LIFESTYLE
Storytelling for social change
AUT’s innovative approach equips students with the intellectual tools to craft narratives that reshape society.
Senior Lecturer Jennie Watts says curiosity is at the heart of her passion for continued learning. Her career has spanned roles in government agencies, running her own communications consultancy, and working in the health sector. As an education officer in the Ministry of Education, she often found herself supporting Boards of Trustees or Principals who found themselves having to deal with crisis communications.
“All of a sudden they were having to unpick a sticky situation, front questions from the media, and communicate issues clearly and fairly with their communities,” says Jennie. “I had the skills to help with that, supporting them to answer questions clearly. “I realised that while I had practical communications skills, I didn’t have a clear understanding of why different things worked, or the theory of communications, and that spurred me to return to study.”
Jennie enrolled in AUT’s Master of Communication Studies. “I met some incredibly inspiring senior academics. They helped me expand my understanding of what we mean by communication beyond a communications strategy or providing comms support, but the wider field, exploring how messaging, reputation and organisational structure are all tied together.”
Jennie realised that her real passion lay in using communication for good. “It might sound a bit worthy,” she laughs, “but I realised that I felt compelled to use my understanding of communications theory and practice to make a difference.
“Returning to study was definitely challenging, but incredibly satisfying. I hadn’t done any post graduate study, so I had to learn those skills, but the teaching staff are welcoming and supportive, and I felt like I was discovering fields of research I hadn’t known existed all the time.
“Further education attracts people who are curious,” says Jennie. “I fell in love with learning again, even though the initial learning curve was steep.”
Jennie ending up completing her PhD, while also starting a family, and continues teaching in the Critical Media Studies Department. “You can be working in a role and being effective, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Coming back to study definitely opened my mind to new areas of thought, and has made me a better communicator.
“The idea that you can gather the evidence to support a change, and to develop communications strategies to make a difference — communication for social change — is what really drives me.”
In her role with Lifting Literacy Aotearoa, Jennie has been part of the advocacy group that has helped introduce the evidence-based policy that will support New Zealand’s kids to learn to read — in a way actually supported by science. “I discovered there is a huge body of evidence written by education researchers and neuro-scientists who’ve been working for many years on the science of reading, and a teaching approach called structured literacy. It was clear the way New Zealand has taught reading over the decades has a big part to play in some pretty grim statistics, and that introducing evidence-based teaching, based on cognitive science — how our brains work — would reduce some of the gaps we have in our children’s and our wider society’s literacy rates.
“Working alongside a remarkable team to help get that science-based evidence into our policies and into our schools is hugely motivating for me, not only for my own son, but for all learners and New Zealand.
“At its heart, we’re talking about storytelling, and getting those stories, alongside the evidence, into the ears of the right people.”
AUT’s Master of Communication Studies has been refreshed for 2025, offering in-person teaching across three specialisations: Communication Leadership, Media Innovation and Inclusive Journalism.
To make life easier for practitioners who are already working, each class is taught in the evening, with classes every second week of semester, plus one Saturday workshop per course. Throughout the course, students will develop a portfolio of work, putting what they’re learning into practice.
Applications are welcome from anyone with a bachelor’s degree who is interested in upskilling, reskilling or taking their career in a new direction. Learn more about the courses available and apply online.
Find out more www.aut.ac.nz/mcs