ba (hons) critical practice in fashion media is a distinctive fashion media and communication course that understands fashion as a powerful tool through which to critically engage, confront and intervene in the most urgent issues facing us today. critical practice means using the tools of fashion media and communication to create positive change with a focus on social, racial and climate justice. in the first year of the course, you will learn how fashion activists and critical practitioners across the globe use fashion media and communication to influence audiences and produce meaningful change. you will develop skills in storytelling, futures thinking and speculation and have the opportunity to experiment with writing, content creation and emerging media. the focus of the second year is to learn how to set objectives for change and develop methods for measuring the impact of your work on local communities and audiences. in addition, you will be given the option to undertake a work placement to see first-hand how the fashion and associated industries are managing change. in the third year you will combine the creative, technical and strategic skills gained in years 1 and 2 to research, develop and realise an independent critical practice project. the aim of the project will be to produce meaningful change in or through fashion in the context of climate, racial and/or social justice. you have the option to undertake your independent critical practice project in the form of a business plan supported by staff in the business school. in each year of the course you will support your work using cultural and historical frameworks led by staff from the cultural and historical studies team. diploma in professional studies (dips): between years 2 and 3, you can undertake the year-long diploma in professional studies placements, which is an accreditation awarded by university of the arts london. this will give you an opportunity to undertake a placement with either one company for the entire academic year or divide this time between a maximum of three placements. during the placement/s, you will experience the pace, atmosphere and discipline of working in industry through involvement in the day-to-day activities of a creative business. careers: graduates of the course are suited to traditional communication roles such as writers and editors, content creators and social media managers as well as roles that focus specifically on change, such as learning and impact co-ordinators, inclusion and diversity leads, sustainability strategists, campaign managers, and roles within policy and advocacy. graduates can expect to gain roles in a spectrum of employers from third-sector organisations, in corporate social responsibility as well as in fashion brands with change-making goals. climate, social and racial justice: ual is committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework and are working to embed ual’s principles for climate, social and racial justice into the course. what to expect: fashion communication for change: learn how to engage and influence audiences through fashion and use storytelling to produce positive change. diverse teaching methods: attend lectures, seminars, workshops, open studios, tutorials and peer-led activities which are structured to allow for part-time work and work-experience opportunities. collaboration: participate in cross-course collaboration to experience content beyond your discipline and network with students from other courses. specialist support: learn from a course team of academic experts and industry guests and benefit from language, academic and employability support throughout your studies. state-of-the-art facilities: taught at lcf's east bank campus, you'll have access to our extensive library, specialist equipment, media stores and take part in specialist technical workshops.