Master of English and New Media Studies
Interested in the connection between technology and communication? Study the Master of English and New Media Studies.
In the Master of English and New Media Studies you explore the increasingly important nexus between new media and spoken, written or visual communication in English. The programme culminates in a two-semester research project of an experimental, theoretical, creative or practice-based nature.
Your research project could involve the development of game or transmedia narratives. It could investigate social media or other forms of web communication - including internet memes and fake news - for issues of power and identity, or to identify emerging language trends. It might also examine the use and impact of virtual or augmented reality for language learning and teaching.
Start date: 2019
- Download Culture and Society programme brochure [PDF, 7.4 MB]
Minimum entry requirements
One of the following or equivalent with a B grade average or higher in papers at level 7 or above:
- Relevant bachelor’s degree OR
- Relevant graduate diploma
International student entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 6.5 overall with all bands 6.0 or higher; or equivalent
In the first part of the programme you complete a number of papers related to English and new media, as well as a paper on research methods to prepare you for your research thesis.
Areas covered include:
- Game narrative and interactive storytelling
- Multiplatform transmedia narratives
- Web communication
- Corpus, multimodal and critical discourse analysis of new and social media
- Text mining and analytics
- Virtual reality, new media and language education
- Internet memes
- Social media and (virtual) identity
- Intercultural communication and new media
- Social media, communication and creativity
Core papers
Elective papers
The research thesis is at the heart of this programme.
You could investigate the potential of online virtual worlds or explore complex issues of virtual identity, with many applications, including those for language or literacy learning and teaching. Those interested in translation and interpreting might research the effectiveness of online machine translation tools. More creative-based projects could explore the performative potential of multiplatform transmedia narratives, geo-located augmented reality (AR) sites, games and storyworlds.
Read more about some of the projects our students have worked on.
Interpreting and animating the Tāwhaki myth cycle in a video game
Isaac Waetford
Isaac explored the ways in which video games can be used to preserve and revitalise obscure Māori oral traditions, like the Tāwhaki myth cycle. A range of narratological and ludological approaches were considered, with the eventual creation of a prototype based on the adventure game genre.
An everyday feminist: A corpus-based critical discourse analysis of digital feminist news media
Sarah Batkin
Sarah employed corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis to analyse popular digital feminist news sites like Jezebel, Bust, and Broadly. The goal of her research was to use these websites as a lens to observe emergent ideological shifts within the feminist movement.
Story meets story world: How do you construct a non-linear, narrative-rich virtual reality experience while working within the confines of a traditional MMORPG?
Nick Jones
Nick's thesis involved the development of the story, history, dialogue, and other in-game writing for the virtual reality game OrbusVR. In doing so Nick was looking to establish a new language for the MMORPG narrative; one that matches the dynamic, non-linear and interactive nature of the medium.
A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of crowd-sourced constructions of political identity
Caitlin van Hoffen
Caitlin is using the text analysis software Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) to examine how people construct their own and opposing political identities in the anonymous and unmoderated online setting of Urban Dictionary.
Reflections on the design and development of language educational resources in the three-dimensional virtual reality environment High Fidelity
Andi Chen
Andi’s research involved the design and development of virtual English language educational resources in the totally immersive three-dimensional VR environment of High Fidelity. She also carried out a user evaluation to see how language learners would respond to these resources, and the use of Oculus VR headsets and touch controllers.
Language educational space design in High Fidelity
Simona Xie
Simona’s research involved the design and development of a virtual English language educational space in the totally immersive three-dimensional VR environment of High Fidelity. She also carried out a user evaluation to see how language learners would engage with the space and the use of Oculus VR headsets and touch controllers. This was a collaborative work with Andi Chen.
The master narratives of online discourse surrounding men who knit
Angela Desmarais
Angela is researching gender stereotyping towards men who knit and how this influences the way they perform their identities, both online and offline. She is analysing data collected from the Reddit sub thread r/knitting and face-to-face interviews with men who knit.
Intercultural communication through new media: Interactions of cultures through gaming localisation
Marisa Aoys
Marisa is examining game localisation and its effect on intercultural communication in the current technological environment. It will explore the aspect of identity and culture in the gaming industry, as well as the impact this has on individuals and the gaming climate.
Instagram, influencers and multimodal discourses of influencing
Monique Porteous
Monique is carrying out a multimodal analysis of the images posted by Instagram influencers in order to examine whether there is a statistical correlation between the number of likes a post receives, and the semiotic choices (eg gaze, image act, social distance, size of frame, angle, semiotic space, colour, visual framing) made to construct the image. The goal is to investigate whether certain semiotic choices motivate Instagrammers to follow a particular post.
- New and social media research
- Language and literacy education
- Online journalism
- Public relations
- New and social media practice
- Translation and interpreting
- Advertising
- The arts and cultural industries
- Travel and tourism
- Content development for virtual and augmented realities
You will also be prepared for doctoral study.
25 Feb 2019
15 Jul 2019
$8,540
- This represents the approximate tuition fee based on a full-time workload of 120 points in 2019. The exact tuition fee will depend on papers selected and may exceed this figure.
- Fees are subject to change year to year, if you are planning for beyond 2019, the tuition fee may vary from the figure stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay. Learn more about fees to study at AUT
$32,095
- This represents the approximate tuition fee based on a full-time workload of 120 points in 2019. The exact tuition fee will depend on papers selected and may exceed this figure.
- Fees are subject to change year to year, if you are planning for beyond 2019, the tuition fee may vary from the figure stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay. Learn more about fees to study at AUT
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.