The Nihal European University in Sudan

Even in countries that are not in the first tier of modern developments and which at times could also defy modern currents the triumphant advance of the modern media will not be delayed in the foreseeable future. In particular the globalizing tendencies of the modern media do not permit isolated national developments, inasmuch as the Internet and satellite-based broadcasting systems are forces which are meanwhile worldwide or found in most parts of the world. Rather coming to terms with the modern, globalized media world represents a challenge to each culture, region and nation.

The Department of Media Studies and Communication Design is essentially composed of the disciplinary fields of communication studies, media informatics and media education. At the same time however we will also deal with humanities and social-scientific aspects in order to examine the foundations and problems of the media more generally.

The Department will at first offer bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in “Media and Communication”. At a later point we will possibly offer a concentration in “Communication Design” as a more practically-oriented option, that will then deal with applications of media such as advertising and communications.

By transmitting comprehensive knowledge in the foundations of media and communications studies the degree programme in “Media and Communications” should provide students with the skills to recognize problems in the broader area of media and communications.

Through teaching about the social-scientific and humanities contexts of our media, communication, information and knowledge society we will convey to students independent, appropriate representations about the acknowledged difficulties in the world of communication. Finally students should also be trained in the course of the programme to work with the methods of empirical analysis in order to provide scientifically competent solutions to problems.

The bachelor’s degree programme should normally take six semesters to complete and will be composed of the following basic elements:

• A core area
• A core elective area
• A two-month practicum which will take place between semesters in a company or public institution involved in the media or communications
• A bachelor’s thesis that should be completed within a three-month period and should demonstrate that the candidate is able to work independently and methodically on a problem involving the core area of the degree programme

The core area is thus composed of the following core disciplines in media studies:

• Communication studies
  • National and international media systems
  • Methods of empirical communications research
  • Statistics
  • Research on media effects and journalism
  • Fundamental texts on research approaches in the history of media theory
• Media education
  • Frames of orientation in media education
  • Media competence
  • Organizational development with new media
  • Teaching and learning with new media
• Media informatics
  • Introduction to media informatics
  • The fundamentals of multimedia
  • Documentation and presentation technologies
  • Computers and cognition

The choice of core elective courses will be subject to the interests of students and their choices of specialties for their later professional life. In addition we will offer classes in presentation technologies, moderation, creativity technologies, time management and how to set up communications chains, in addition to offering students the option of acquiring additional qualifications in up to three foreign languages in a business context. The following concentrations and disciplinary areas will thus be offered:

• Social sciences
  • Media policy
  • Media economics
  • Media sociology
  • Media psychology
• Humanities
  • Philosophy (e.g. cognitive theory, epistemology)
  • Media history and culture
  • Media ethics
  • Media in Islam
  • Media law

In principle students will be able to combine degree programmes in “Media and Communications”, both as major and minor concentrations, in a sensible manner with almost all other degree programmes of the Nihal European University in Sudan.

The Department of Media Studies and Communication Design aims to cooperate closely in research and teaching with other relevant departments and institutions in addition to exchanges and close cooperation with industry. Here the goal should be to guarantee that the curriculum is practical and future-oriented.

In order to achieve and sustain and internationally comparable standards we will practice continuous exchanges of faculty and students with universities in Europe and other regions of the world.

In the area of research central research approaches in media studies will be represented and evaluated in the context of current discussions. Among these are:

• Media policy in Sudan, the Arab world and in Europe, but also in worldwide comparison
• The encounter between modern media and traditional social and value systems – and the resulting problems and implications
• The globalized media landscape and Islam
• Traditional communications systems and the media history of Sudan
• Changes in perception due to the influence of modern media

On the basis of data for similar departments and degree programmes we can assume that teaching and research in this Department will require approximately eighteen lecturers at various levels, ten teaching assistants and eight posts for technical personnel. The non-disciplinary courses in the core electives area should be taught by adjuncts to the extent that other departments or institutes and centres are not responsible for these. The requirements for space ought to be approximately 2,750 m², while equipment should also be provided for establishing computer pools and rooms for using and producing media.