Department of Social Communications

Established in 2003 under the Faculty of Philology and Mass Communications, the Department of Social Communications actively generates modern knowledge, utilizing advanced scientific achievements and digital technologies. The aim is to train highly qualified specialists, considering the needs of society and fostering the development of individuals with national consciousness, creative thinking, and responsibility. The department’s staff comprises scientific and pedagogical workers with a high level of professional training, teaching experience in higher education, and significant scientific potential.

The educational process is supported with specialized literature, manuals, methodical recommendations, and programs for both mandatory and elective courses. Teachers and students actively participate in scientific conferences; organize scientific and practical seminars, round tables, intellectual competitions, and educational excursions. The Department of Social Communications is a participant in the Erasmus+ DESTIN project "Journalism education for democracy in Ukraine: developing standards, integrity, and professionalism" (2019-2023), cooperating with 13 Ukrainian and European universities, the Austrian Agency for the Quality of Education, the European Association of Training of Journalists, the European Network of Ethical Journalism, Public Radio, the Student Association, and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (DESTIN Project).

The staff of the department is continuously working to improve the quality of professional training for higher education students. This involves systematic monitoring of the development of the field of professional education, joint research with participation from both teachers and students, training sessions to enhance students’ professional skills and prepare them for modern journalism. The department is actively involved in searching and implementing innovations and modern technologies in the educational process, including digital platforms, multimedia technologies, artificial intelligence, online resources, and diagnostics of the quality of training of applicants. The "Laboratory of Media Literacy and Media Research" (headed by Prof. T.V. Ivanova) and the "Center of Media Communications and Digital Arts" (headed by Prof. S.V. Bezchotnikova) contribute

to these efforts. The department also actively develops and publishes relevant teaching aids for disciplines forming educational programs.

A special emphasis in the educational process is placed on the professional and practical training of higher education students. Practice bases for journalism students include institutions of higher education, media editorial offices (publications, radio, television stations, and online media), and institutions specializing in advertising and PR, NGOs, and media laboratories and studios (innovation centers where students can learn new technologies for content production, video editing, and working with visual materials). These practice bases provide students with the opportunity to gain practical experience in their field and develop their professional skills.

Moreover, our students have the opportunity to undergo internships and engage in scientific activities in institutions of higher education abroad through various academic mobility programs offered by Mariupol State University.

The department operates a scientific school focusing on information policy and social engineering, led by the founder and head, Georgy Georgiyovich Pocheptsov, a Doctor of Philological Sciences and Professor in the Department of Social Communications at Mariupol State University. The results of the school’s work have practical applications for mass media workers, specialists in the advertising and PR industry, as well as teachers and students studying subjects in the relevant field.

In 2017, the Department of Social Communications successfully concluded work on the complex topic "Mass Media and the Latest Social and Communication Technologies: Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Design" (supervisor: Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor S.V. Bezchotnikova, state registration number 0112U005931). This endeavour led to the publication of a collective monograph titled "Advertising and Public Relations of the 21st Century." The monograph summarizes scientific research from Ukraine, the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, and Bulgaria, covering topics such as forecasting election results based on social media data, soft influences through cinematography, advertising in computer games, myths in advertising, and PR vs. propaganda.

Since 2018, the department’s teachers have been conducting scientific research within the framework of the complex topic "Theoretical and Methodological Foundations of Professional Training of Specialists in the Field of Journalism, Advertising, and PR in the Context of the Competence Approach" (supervisor: Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor T.V. Ivanova, state registration number 0118U003554).

An important achievement of the department is that, from 2015 to 2017, MSU was the base university for the II round of the All-Ukrainian competition for student scientific works in the field of social communications, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The annual all-Ukrainian internet conference "Professional Training of Specialists in the Field of Journalism, Advertising, and PR" for young scientists, undergraduates, and graduate students is a significant scientific event held by the Department of Social Communications.

The department initiated "Azov Journalism Studies" to study the mass media of the Azov region and establish contacts between scientists and practicing journalists. The thematic areas of the event cover the development of regional periodicals, prospects for the development of electronic media in the Azov region, and regional aspects of modern advertising and PR technologies.

As part of the MediaHub project (2020-2021), the department is researching "Interactive Methods and Tools for Working with the Audience on the Information Portal." The teachers of the department secured funding for projects such as "Youth TV" (2020-2023), "MEDIAHUB" (2021), and "Spreading Peaceful Rhetoric in the Mass Media" (2015), among others.

The Student Scientific Society of the Young Scientists Community operates in the department. For many years, the press club has been actively working, hosting creative meetings and master-classes with successful practitioners in the field of mass media.

The Department of Social Communications is a member of the European Journalists’ Training Association (EJTA) and the European Media Management Association (EMMA), actively cooperating with them. This collaboration has resulted in integration into the European educational space, with the participation of teachers and students in scientific and practical conferences worldwide.

New international projects include the CHANSE project (2024-2027) in partnership with scientists from Finland, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland, coordinated by the Faculty of Journalism, Information, and Book Studies of the University of Warsaw. Another project is the UKRAINETT in Norway (2024-2026) in partnership with the Norwegian University of OsloMet.

A significant project that will shape educational programs in accordance with the European qualification framework is the Erasmus+ DESTIN project "Journalism Education for Democracy in Ukraine." Specialists from Ukrainian, British, Polish, Irish, and Swedish universities, along with professional organizations from Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, participated in the project, financed by the European Union. The goal is to enhance the quality of bachelor’s and master’s programs in journalism according to EU standards, promote student employment in the profession, and enhance media literacy in society.

As a result of the Erasmus+ DESTIN international project, the Laboratory of Media Literacy and Media Research was established at the Department of Communications of Mariupol State University. It provides advisory, scientific, and educational support for educational and methodical activities aligned with the department’s profile.

The Department of Social Communications, in collaboration with the Academy of the Ukrainian Press, participates in press tours with foreign journalists covering events at the front, showcasing the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian armed forces against Russian invaders. Additionally, AUP, together with the Department of Social Communications, conducts online sessions with foreign experts on topics such as opposing Russian propaganda, forming critical thinking, and promoting media literacy. Renowned specialists in social communications, including Werner D’Inca, Peter Pomerantsev, Tim Sebastian, and Lauri Palsa, have addressed the department’s teachers and students.

Foreign partners of the department include:
European Journalist Training Association (EJTA)
European Media Management Association (EMMA)
Ethical Journalism Network (EJN)
University of Warsaw (Poland)
Norwegian University OsloMet, Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway)
Media Development Fund of the US Embassy in Ukraine
Virginia State University (USA)
Internews-Network USAID (USA)
Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Germany)
Friedrich Naumann Foundation "For Freedom" (Germany)
Vilnius University (Lithuania)
Turiba University (Latvia)
Baltic International Academy (Latvia)
University of Bath Spa (Great Britain)
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland)
Dan Leary Institute of Art, Design, and Technology (Ireland)
Linnaeus University (Sweden)
World University Service, Osterreichisches Komitee Verein (Austria)
Thomas More University of Applied Sciences (Belgium)