Study programme
Programme structure
The Dual Master's programme in Communication and Information comprises 90 ECTS credits.
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Introduction to argumentation across domains / Communicatie en argumentatie (in Dutch)Period 16
You will acquire the skills that are needed to analyse and evaluate verbal communication in specific contexts. You will learn how to make an analytic overview of argumentative texts, to evaluate these argumentative texts and to make a characterisation of specific genres. The following topics are dealt with: argumentation analysis, the evaluation of argumentation and fallacies, and genre analysis.
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Introduction to Rhetoric and PersuasionPeriod 16
You will acquire skills to analyse the rhetorical and persuasive aspects of communication. The course offers an introduction to classical and modern rhetoric and persuasion theory.
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Argumentation and Communication in HealthPeriod 26
In this course the argumentative and stylistic properties of three text genres will be investigated: the medical consultation, the health brochure and the consumer medicine advertisement. The pragma-dialectical argumentation theory is taken as a point of departure for the analysis of health communication.
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Argumentation and Communication in PoliticsPeriod 26
This course provides a broad overview of the main discursive approaches to the various genres in the political domain, including discourse analytical approaches, argumentative approaches, stylistic approaches, multimodal analysis. Moreover, the course guides you into applying the theoretical insights in an original analysis and evaluation of political communicative practices under the form of a research paper. You will also gain practice in solving a practical problem in political communication.
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Term Paper Argumentative Discourse across DomainsPeriod 36
You will acquire the skills necessary for writing a detailed thesis proposal. The topic, relevant to the field of communication and discourse studies in context, is subsequently researched when writing a Master's Thesis in the second semester.
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Restricted-choise elective: Argumentation and Communication in LawPeriod 46
In this course modern research of argumentation and communication in the legal domain is discussed. The focus is on argumentation in the context of legal decision-making by courts and public officials who must account for their discretionary powers. The emphasis lies on the way in which characteristics of the domain of legal decision-making play a part in the analysis of argumentative communicative practices. The different disciplinary and theoretical approaches that will be discussed originate in legal argumentation theory, legal logic, legal rhetoric, as well as in theories about law, language and literature.
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Restricted-choise elective: Argumentation and Communication in SciencePeriod 56
This course is about verbal communication and argumentation in science communication and education. Based on knowledge of the characteristics of academic discourse as expert-to-expert communication, the emphasis is on analyzing argumentation in science communication and education, the structure of texts within various genres and stylistic devices in science communication and education.
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Master's Thesis Communication and Information StudiesPeriod 4Period 5Period 618
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Master's Internship: Argumentative PracticesPeriod 1Period 2Period 330
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Internship
The internship is an important part of the dual master Communication and Information. An internship offers you the opportunity to gain work experience at academic level. The internship takes place at an organisation in the Netherlands or abroad at a department in which communication plays an important role. Ideally, the internship is focused on the design, production and revision of persuasive texts.
Students taking a dual Master's programme may in some cases be eligible for a reimbursement.
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Thesis
The Master’s thesis enables you to write an original work of programme research under the supervision of one of the staff members. The subject of the thesis must be mutually agreed upon by the student and the thesis supervisor.
The thesis is worth 18 ECTS. It is a written report (17000 - 23000 words) on individual research with a clear academic character. The main topic concerns a phenomenon that occurs in the verbal communication within a well-defined genre from the political, legal, medical, organisational, academic domain or another well-defined communicative domain. Ideally, the results are illustrated by a case-study.
In every place at every time there will be differences of opinion. But many of them can be resolved with the right kind of means. That makes studying communication and argumentation worthwhile. In this time of fake news and misinformation a critical outlook on language use is even more important.Dr Bart Garssen
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Where have former students done internships?
Our students have been doing internships in a great variety of public and private (international) organisations, including European Parliament, United Nations, ING, ProDemos, Heineken, Dutch Research Institute for environment and public health, International Debate Education Association, publishing houses, and many others.
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Will the university help me to find an internship?
Every student is assigned an academic internship supervisor who will provide advice on the internship applications, provides support with the paperwork, organize the mid-term and final internship evaluation and discuss with the student any other matters that may occur during the internship trajectory. The students have to search for internship vacancies themselves, but the programme coordinator also provides a list with organisations that are regularly looking for interns.
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Can the programme be offered part-time?
No, the programme is only offered on a full-time basis. The students have to attend all courses in Amsterdam.
In this video Jayna will tell you more about the Master's Communication and Information and why she chose this Master.