
• We are committed to core principles of truth, accuracy, fairness, impartiality, and accountability.
• Theory and practice should always inform each other: We believe that you the best way to effectively understand practice is through an immersion in the history and theory of that practice, alongside excellence in the production of multi-platform media. Our staff are committed to producing research that aims to create new knowledge and to make a deep impact on the world.
• The values of mutual respect, collegiality, and teamwork inform our teaching and class activities. Individual rigour, excellence and creativity are also encouraged and valued.

Our Graduates’ Attributes

We are committed to producing graduates who are ambitious, articulate, creative, highly skilled, knowledgeable, societally responsible and globally aware.

The study of Global Media allows students to develop skills that have applications in many fields. Our graduates will be valued for their creativity, initiative, ability to improvise solutions to problems, experience of teamwork – as well as skills in communications and professional storytelling. After graduation, many students will work in the wider fields of media and communication in new media and technology firms, in online and social media roles and in wider marketing, PR and communications.

Many graduates will work in portfolio careers, and in roles that have yet to exist. We have several modules and resources that will help students to build their capacities and forge their careers. Graduates will work in other areas too: education, business, information technology, and more. Our aim is to support all students in achieving their professional goals, whatever they are, and however they evolve over the course of your time here.

There are many different models of teaching at third level. Some students undertake vocational courses aimed at teaching core skills. Others take degrees in which the subject is studied largely in classroom settings, with a strong focus on theory. Our programmes aim to be distinctive in having a focus on practice but informed by a contextual, ethical and theoretical underpinning. This approach is enhanced by our commitment to providing the best kind of university education – one that allows our students to develop their capacities of critical thinking, analysis, professional practice and reflection and fully realise their potential.

Equal opportunities

The university is committed to acting in accordance with its Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies. It is intended that all students should receive equal treatment irrespective of political belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or social background.

Further details are available here.

Official languages

The discipline’s working language is English however we are fully committed to promoting and supporting the Irish language and we are compliant with the university’s policy on the Irish language and the Official Languages Act. We welcome correspondence in Irish. Cuirfear fáilte roimh chomhfhreagras i nGaeilge.