OhMyMedia按：本BLOG仅受委托发布威斯敏斯特大学传播与媒介研究所2009年博士生奖学金信息，包括研究主题、申请方法等，但不负责解答任何相关问题，请有意者按下文内容自行联系。

威斯敏斯特大学传媒研究所（CAMRI）在2008年“英国学术评估”（RAE）中位列英国传媒专业之首，有多位名师，研究与教学实力不俗。此次奖学金也非常丰厚，包括免除学费（通常每年是9000英镑），另加每年15000英镑奖学金（免税），从2009年10月开始。难得的好机会！

在CAMRI列出的诸多选题中，其中一个是”Citizen Journalism, Investigative Journalism and Social Justice in China”。下文中有来自指导教师Xin Xin, Colin Sparks, Hugo De Burgh的进一步说明，请仔细阅读。进一步讨论，可以发信给Dr. Xin Xin （x.xin1@wmin.ac.uk）。

Research Studentships in Media and Communications at the University of Westminster

The Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) based in the School of Media, Arts and Design at the University of Westminster, rated the UK’s top research centre for Media and Communication in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise is currently offering scholarships for doctoral study. Awards cover tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend of £15,000 pa and commence in October 2009. There are two pathways to apply for a scholarship at CAMRI, so please read the following carefully. Pathway one is for applications for topics specified by the University, pathway two for topics suggested by the applicant.

Pathway one, through the University of Westminster Research Studentships 2009 Competition:
Applications are invited to study for a PhD on the topics listed below:

• Audience Involvement in Social Affairs Talk on Arab TV
• Citizen Journalism, Investigative Journalism and Social Justice in China*
• Engagement with Environmental Issues through New Media
• New Media and Identity Formation among Young European Muslims
• Public Service Broadcasting and Strategies for Survival in Europe
• Children’s Media Policy and Regulation
• Creativity in Arab Documentary Film-Making
• Cultures of Making and Sharing Online

Follow the link below for more information on each topic:
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-17651

How to apply
Details on eligibility are available:
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-17525

Please download an application form here:
Application Form for Westminster Research Studentships 2009

If you need further information about how to apply, please contact studentships@westminster.ac.uk.

Completed forms to be returned to studentships@westminster.ac.uk by the closing date of 5pm on Tuesday 3 March 2009.  Late applications will not be considered.

Pathway two, directly through CAMRI:

The Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) has an international reputation in media policy and economics, media history and media audiences.  The Institute hosts the University’s China Media Centre and Arab Media Centre. It is developing work in media audiences and identities, new media, and Indian and African media.  We currently have an opportunity for two students to undertake an MPhil/PhD in media and communication on a subject of their choice.

To receive an application pack and further details of the scholarships, please contact Erica Spindler (e.spindler@wmin.ac.uk). You should specify that you wish to apply for a CAMRI Scholarship. Closing date for receipt of applications: Tuesday 10 March 2009. Interviews will be held in March and early April.

Prospective students wishing to discuss an application informally may contact Dr Anthony McNicholas (mcnichc@wmin.ac.uk).

For further information on CAMRI visit our web page at www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-561

* A brief description of the theme ‘Citizen Journalism, Investigative Journalism and Social Justice’

This project encourages applicants to draw attention to the burgeoning new media and Citizen journalism (CJ) in the fast changing Chinese society. CJ along with its various forms, such as ‘personal journalism’, ‘citizen-produced coverage’, ‘participatory journalism’, ‘grassroots journalism’, ‘blogging’ and ‘self-publishing’, are playing a significant role in challenging the current media supervision system, expressing Chinese nationalist sentiments, seeking social justice and changing the way in which Chinese younger generations to get to know the outside world. An up-to-date study of CJ is essential in order to have a better understanding of the relationship between media and social change in the most populous and fast industrializing country. Potential applications are encouraged but not limited to discussions of the relationship between CJ and traditional investigative journalism in relation to social justice and democratisation.

The Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) based in the School of Media, Arts and Design at the University of Westminster, rated the UK’s top research centre for Media and Communication in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise is currently offering scholarships for doctoral study. Awards cover tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend of £15,000 pa and commence in October 2009. One of the topics specified is ‘Citizen Journalism, Investigative Journalism and Social Justice in China’. For other topics, please check http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-17651. For an informal discussion email Xin Xin at x.xin1@wmin.ac.uk

Supervisors: Xin Xin, Colin Sparks, Hugo De Burgh

This project will extend the China Media Centre’s leading role in researching the relationship between media and social change in China to include the burgeoning area of new media and Citizen Journalism, drawing attention to the impact of Web 2.0 technology on communications in the world’s most populous country. New forms of journalism, variously termed ‘citizen’, ‘personal’, ‘participatory’, ‘self-publishing’ and ‘blogging’ but here referred to as CJ are beginning to play a significant role in challenging government censorship, expressing Chinese nationalist sentiment, seeking social justice and changing the way in which young people are encountering the outside world. This research topic is particularly important now, when in response to widespread social, economic and political discontent and in the aftermath of the Beijing Olympics, the Communist party has re-tightened its control over traditional media, leaving little space for television and newspaper journalists to pursue investigations unhindered. This study will focus in particular on social issue blogs run by non-journalists/professionals.

Previous work done by members of the CMC has shown ‘traditional’ investigative journalism to be an important agent of transformation of authoritarian China into a more open and fair society. With that currently under threat, the strengths of new forms of journalism, (though there are valid questions as to for instance their veracity and impartiality) may be seen to complement the weaknesses of older forms. Against this background, this study in discussing the relationship between CJ and investigative journalism attempts to go beyond a zero-sum game of the rise of CJ verses decline of investigative journalism. Blogging and investigative journalism may be seen to be complementary, the former using the latter to check ‘facts’ it uncovers and the latter using blogging as a new source of stories. This research project aims to examine the complex relationship between CJ and investigative journalism, focusing on the intersection and interaction between the two forms. It will answer the following questions:

• How do CJ and investigative journalism interact with each other during the process of investigations?
• To what extent do investigative journalists rely on blogs for news sources?
• To what extent do blogs rely on professional investigations for stimulating further debate around a certain issue?
• To what extent have blogs changed the way in which professional journalists investigate social problems?
• What is the impact of the rise of CJ on social justice in China?
• What is the impact of the rise of CJ on the process of democratisation in China?