Department of Culture and Media Studies | Central University of Rajasthan

Vision and Mission

Vision

Sustainable Development through Excellence in Education, Innovation, and Performative Societal Change.

Mission

To create and sustain an inclusive environment that inspires students to undertake an intellectually challenging, socially engaging, and transformative learning experience.
To develop an ecosystem for research and innovation wherein individual potential can be harnessed to provide sustainable solutions for global concerns.
To impart value-based holistic education and develop resilient and skilled human resources that contributes to nation building.

The Department of Culture and Media Studies started its academic journey in July 2011 under the School of Social Sciences. It was established to nurture new fields of enquiry in the domain of interdisciplinary media, cultural, and communication studies in India by training the young minds through teaching and research. The curriculum is designed to enable the students to understand the inter-relation between media and culture that shapes the individuals and communities and is in turn shaped by them. The Department aims to prepare the students to enter the world of media and cultural studies with a critical perspective and analytical mind through an introduction to various media technologies, practices, and narratives.

The Department equip the students to handle media technologies and to inculcate journalistic skills and values. Through inter-disciplinary approach, the Department builds the foundation for the students to produce cutting edge documentaries, films, videos, photographs, and other forms of creative expression. The students are acquainted with media industries and organizations through internship, industrial visits, conferences, workshops by prominent visiting faculty and professionals. They are enabled to handle media equipment and techniques that would help them secure a place in media industry, research organizations, and educational institutions. The Department stands for ‘Communication for a Meaningful Society’.

Apart from Journalism and Communication Studies, the niche areas for the Department are:

Cultural Studies
Intercultural Communication
Cinema Studies
Media Production
Visual Culture
Development Communication

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Watch a few productions from Department of CMS:

Short film Ottamuri: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz6UzfmL35n/

Short film Nyabagam: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAdfxZ-JUKI/

Fading Dreams !!: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzERjt4r9nv/

PUSHKAR MELA-2022 : https://youtu.be/s1mGAuJjuF8

Srijan-2022 | Cultural and Sports Meet of Central University of Rajasthan: https://youtu.be/lAaBuHv3fLc

Dream or Reality ? Aesthetics of Film Project by MACMS Students (2021 batch) : https://youtu.be/dLc0mex8iwA

Muntazir...(The Expectant): https://youtu.be/rT1VUalNBsU

Monalisa of India (Full Documentary): https://youtu.be/uBCe-ySH2Lg

The Marble City of India: https://youtu.be/SINMm_oiBGA

M.A. in Culture and Media Studies

Objectives of the programme:-

i) To develop a clear grasp of the key concepts and theories of media, cultural, and communication studies.

ii) To provide an exposure and hands-on experience on media production (cinema, documentary, videos, photography, etc.)

iii) To train students in developing their writing skills for journalism and other documentation practices.

iv) To engage the students in research activities and methods to produce a research dissertation.

v) To develop critical and analytical abilities to understand the cultural dynamics of society in the context of diverse media and cultural practices.

Learning Outcome:

To apply an interdisciplinary approach in understanding the relationship between media, culture, and communication.
To demonstrate professional skills required in contemporary media and creative industries.
To develop critical perspective in analysis of images, visuals, film and documentary.
To develop the skill in the field of photography, media production, newspaper designing, and creative writing for different forms of media.
To evaluate the different folk and indigenous practices, cultural heritage and design strategies for their conservation.
To make use of theoretical knowledge into practice through internship in media and research organizations.
To develop research skills through application of quantitative, qualitative and visual research methodologies.
To apply the journalistic writing skills and principles in web, data, and mobile journalism.
To analyse the aesthetics of cinematic forms, style and techniques and make critical use of them in production of fiction film/documentary.

Intake and eligibility: 33 seats. Graduates in any discipline with 50% marks in their Bachelors Degree for General category and 45% marks for OBC, SC & ST candidates. International/Foreign students can also take admission through ICSSR or any other proper channel.

Admission Procedure - All India Entrance Examination - CUET 2025 (https://exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-PG/)

https://www.curaj.ac.in/acts/admission-2025-26

Ph.D in Culture and Media Studies

Objectives of the programme:

i) To acquaint the students with the broad research approaches in media and cultural studies.

ii) To provide an understanding of various quantitative and qualitative methods employed in media and cultural studies.

iii) To introduce the students the skills that will facilitate academic writing.

iv) To give scholars an understanding of key thinkers and theoretical constructs in media and cultural studies that would enable them to explore the relevance of these to their own research work.

Intake and Eligibility: Varies every year as per vacant seats.

Eligibility - Students having their Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Cultural Studies, Cinema Studies, Communication Studies, Media Studies are eligible to apply for the Ph.D programme through CUCET examination followed by Viva-voce. Candidates having UGC NET-JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism are exempted from CUCET written test but have to appear the interview conducted by the Department. International/Foreign students can also take admission through ICSSR or any other proper channel through viva-voce.

PG Diploma in Media Writing and Digital Communication

Programme Objectives

To equip students to meet the challenges of futuristic industry of Digital Media Communication.
To develop among students strong competencies in digital content writing by maintaining professional ethics.
To equip students with advanced digital media skills, technical abilities through multimedia labs and industrial exposure.
To train students in conceptual and practical aspects of audio-visual communication and digital marketing.

Learning Outcome

On completion of this course, a student will be able to -

Analyse the process of communication in digital age.
Apply the journalistic writing skills and principles in web, data, and mobile journalism.
Develop creative strategies for website designing.
Develop research skills through application of quantitative, qualitative and visual research methodologies.
Develop entrepreneurial skills required for digital marketing.
Develop the skill in the field of photography, digital media production and content writing.

Intake and eligibility: 20 seats. Graduates in any discipline with 50% marks in their Bachelors Degree for General category and 45% marks for OBC, SC & ST candidates. International/Foreign students can also take admission through ICSSR or any other proper channel.

Admission Procedure - All India Entrance Examination - CUET 2022 (https://cuet.nta.nic.in)

PG Diploma in Media Writing & Digital Communication-Syllabus

Phd Students

1. Mr. Armendra Amar (Enrol No – 2013phdcms001)- Ph.D Viva-Voce Conducted (29/07/2019) PhD Awarded

Topic of Research - An Analysis of Reflect-Effect Studies of Media on Society (A Case Study of ‘Bhopal Gas Tragedy’)

Supervisor’s Name – Dr. Neeru Prasad.

2. Mr. Mahesh Kumar Meena (Enrol No – 2013phdcms002)- Ph.D Viva-Voce Conducted (25/08/2020) PhD Awarded

Topic of Research - The Digital Turn in Hindi Film Industry: An Analysis of Visual Effects.

Supervisor’s Name – Dr. Nicholas Lakra.

3. Ms. Geeta Shahu (Enrol No – 2014phdcms001)- Ph.D Viva-Voce Conducted (08-07-2019). PhD Awarded.

Topic of Research - Media Representation of Nomadic Tribes: A Socio-Cultural Study in Rajasthan.

Supervisor's Name – Dr. Nicholas Lakra.

4. Mr. Dushbir Singh (Enrol No – 2018phdcms001) - Pursuing Ph.D

Topic of Research – Dalits and New Media: A Critical Study of Counter-Hegemony in Digital Age.

Supervisor – Dr. Pranta Pratik Patnaik.

5. Mr. Sagar (Enrol No – 2018phdcms002) - Pursuing Ph.D

Topic of Research – Framing of Issues in Indian Primetime News Debates: A Critical Study.

Supervisor – Dr. Nicholas Lakra.

6. Ms. Anushka Srivastava (Enrol No - 2019phdcms001) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Media Efficacy and Health Awareness in India: A Study among Women in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Supervisor - Dr. Neeru Prasad.

7. Mr. Raheem Khan (Enrol No - 2019phdcms002) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - A Critical Study on Minority Representation in Mainstream Media in India

Supervisor - Dr. Nicholas Lakra

8. Ms. Juhee Prasad (Enrol No - 2020phdcms001) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research -

Supervisor - Dr. Neeru Prasad

9. Mr. Mehul Agarwal (Enrol No - 2020phdcms002) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Mediated Masculinities: Production and Representation in Hindi Television Soap Operas

Supervisor - Dr. Pranta Pratik Patnaik

10. Mr. Mohit Kumar Maurya (Enrol No - 2021phdcms003) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Print journalism in the digital age: A study on the role perception of news professionals in the Indian context

Supervisor - Dr. Anoop Kumar

11. Mr. Pankaj Pratap Singh Raghuwanshi (2022PHDCMS003) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Discourse analysis of legal reporting in prominent newspapers: A comparative study

Supervisor - Prof. Amitabh Srivastava

12. Ms. Sakshi Mathur (2022PHDCMS004) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Textual analysis of BBC news stories with special reference to South Asian Geopolitics

Supervisor - Prof. Amitabh Srivastava

13. Ms. Shalini Kumari (2022PHDCMS005) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Representation of tribal community in Indian cinema and its effect on society

Supervisor - Dr. Nicholas Lakra

14. Mr. Sushant Kumar (2022PHDCMS006 ) - Pursuing PhD

Topic of Research - Bhojpuri folk songs and communication: An ethnomusicology in Bihar

Supervisor - Dr. Pranta Pratik Patnaik

Regular

Prof. Amitabh Srivastava

Professor, Head & Dean

NET & Ph.D. in Journalism & Mass Communication.

amitabh.srivastava@curaj.ac.in

8826452020

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Dr. Anoop Kumar

Assistant Professor

Ph.D in Mass Communication (Pondicherry University), UGC-NET JRF, MA in Mass Communication (Banaras Hindu University), BA (University of Allahabad)

anoop.kumar@curaj.ac.in

7598124614

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Dr. Neeru Prasad

Assistant Professor

PhD, UGC-NET, Master of Mass Communication, PGD in Media Writing.

neeruprasad_cms@curaj.ac.in

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Dr. NICHOLAS LAKRA

Assistant Professor and Coordinator

Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication, Banaras Hindu University (BHU); Varanasi; Master of Journalism, Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriyavidyalaya, Bhopal; NET Journalism and Mass Communication; PG. Diploma in Human Rights, Indian Institute of HR, Delhi

Lakra.nicholas@curaj.ac.in

8503888507

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Dr. Pranta Pratik Patnaik

Assistant Professor

M.A. (JNU, New Delhi), UGC(NET-JRF), M.Phil(University of Delhi), Ph.D. (University of Delhi.)

prantapratik@curaj.ac.in

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Media Lab

The Department has a Media Lab for the students to learn video editing and film making. It is well equipped with effectively functional high-definition cameras, camcorder, sound recorder and video cameras, which is used by the students for photography and making videos, news clip, films and documentaries. Currently the Department has still and video cameras like Sony Alpha 7 Mark IV, Canon 5D Mark-III, Canon 60D DSLR, Panasonic AVC Cam, Canon Legria. Further, camera stabilizing devices like monopod, tripod and gimbal are avaialble in Media Lab. The Lab is equipped with 5 Apple I-Mac Editing work station with non-linear editing software like FCP, Premiere Pro. The students learn sound recording through use of TASCAM, Mics, Lavalier mics, Boom Pole, Rode, etc.

Media Lab Staff

Mr. Shubham Singh, Cameraperson

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CMS students learning the skills of photography and video production.

CMS Media Lab

Computer Lab

The computer lab having 24 computers with internet facility is used by students of Culture and Media Studies for their research project reports, dissertation, and other academic work assigned to them. Currently, the lab is shared with the Department of Economics.

Media Lab

The Department has a Media Lab for the students to learn video editing and film making. It is well equipped with effectively functional high-definition cameras, camcorder, sound recorder and video cameras, which is used by the students for photography and making videos, news clip, films and documentaries. Currently the Department has still and video cameras like Sony Alpha 7 Mark IV, Canon 5D Mark-III, Canon 60D DSLR, Panasonic AVC Cam, Canon Legria. Further, camera stabilizing devices like monopod, tripod and gimbal are avaialble in Media Lab. The Lab is equipped with 5 Apple I-Mac Editing work station with non-linear editing software like FCP, Premiere Pro. The students learn sound recording through use of TASCAM, Mics, Lavalier mics, Boom Pole, Rode, etc.

Video Library

The Department of Culture and Media Studies has a collection of over 100 CDs and DVDs of Cinema and Documentaries, both Hindi and English, which are used as a pedagogical tool to make the students understand semiotics of media texts, history of Indian and World cinema, visual culture, and aesthetics of films.

Swipe to view

Sl.No	Name of Faculty	Nature of Grant	Sanctioned Amount	Sanctioning Authority	Sanction Date
1.	Dr.Nicholas Lakra	Grant for conducting 3 days National Seminar on Application of Artificial Intelligence for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage of India.	7.00 lacs	DST	31-03-2019
2.	Dr. Pranta Pratik Patnaik	Collaborator for the state of Rajasthan to collect data for the Research Project on " Evaluation and Impact Assessment Study of Mass Media Campaign on Safe and Legal Migration"	1.00 lac	Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi	15.1.2021

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Achievement Title

Attached File

Award / Fellowship / Prizes:

UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Ms. Punita Garg (2022MACMS010)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Mr. Harikrishan Jakhar (2022MACMS005)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Ms. Mitushi (2021MACMS010)
NFSC Fellowship - Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment by Research Scholar - Mr. Sushant Kumar (2022PHDCMS006)
UGC-NET JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Ms. Sakshi Mathur (2022PHDCMS004)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Ms. Shalini Kumari (2022PHDCMS005)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Mr. Rohita Kumar Suna (2021MACMS013)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Mr. Sushant Kumar (2022PHDCMS006)
UGC-NET JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Mr. Vinit Kumar (2019MACMS015)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Ms. Tanisha Mathur (2021MACMS016)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Ms. Kirti Kiran (2019MACMS008)
UGC-JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Mr. Sagar(2018PHDCMS002) in 2022.
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. Student - Ms. Aditi Khare (2019macms001)
UGC-JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Mr. Mohit Kumar Maurya (2021PHDCMS002)
UGC-JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Mr. Mehul Agarwal (2020PHDCMS002)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar - Ms. Anushka Srivastava (2019PHDCMS001)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism - Sangeeta Choudhary (M.A. Student, 2016-18 batch) in 2019.
UGC-JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism - Mahima Singh (M.A. Student, 2017-19 batch) in 2019.
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism - Manoj Sharma (M.A. Student,2013-15 batch) in 2019.
UGC-JRF in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar- Mr. Dushbir Singh (2018PHDCMS01)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by Research Scholar – Mr. Sagar (2018PHDCMS02)
UGC-NET in Mass Communication and Journalism by M.A. students – Mahima Singh and Raheem Khan in 2018.

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Mr. Harikrishan Jakhar (MA CMS student, 2022 batch) presented a paper titled "Unmasking Aadhar authentication issues: A case study of biometric and PDS access in Mundoti, Rajasthan" at the Frames of Reference 2024: Digital Citizenship in Contemporary India Seminar on 12-13 January 2024 at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India.
During National Wildlife Week 2022, photographs caputed by Mr. Zeeshan Tirmizi (MA CMS student, 2021 batch) were exhibited at the Central University of Rajasthan and Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University.
Mr. Zeeshan Tirmizi (MA CMS student, 2021 batch) won the Photography contest at the 7th Talk Journalism Conclave in 2022.
Anushka Srivastava (Ph.D. scholar) won Best Session Paper Award for presenting a paper titled 'Media and Health Awareness in India: A Survey in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh' in the International Conference on Media, Communication and Design (ICMCD 2021) organised by Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship received by Research Scholar, Mr. Mahesh Kumar Meena.
Raheem Khan, (M.A. Student) received first prize for news report writing in capacity building workshop organised by Media Foundation, Jaipur.
Raheem Khan (M.A. Student) received third prize in Quiz Competition organised by SPARSH Cell, Central University of Rajasthan.
Rinku Kumar Meena (M.A. Student) received first prize in Wildlife Photography Competition organised by Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Rajasthan.

Films, Documentaries and Photography:

A short film 'Planet or Panic' made by students of Department of Culture and Media Studies, Central University of Rajasthan (Anish Ranjan, Ravi Saini, Mitushi, Chetan Jain and Harshita) won the Special Jury award in Filmithon, 52 Hours Filmmaking Challenge conducted by School of Journalism, Film & Creative Arts, Lovely Professional University during 27 February-01 March, 2023.

International Recognition:

Towards a Fragmented Anatomy, a short film made by Sachin Yaduvanshi (CMS Student, 2^nd Semester) has been selected for the 14^th Edition of the International Student Film Camp Interaction 2019, which will take place in Pozega, Serbia (Europe) in August 2019. Sachin will be awarded travel grant and student visa to attend the Interactive Camp of Filmmakers. There were 123 applications from 38 countries and only 15 entries were selected. The entry from Central University of Rajasthan is the only selected entry from India. You can see the one minute Trailer of the Film by clicking the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0wdwGpW44&feature=youtu.be
A short video – Tilonian Manifesto - made by the students of CMS Dept was selected as one among the 20 shortlisted videos out of 300 videos sent from worldwide in the Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change organised by UNDP-GEF, United Nations Action for Climate Empowerment, Poland. The video is available in CMS YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1t7gsXvLxE

Research Scholars’ Publication:

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Mehul Agarwal & Pranta Pratik Patnaik. (2023). (Re)Visiting Masculinities in Indian Television Soap Operas. Quarterly Review of Film and Video. (A SCOPUS-indexed journal)
Mehul Agarwal & Pranta Pratik Patnaik. (2023). Screening bodies: The Indian male in hindi soap operas. Mass Communicator: International Journal of Communication Studies.
Raheem Khan & Dr. Nicholas Lakra. (2023). The rise of digital journalism: New trends and challenges. Journal of the Oriental Institute. (A UGC Care-listed journal)
Raheem Khan, Mohd. Aamir & Dr. Nicholas Lakra. (2022). Nai shiksha niti-2020. Sambhavnayen aur chunautiyan. Atishay Kalit. (A UGC Care-listed journal)
Mehul Agarwal. (2022). Men will be Men! Normalising Misandry in OTT non-fiction comedy programmes. Journal of Media & Communication (A UGC CARE-listed)
Anushka Srivastava & Dr. Neeru Prasad. (2022). Social and behaviour change communication and health: Evidence from a systematic literature review. Shodh Prabha (A UGC CARE-listed)
Srivastava, A., & Samariya, A. K. (2022). Media and Development: The Future of Women's Health. In M. Singh, N. Tandon, V. Potdar, & P. Bhatt (Eds.), Resilience and Transformation for Global Restructuring. Ethics International Press, UK.
Amar A., (2018), Media text representation of disasters: A content analysis of Bhopal gas tragedy text articles, Communication Today.
Amar A., (2018), Comparative analysis between Hindi and English print media representation of Bhopal gas tragedy, Jankriti.
Meena, M.K., (2018), The impact of Facebook on Women Empowerment in Education Institution, International Journal of Innovative Knowledge Concepts, 6 (6).
Shahu G., (2017), Representation of De-notified and Nomadic tribes in print newspapers: A critical study of media language in Rajasthan, Research Reinforcement Journal, 5(1) Impact Factor 3.012.

CMS Alumni in Jobs:

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Name of the student	Organization/Company name
Rinku Kumar Meena	Young Professional (Media & Communication), Dept. of Patents, Designs & Trademarks, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Mumbai.
Sahib Mendiratta	ETV Bharat, Hyderabad
Dhruba Ranjan Jal	ETV Bharat, Hyderabad
Aditi Khare	Content Writer & Developer - Project Fuel, Josh Talks
Vinit Kumar	Grey Matters Communications, New Delhi
Vipul P Makwana	Junior Communications Officer PR, Institute of Rural Management (IRMA), Gujarat.
Rinku Kumar Meena	Media Production Associate, Ajeevika Bureau (NGO)
Rajat Srivastava	Xebia India, Gurgaon
Nikhil Mittal	FlytBase Labs, Pune
Abhijeet Kumar	HDFC Bank, Patna
Dasharath Singh	Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, New Delhi
Gunjan Jain	Excellent Global Endeavors Advertising Agency, Ahmedabad
M.V.Satyanarayana Reddy Geeta Shahu (Ph.D Scholar) Armendra Amar (Ph.D Scholar) Mahesh K Meena (Ph.D Scholar)	Sakshi TV, Telangana. Assistant Professor, Mahatma Gandhi Antrrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Gandhi Hills, Wardha, Maharashtra Assistant Professor, Dept of Journalism & Mass Communication, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar. Assistant Professor, Dept of Mass Communication and Media Studies, Central University of Punjab.