Our REF submission
Between REF 2014 and REF 2021, we saw substantial growth in the scale of our research activity, almost tripling the number of staff submitted for assessment and quadrupling the number of PhD students, with a significant rise in doctoral awards.
Our submission to this unit of assessment featured contributions from 32 people, 77 outputs and three impact case studies:
- Check Global: Improving digital literacy and strengthening citizen journalism and media activism in the global south
- Sodajerker: Generating new knowledge about songwriting and changing creative practice
- Changing approaches to programming and the audience experience at Cheltenham Jazz Festival
This area of our work also saw 18 doctoral awards and £1.9m research income during the REF period.
Our research
Research in communication, cultural and media studies takes place within the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research (BCMCR), which is part of our Birmingham Institute of Media and English and located in our Faculty of Arts, Design and Media.
BCMCR was founded in 2009, and focuses on the principles of interdisciplinarity, critical investigation, collective practice, and social activism, along with a commitment to share our research within and beyond academia. Our distinctive, collaborative research is conducted within eight research clusters:
- Creative Industries
- Cultural Theory
- Game Cultures
- Gender and Sexuality
- History, Heritage and Archives
- Jazz Studies
- Media and Place
- Popular Music Studies
Our researchers collaborate widely across the university, with Music and Performing Arts in Jazz Studies, Sociology and Education in Game Cultures and with researchers in English.
Our research combines traditional theoretical work, with research conducted through practice – including documentary films and exhibitions – and our researchers collaborate widely across the university. The sharing of knowledge and the creation of impact are central to our thinking. We ensure our research is at the heart of our teaching, and we are committed to ensuring those outside our university can benefit from what our researchers discover and create.
Centre members have built deep relationships within the city and the region, as well as nationally and internationally, to produce globally significant research projects, world-leading publications, and substantial and far-reaching impact.