Communicates Your Ideas

Dedicated to filmmaking since high school, Anson Cheng has determined to pursue communication-related studies in university to learn how online media make use of videos to influence audiences in perceiving messages. It is not surprising that he chose CUHK’s Journalism and Communication programme because of their emphasis on a balance and integration between theory and practice. The School of Journalism and Communication is ranked the 15th in Communication and Media Studies globally according to the QS World University Ranking by Subjects in 2020.

Just graduated in 2019, Anson is more than happy to share his fruitful learning experience with everybody. He said, ‘I’ve gained a better understanding of the functions of media institutions and effect of varying socio-cultural phenomena in affecting a message perception in different communities through courses on the historical development of communication, and theories in forming a dominant ideology in a society. Studying the programme is more rewarding than I had imagined.’

While learning theories is essential to university education, Prof. Francis Lee, Director of the School of Journalism and Communication, pointed out, ‘The programme places equal emphasis on developing students’ practical abilities by integrating the latest media trend, theoretical and practical knowledge into our course design. It prepares students for careers in various fields, including journalism, advertising, public relations, creative and new media, which meet the society’s manpower needs.’

The programme offers three professional streams of study, namely, Advertising and Public Relations, Journalism, and Creative and New Media. The curriculum is flexible. Students can specialize in one professional stream or generalize their studies in various areas according to their interests.

In addition to the professional areas, students will choose to join one practicum group out of four. They are: U-Beat, Varsity, Pinpoint and Creative Media Laboratory (CM Lab). Students are free to participate in the writing, editing and production of one of the two news practicum magazines—U-Beat and Varsity, published in Chinese and English, respectively. They can also acquire hands-on experience on conducting social and commercial campaigns by working at Pinpoint. Those who join the CM Lab will learn more about knowledge and skills on audio and visual media production.

‘Under this unique practicum course structure, I learnt a lot by attending courses in media writing, sound/visual production and curation and by joining the CM Lab,’ said Anson. “We also received abundant professional equipment and technical support from the School. Students are welcome to utilize the latest filming and computing facilities, and turn our ideas into a real piece of artwork. To address the growing demand for creative media production, TV and radio studios were renovated to encourage productions. The School even established the ‘jcMotion’ group and holds technical training on a regular basis to assist us to convey our messages with new media.”

He continued, ‘There are short-term study tours and exchange programme for us to broaden our horizons. As for me, I attended three tours to Beijing, South Korea and the UK, and gained a deeper understanding of the Eastern and Western cultural differences in conducting media practices. This is an innovative approach to obtain insights by first-hand experience outside the classroom.’

Professor Lee added, ‘Each year, a total of 20 to 30 students are selected to study at six universities in the world for one academic year or one semester to enrich their learning experience. These universities include the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, National Chengchi University in Taiwan, Hallym University in South Korea, and Waseda University in Japan. The journalism and communication courses they take during exchange can transfer back to CUHK to fulfill the credit requirements.

Anson also praised the credit-bearing summer internship programme and outsourcing jobs under the ‘jcApprentice’ project of the programme for acquiring on-the-job training experience.

With more than one hundred coursemates, Anson said, ‘We know each other well as we stay up late on campus to complete our group assignments. The working atmosphere breeds intimate relationships and builds a sense of comradeship in the group. We are just like a big family who share a strong bond.’

Geared up as an experienced fresh graduate who is capable of taking jobs related to multimedia production, such as producing music videos and holding exhibitions, Anson is thrilled to be a film director and apply his knowledge to visualize his ideas into films, which will be shared in screening houses.

For those who are interested in applying to the programme, Anson recommended taking the Mars Media summer course (especially for secondary school students) organized by the School as a trial. The course is an all-rounded introductory package to enrich one’s knowledge by learning and practicing different communication theories in daily-life situations. The programme also provides the Journalism and Communication-Business Administration double degree option or Journalism and Communication-Sociology double major option for students who decide to further explore their interests beyond.

Published: Summer 2017
Last Updated: Summer 2020