Master thesis

The MA thesis is a scholarly text in which you are expected to contribute, on the basis of independent research, to a debate within new media & digital culture. It should be structured around a central research question which is clearly formulated in the introductory chapter and has a strong relevance to active scholarly discussions. The body of the text should show the methodology you employed to answer this question, the theoretical considerations you have made, and what your findings were. In your conclusion you should analyze your findings in the light of your original question and explain the broader implications of your conclusions.

Assessment will take place based on:

• the ability to employ relevant concepts and theories for the analysis of contemporary and/or historical media objects, within their cultural, social, economical, and political contexts
• thorough knowledge of  relevant corpus of new media theories, as well as circumstances of production and policies concerning the implementation of new media
• academic research methods, use of academic sources on-line and in print
• creativity and originality of thought

You write your thesis (12000-16000 words) with guidance from your tutor within a time period of 11 full-time weeks. As preparation you will compile a dossier in which you present: 1) a research proposal and a preliminary argumentative outline; 2) a collection of 15 relevant academic sources, five of which you have analyzed and discussed (max. 400 words per analysis) in the context of your research question. You present and discuss this dossier in an oral exam before you start writing. See the MA Protocols for further details.

ECTS: 15

Examples of MA theses

• Playful Learning, Teaching Games - MA Thesis Lotte Vergouwen
• Driedimensionale virtuele werelden: De onderwijsomgeving voor een niet-bestaande generatie? - MA Thesis Robert Langeweg
• Creatief Burgerschap: Web 2.0, gebruikersparticipatie en e-cultuurbeleid - MA Thesis Levien Nordeman
• Cyberindie: Digitale muziekcultuur en de veranderende muziekindustrie - MA Thesis Maarten Brinkerink
• Het muzikaal machinewezen en virtuele lichamelijkheid: De belichaming van digitale muziek herzien - MA Thesis Pauline van der Steen
• De gamer als hybride performer: Op welke manier kan de gamer van muziekgames met fysieke interface gezien worden als hybride performer? - MA Thesis Stijn Bannier (winner of the "Muziekscriptieprijs" 2008-2009)
• Web two-point-o, where did the power go? De macht van het web 2.0 in de context van het neoliberalisme - MA Thesis Jelte Timmer, nominated for the Humanities Thesis Award 2009-2010

All published MA theses can be found on Igitur.