Netherlands Research School for Media Studies

The Netherlands Research school for Media Studies (RMeS) is a national network of academic experts in media research. It is organized to advance knowledge on media and to educate young scholars, both PhD candidates and promising RMa students, in classical and cutting edge theories and methodologies in media studies, and to offer them an opportunity to start building a network.

RMeS News & Events

RMeS RMa Course: Studying digital activism: Discourses, practices, and politics

April – May 2025 | Erasmus University Rotterdam
This course examines the complex layers of digital activism, with a particular focus on Instagram. As digital technologies become integral to mobilizing for collective action and advocating for political transformation, it is crucial that we critically investigate the impacts of these phenomena upon contemporary forms of political participation and civic engagement.

RMeS Summer School 2025: Media Transformations

25, 26 & 27 June 2025 | VU University and Open University
In today’s rapidly evolving digital societies, media are not only ubiquitous but also increasingly reshaping the ways we communicate, create, and understand the world. From the rise of datafication and generative AI to an increased platformization and participatory news production, the media landscape is undergoing profound transformations. This does not only impact people’s lives, but also challenges us as researchers, who are forced to find ways to  navigate a rapidly evolving field. Questions we used to have an answer to seem to be re-opened, and new questions emerge.

Masterclass: Serious Games as Participatory Research Methods: How to Engage Civil Society in Research Design

13 February 2025 | University of Amsterdam
This Masterclass wishes to provide a space to discuss participatory research methods as an alternative to traditional research. Instead of viewing participants as “subjects” like in traditional research design, participatory research provides a less extractive way of conducting research: its dual purpose is to learn from collaborators while also providing opportunities for communities themselves to engage with the research topic.

Symposium: Studying audiovisual media experiences (University of Groningen)

5 March, 14:00-18:30 | University of Groningen

This symposium explores innovative and interdisciplinary research approaches to studying lived experiences in the fields of film and media studies. The event brings together international researchers working with both qualitative and quantitative methods of investigating experiences of film and other contemporary audiovisual media production and reception.

PhD Ceremony: Denise Mensonides – Navigating the Digital Playground

Date: February 6, 2025, 11:00 Location: University of Groningen, Academy Building This dissertation investigates how children aged 8 to 12 develop digital literacies in ways that are personally meaningful to them. It highlights the role of different social contexts, such as the home, school and afterschool care, in these processes. Through longitudinal participant observations and interviews […]

Impact Conference: Making a Difference. Societal Impact through Collaborative Research

Two-day workshopping conference for collaborative research experts and those who want to get into the game! Dates: April 7–8, 2025 Location: De Zalen van Zeven, Utrecht, The Netherlands Instructors: Dr. Karin van Es, Dr. Dennis Nguyen, Dr. Bart Kamphorst and Dr. Mirko Tobias Schäfer ECTS: 2 EC For: PhD candidates and enthusiastic research master students seeking to […]