Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.

First term
Tuesday from 15:45 to 17:45 at 109 Marais 100

English

Students will know key authors and approaches in the field of communication studies.

Students will know how to apply key concepts in the field of communication studies to modern-day communicative phenomena.

Students will be able to reflect critically on the role of mass media in their lives and on the way media are debated in society.

Students will also learn how to categorize different types of media theories and models.

Throughout the course students will be introduced in academic modes of thought and examination.

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This course provides a general introduction in the interdisciplinary field of communication studies. The following topics will constitute the core of the course:

• Introduction: classifying theories and approaches to communication
• Masses, Mass Media, Mass Society and propaganda: all-powerful media?
• Studying the impact of the Media: short-term effects
• Long-term effects of mass media
• Media-determined societal transformation(s): Innis, McLuhan, Meyrowitz, Postman, Mander
• The emergence of cultural studies and the interpretive power of audiences
• Stuart Hall on communication, culture and society

The course provides an overview of the development communication studies.

We will also reflect on the extent to which classic concepts, theories and approaches in communication science may or may not be relevant for understanding our digital age.

This course follows a lecture format ammended with a series of seminars. Each lecture focuses on a specific phase or approach in the study of communication. Assistance at the seminars is obligatory.

The lectures are supported by presentations. With regular intervals, we will make use of online tools for facilitating in-class interaction such as Mentimeter.

In addition to the classic lecture format, students will be prompted to ask their questions in-class. They will also be given the opportunity to formulate questions on a Facebook channel dedicated to this course.

The course comprises a series of seminars in which students will be prompted to develop a deeper understanding of key notions and approaches seen in class.

Students will be able to attend six seminars in three parallel groups. Seminars will also be used to familiarize students with the mode of examination.

Students will have a reader with selected texts at their disposal. These texts are obligatory material. Most - but not all - of the information presented in class can be found in these texts.

Students are expected to read these texts and to study them alongside their notes and handouts of the professor's presentations.

Exam session January :

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a written exam and on the basis of their presence at the seminars.

The seminars are obligatory for all students, including for those who took the course last year. In the January exam session, students can get one point extra if they attended all seminars.

If students cannot provide a legitimate reason for their absence during two or more seminars, they will lose a point for the exam session in January.

Exam sessions June and September

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a written exam. Presence at the seminars will not be part of the evaluation for the exam sessions of June and September.

Obligatory reading will be provided in the form of a reader that will be made available to the students.

In addition, recommended readings and audio-visual resources will be provided via the online platform Moodle and/or via the course's Facebook page.

The lectures will be supported with prezi presentations that will be made available to the students via the Moodle platform.

The professor will use Wooclap or a similar tool to facilitate interaction with the students at regular moments throughout the course.

The students have at their disposal a selection of texts which allows them to deepen their knowledge of the subject treated in class.

A closed Facebook group will be used to share resources or news related to the course. Moodle and Facebook may also be used to interact with the professor and the assistant of this course.

There are six seminars scheduled. During these seminars, students will home in on topics adressed during the course. Specific seminars will be devoted to the exam and to the reading of academic texts.