The Class of 2017 of the School of Media and Cultural Studies, who are currently seeking employment, are an intelligent, energetic, bright, so-cially sensitive and ethically sound group of young people who have been through two years of a rigorous programme, the MA in Media and Cultural Studies, that equips them to be doing thinkers and thinking do-ers.

The programme is an optimal blend of social theory and media practice that also gives students an opportu-nity to produce a range of relevant media artifacts.

The present class has indeed done re-ally well in this regard. Already they have produced a fine set of PSAs on the theme of Say No to Censorship (https://goo.gl/7HCj9D), mmusic videos based on the album Songs of Protest by Sumangala Damodaran ’ (https://goo.gl/WREkPx), an online magazine, Footnotes, with a range of interesting features, videos and im-ages on the theme of ‘Everyday He-roes’, which is under production, as well as a set of short documentaries entitled WasteLines, that critically examines how Mumbai handles its waste.

In addition to exceptional media products, the students also work

on a dissertation, present papers in an annual graduate seminar and produce many thought-provoking essays and written pieces, some of which find their way into SubVer-sions (http://subversions.tiss.edu), , our online peer reviewed journal for early career researchers in Media and Cultural Studies. In addition to this the students are also involved in co-curricular activi-ties such as organizing Cut.in— Na-tional Students Film Festival, which is the first of its kind in India and has been held every year since 2008 and Frames of Reference, an annual na-tional level seminar for post-gradu-ate and doctoral scholars. Adda, the SMCS Film Club and Culture Café are fora that the students co-ordi-nate and participate in. Conceiving, planning and organizing these vari-ous activities gives our students both organizational skills and valuable experience in completing tasks com-petently and efficiently.

Which such a rich and wide set of academic and creative achievements that contributes to public discourse, the class of 2017 will be a valuable addition to any organization.

-K.P. Jayasankar

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

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The School of Media and Cultur-al Studies, (SMCS) of the Tata In-stitute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (a Deemed University) is engaged in media teaching, production, re-search and dissemination. A unique feature of the School is the close linkage between its technical and ac-ademic work. The work of the School facilitates a synergy between research, teaching and production, all of which are in-

formed by a keen sense of connec-tion with local subaltern cultures of resistance and invention. Produc-tion is an important component of the School‘s work. It has to its cred-it more than 60 awards for its doc-umentary films, including student work, at national and international film festivals. Its films are widely dis-tributed and used. The School is also involved in media and cultural stud-ies research.

About SMCS

2Photo: Students during the shoot of their documentaries

Why hire us? The structure of the course at SMCS allows the students to not only de-velop specialized skills of their own interest but also gives them expo-sure to all the stages of media pro-duction. As students at SMCS, the diverse range of our skills is reflected through subjects such as journalism practice, video and documentary production, research methodology , community radio, web and graphic designing, digital photography and information and communication technology for development. By the end of the course, we are equipped with a refined understanding of the traditional and contemporary trends of the visual and print media at large.

SMCS is one of the few media schools in the country where stu-dents spend a considerable amount of time engaging with cultural theo-

ries and social analysis that provide a strong footing for the emerging filmmakers and researchers. The students also pursue an internship at various media and media-relat-ed institutions as part of the course, which provides them with necessary practical insights on the workings of the industry.

We believe that in today‘s digital age when modes of media produc-tion and consumption are changing rapidly and creating many new plat-forms for varied content, a diverse skill set equips one to be versatile and adaptable to new situations and challenges. It allows us to bring a wholesome understanding of media environments and social realities to the table, making us an ideal choice.

3Photo: MA Media and Cultural Studies Batch of 2015-17

First Semester Media Studies: An IntroductionCultural Studies: An IntroductionImage Making | Video Production | Ways of KnowingFoundation courses in Social Sciences

Second Semester Cultural Studies (Advanced course)Image Making (Advanced course) Working with Video I: involving the production of a series of six Music Videos and PSAs on the theme of Songs of Protest and Censorship respectively.Video Post-ProductionReading FilmJournalism Practice IMedia and Cultural Studies Research Third Semester Working with Video II:involving the making of a series of 6 documentaries enti-tled WasteLines Community Radio Optionals: Television Studies | Gender, Media and Culture | Cyberculture: An Introduction | Visual DesignJournalism Practice II: Involving the publication of a web magazine on the theme of ‘Everyday Heroes’, which includes articles, photo essays and video stories.

Fourth SemesterDissertation: Starting in semester 2, the students take up an independent and original piece of supervised research and write a 20,000 to 30,000 word thesis on a topic of their interest. Final Media Project: Starting in semester 3, the students produce a final documen-tary in small groups on a topic of their choice, which entails application of their learning from the programme.Optionals: Web Design | Understanding Art and Music | Media and Law | Gen-der and Space

* In the third semester students have to take two out of three optional courses. * In the fourth semester students can either do a dissertation and an optionalcourse or three optional courses and a term paper.

Course Structure

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Dr. K.P. Jayasankar, Professor and Dean, School of Media and Cultural Studies M.A. (Mum-

bai), Ph.D. (IIT Bombay)

Dr. Anjali Monteiro, Professor, Centre for the Study of Contemporary Culture

M.A. (Pune), Ph.D. (Goa)

Dr. Shilpa Phadke, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Contemporary Culture M.A.

(SNDT), M.Phil. (Cambridge, U.K.), Ph.D. (TISS)

Faiz Ullah, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Contemporary Culture M.A.

(MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia)

Nithila Kanagasabai, Assistant Professor, Centre for Critical Media Praxis M.A. (TISS) M.Phil.

(TISS)

K.V. Nagesh Babu, Assistant Professor and Chairperson, Centre for the Study of Contempo-

rary Culture M.A. (Hyderabad University)

P. Niranjana, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Contemporary Culture M.A.

(Hyderabad University)

Visiting FacultyAbhay Sardesai, Editor, Art India | Nina Sabnani, Professor, IDC, IIT

Bombay | Sameera Khan, Writer and Journalist | Nitesh Mohanty, Visual Artist, Visiting Faculty at MICA and NID | Suresh Rajamani, Freelance

Sound Recordist, Visiting Faculty at FTII | Venkatesh Chakravarthy, Dean, L V Prasad Film & TV Academy, Chennai | Shoba V. Ghosh, Professor and

Head, Dept. of English, Mumbai University | Nandini Manjrekar, TISS | Sunitha Chitrapu, Head of SCM, Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai | Nishant

Shah, Professor, Leuphana University, Germany | D. Parthasarathy, Profes-sor, IIT Bombay | Jayesh Pillai, IDC, IIT Bombay

Faculty

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After a productive two years with SMCS, students have gone on to work with reputed media organiza-tions, production houses and NGOs. A student placement committee is formed every year, with representa-tives from both the senior and ju-nior batches. The faculty facilitates the process and provides assistance wherever it can. Every year, students explore newer organizations and newer interests. The programme‘s emphasis on both theory and prac-tice has enabled a number of options in terms of the professions that a stu-dent can choose to pursue. Produc-tion has offered a spectrum of choic-es for the students of Media and Cultural Studies, as is evident from some of them having made careers of film making, freelance documentary film making, television and radio production. The journalism courses have also opened a wide variety of opportunities in print and broad-cast news organizations. Students are also working with online news organizations. Some students have taken up further education, pursu-ing M.Phil and Ph.D programmes in India and overseas, while some have joined organisations that document varied aspects of a community‘s cul-tural practices. OML Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. | Parodevi Pictures Pvt. Ltd. | Anan-da Film and Telecommunications | Infinitum Productions Pvt. Ltd. | Taxi Films | Hill Road Media | F5 Multimedia Studio Pvt. Ltd. | Art

India magazine | Pad.ma | BBC, Mumbai | Comet Media Founda-tion, Mumbai | Red Chillies Enter-tainment, Mumbai | Dungarpur Films, Mumbai | Circus Motion Pictures, Mumbai | Media Matters, Mumbai | Drishti Media Collective | St.Xavier’s College of University of Goa | Time Out, Mumbai | CNBC |Radio One, Bangalore |Times of India, Chennai | Kadence Interna-tional, Indonesia | Rhombus Factor, Mumbai | NACDOR - New Delhi | Google, New Delhi | Praxis, New Delhi |Anticlock Films, Mumbai | Amar Chitra Katha, Mumbai | Illu-mine, Mumbai | Web 18, Mumbai | The Indian Express, Kolkata | CSSS, Kolkata All India Bakchod, Mumbai | First-Post, Mumbai | ET NOW, Mumbai | Film Heritage Foundation, Mumbai | Scroll.in, Mumbai | Teach For India, Mumbai | Centre for Communica-tion and Development Studies, Pune | Agastya International Foundation, Bangalore | The Hindu, Chennai | Feminist Approach to Technology, New Delhi | Dept. of Art History and Archaeology, Cornell Univer-sity | Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad | National Folklore Support Centre, Chennai | INECC (Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change) | AS-PBAE (Asian South-Pacific Bureau of Adult Education) | Centre for Lifelong Learning, TISS

Where are SMCS graduates today?

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Student Profiles Aayushi Bengani

Educational Qualifications: B.A. Economics (Hons), St. Xavier’s College, University of Rajasthan

Internship:The Indian Express, Mumbai, (April 4-May 15, 2016)

Abhimanyu Kumar

Educational Qualifications: B.Sc. Information Technology, Kuvempu University, Banga-lore

Internship:Agastya Foundation Kuppam (October 2015- November 2011), Rajyasabha TV(April 11, 2016 to May 23, 2016)

Abir Dasgupta

Educational Qualifications: B.Sc. Physics, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, M.Sc. Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad,

Voluntary Work: Garden School - Colaba, Mumbai - June 2008 to April 2009

Internship:Backpack Films (4th April 2013 to 16th May 2016)

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RAMDAS K.S.Educational Qualifications: B.A. Malayalam language and literature (Journalism and Film studies as complimentary),

Voluntary Work: Pain and Palliative Care Mission- July 2011- January 2014,

Internship:Tata Steel Depatrment- Corporate Communications and Corporate Safety (07th April 2016- 21st May 2016)

Student Profiles Akhil Vasudevan

Educational Qualifications: B.A. (Hons) English English and Foreign Languages Univer-sity Lucknow Campus

Internship:Rajyasabha TV (April 11, 2016 to May 23, 2016)

AMBU G.Educational Qualifications: B.A. in Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Social Science, Hy-derabad

Internship:Prof. Harilal, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, (May 2014)Asianet news, Trivandrum (13th April 2016-25th May 2016)

Aparna Srivastava

Educational Qualifications: B.A. English (Honours), Miranda House, University of Delhi

Voluntary Work: Enactus India, Delhi-August 2013 to January 2015

Internships: Page99, Delhi-December 2013–February 2014 Hindustan Times,Lucknow-July 2014 Tinkle Magazine (11th April 2016 - June 10 2016)

ARYA AT

Educational Qualifications: BA in Malayalam Literature , Farook College, University of Calicut

Internship:The Hindu, Thiruvananthapuram. (07th April 2016- 21st May 2016)

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Student Profiles Bhamini Lakshminarayan

Educational Qualifications: B.A Economics (Hons.), St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi

Work Experience: No Country For Women - Hyderabad/Bangalore/Delhi - Director - September 2014 to May 2015

Voluntary Work: Assistant Teacher - Sita School, Siluvepura, Karnataka (May - June 2013) Assistant Teacher - Puvidham Centre for Learning, Nagarku-dal Ooru, Tamil Nadu (June - August 2014)

Internships: Content Development Intern - Large Scale Assessments Team - Educational Initiatives, Bangalore (May-June 2012)TARSHI (Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Is-sues (25th April - 2nd June)

Garima Kaul

Educational Qualifications: B.A. (H) English, Maharaja Agrasen College, Delhi University

Internship:FoodMunching (18th April to 1st June)

Pruthviraj Shinde

Educational Qualifications: B.A. Political Science(Hons), Fergusson College, Pune Diploma in Gender Studies, Pune University

Internship:Natives Communications Studio, Pune (8th April ton 20th June)

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Student Profiles

Sameer Daniel Gardner

Educational Qualifications: B.A English Literature (Hons), St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi

Internship:120 Media Collective (2nd May - 10th June 2016)

SANDEEP S.

Educational Qualifications: B.Tech. Civil Engineering

Work Experience: Kerala Council For Historical Research ( KCHR) - Trivandrum - Research Assistant- Feb 2014 to Sep 2014

Voluntary Work: SARSAS- Trivandrum- Oct 2014 to May 2015

Internship:Rajyasabha TV(April 11, 2016 to May 23, 2016)

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Advaidha K.

Educational Qualifications: Bachelor of Design In Knitwear Design (B.Des), National In-stitute Of Fashion Technology, Chennai

Internship: S.A Knitwears ,Madurai-Baby wear designer and Merchan-diser (May and June 2012) Priyaa Knitwears , Tiruppur , Tamil Nadu (June and July 2013) Ability Foundation, Chennai (January to may 2013) Frontline Magazine (4th April -19th May, 2016)

SANGHAMITRA DUTTA

Educational Qualifications: B.com(Hons) Accounts and Finance, South City College(-Day) , Calcutta University

Work Experience: Sainath Solutions- Kolkata- Content Writer- Feb 2012 to Feb 2013 The Times of India- Kolkata- May 2009 to June 2009

Voluntary Work: Bhavishya, The way ahead- Jamshedpur-April 2014 to May 2015

Internship:Tata Steel Depatrment- Corporate Communications and Corporate Safety (14th April- 5th June 2016)

Student Profiles

Tufail Ahmad Lone

Educational Qualifications: B.A. Arabic (Hons.), JNU, Delhi

Internship:Rajyasabha TV(April 11, 2016 to May 23, 2016)

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The campus placement activity is un-dertaken by the Placement Commit-tee of School of Media and Cultural Studies at TISS (Mumbai). Once an organization confirms its participa-tion, the information provided by it is made available to the students. This is followed by a process of slot-ting organizations, which is done to ensure that the process goes on smoothly and with minimal logis-tical inconvenience. Once the slots are decided, the same will be com-municated to the organizations and the date of placement process will be fixed. Organizations are required to follow the following rules:

1. Organizations wishing to recruit School of Media and Cultural Stud-ies (SMCS) students from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences will have to communicate their interest for the same, by getting in contact with the school through phone/fax/ email, which are specified on SMCS web-site.

2. The following details are needed: Job profile being offered, compen-sation and perks, geographical loca-tion and mobility, number of posi-

tions offered etc.

3. The Placement process will com-prise of a. Pre-Placement Talk (PPT) b. Collection and handling of CVs of interested candidates to the recruiter c. Selection process by the recruiter and d. Handling over the list of se-lected candidates for Placement to Placement Committee

4. During the pre-placement talk, the recruiter will make a presenta-tion about the organization, the job profile and respond to the queries of students.

5. Selection of students is to be con-firmed in writing before leaving the TISS Campus.

6. TISS must receive the appoint-ment letters within seven days of se-lection process.

7. Off-campus placement through video conferencing and other web/telephonic media will also be possi-ble for those recruiters who may not be in a position to come to the cam-pus.

Placement Guidelines for Recruiters

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Placement Committee: Abhimanyu KumarSanghamitra Dutta

Faculty Advisors

Dr. Anjali Monteiro , Professor, Centre for the Study of Contemporary Culture M.A. (Pune),

Ph.D. (Goa)

P. Niranjana, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Contemporary Culture M.A.

(Hyderabad University)

Debanita Biswas , Programme Manager (Dissemination) M.A. (TISS)

Contact Details: School of Media and Cultural Studies,

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, V.N. Purav Marg, Sion-Trombay Road, Mumbai –400088, Maharashtra

Email - placements.smcs@tiss.edu

Tel- Abhimanyu Kumar - +91 8655071200

Sanghamitra Dutta - +91 9867835125

Website- https://smcs.tiss.edu

Designed By:Amlan J. Das

MA Media and Cultural Studies 2015-17

THE TEAM

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