An Experimental Project, or How a Comprehensive Final Thesis Was Defended for the First Time at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno

Today, July 28, the Faculty of History, Communication and Tourism hosted the defence of Master's theses by students from the People's Republic of China. The graduates successfully completed the educational programme in the specialisation "Journalism" with a profile in "Media Management" in English. The main innovation of this year was the defence of a comprehensive final thesis.

Three Chinese students – Chen Yihan, Zhou Lin, and Yang Fan – worked together throughout the academic year on one common problem: "The Blogosphere in the Chinese Internet Segment: Specifics of Media Platforms, Blog Concepts, Blogger Types, and Audiovisual Design." It is worth noting that such an experience of collaborative research with the participation of international students was the first not only for the Faculty of History, Communication and Tourism, but for the entire Kupala University as well.

The research supervisors were Inna Minchuk, Head of the Department of Journalism, and Anastasia Zezyulevich, Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism.

Inna Minchuk explained the specificity and uniqueness of this format of graduation thesis:

– The Master's students prepared individual studies within the framework of one common problem. While the methodology and analysis tools are uniform, each student has their own research platforms, practical material, observations, and conclusions. The work is aimed at identifying the specifics of the blogosphere in China on three different national media platforms. To develop a strategy for solving the common problem, each student explored their own thematic area: music blogs, cooking blogs, and travel blogs.

The reviewer of the comprehensive study was Viktor Belozorovich, Dean of the Faculty of History, Communication and Tourism. In his assessment, he emphasised that the value of such work lies not only in the final result, but also in the process itself: it is an excellent opportunity for students and teachers to unite to solve one complex problem and improve their teamwork skills.

The advantages of the new format of research work were also highlighted by Inna Minchuk, Head of the Department of Journalism:

– Firstly, by interacting with each other and coming together to solve one common problem, students immerse themselves in the research deeply and thoroughly. Secondly, during discussions of the topic with their supervisors – and regular consultations were held for the joint thesis – students get constant practice in English, which is a foreign language for both students and teachers. And thirdly, when several people come together to solve one problem, the results are more substantial. This is truly an interesting and useful experimental project that will allow us in the future to avoid a formal approach to comprehensive Master's research.

The State Examination Commission, chaired by Yuri Karnevich, Director of the Grodno Television and Radio Company, highly appreciated the results of the fruitful teamwork. The experts noted the relevance of the chosen topics, the depth of analysis, the scientific novelty, and, most importantly, the applied nature of the results.