The newly set up Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences at the University was announced by rector Juanito Camilleri this afternoon.
The new faculty takes up and extends the remit of the Centre for Communication Technology.
The dean of the new faculty, Prof. Saviour Chircop, said explained how the expertise acquired within the Centre for Communication Technology was now making it possible to venture a step further.
This will “integrate communication science within a larger framework that will allow us to study knowledge creation, assimilation, and transfer, by individuals and organisations and its applications and implications for society,” he said.
The new faculty will consist of six departments.
The Department of Media and Communications will be headed by Prof. Chircop. While focusing on the current undergraduate programme in B. Communications, this is also planning to offer a post-graduate degree in media and English.
The Department of Library Information and Archive Sciences, under the leadership of Dr William Zammit, intends to meet the challenges provided by the Malta Libraries Act, currently being debated in Parliament, and the National Archives Act. A Bachelor’s programme will now be available as an area of specialisation.
Prof. Albert Caruana will lead the Department of Corporate Communications. This department will continue to offer a post-graduate programme in Integrated Marketing Communications in conjunction with the San Diego State University. This programme is now preparing for its third cohort and students in the programme receive their degree awards from both the University of Malta and San Diego State University in the US.
Acknowledging the impact of new technologies, the faculty will have a Department of Digital Arts led by Dr Vince Briffa. Postgraduate programmes in Graphic Arts and Games are being planned by the Department to assist industry find personnel for growth and development in these new areas.
A Department of Cognitive Science will be set up headed by Dr Noellie Brockdorff. This conducts research in cognitive science and applies it to knowledge creation, decision-making, knowledge transfer and knowledge dissemination so as to improve message design in different media contexts.
Prof. Joe Cannataci will lead the Department of Information Policy and Governance in the conduct of research and teaching focusing on this area. On the basis of EU funded FP7 projects, in which the department is already involved, the University can continue to offer its contribution in an area deemed important even to the European Union.