THE University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) is offering its MA in Media, Communications and Culture students the opportunity of a lifetime, as they will get to attend an all-expense-paid five-day bootcamp at the CNN Academy in Abu Dhabi this September.
The partnership was announced by UNM’s School of Media, Languages and Cultures (SMLC) in 2022 as an optional module for the current MA Media, Communications and Culture syllabus and it was very well received despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, students can also opt to do their CNN module alongside other media and communications modules such as ‘Issues and Challenges in Contemporary Media’ and ‘Mass Media and Working in the Culture Industry’.
Also known as the Sprint programme, the media bootcamp is curated with the newsgathering, digital and programming teams that work on CNN’s flagship current affairs programme - Connect the World with Becky Anderson - that is broadcast out of Abu Dhabi.
Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of news production, as well as trending topics in today’s digital-first media environment with the 20-credit module, which will also feature a practical education element for students to familiarise themselves with the fundamentals of storytelling and production.
What’s more, students will learn about finding, pitching and crafting stories.
They will also learn about search engine optimisation and multiplatform storytelling, as well as verifying, confirming and reporting breaking news, in addition to writing for TV news, while being supported by CNN staff.
During the course of the programme, students will pitch, shoot and edit content using their smartphones before presenting their work to a panel of judges from CNN.
Towards the end of the Sprint programme, students would have gained a better understanding of how a newsroom operates and they will also be afforded the opportunity to meet and discuss new matters with CNN Abu Dhabi’s managing editor and popular news anchor Becky Anderson.
Furthermore, they will be awarded with a CNN Academy Certificate in Storytelling.
This is not the first time that SMLC has gone above and beyond to add value to the education experience and enrich the lives of its students.
The school had previously organised a five-day Korean language programme with CJ Jeiljedang, a leading South Korean food company, as well as writing workshops and various cultural and creative workshops.
For more information, visit https://www.nottingham.edu.my/index.aspx.
