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

First term
Tuesday from 15:45 to 17:45 at Ommegang Om10

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.

None

None

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.

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 via Moodle.

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.

The course comprises a series of seven seminars organised in three parallel groups. The seminars will be organised online with the help of Microsoft Teams. Three of these seminars will be spent on familiarzing students with the exam. The other seminars serve to deepen their understainding of key notions and theories introduced during the lectures. We will also use the seminars to collectively read and discuss a selection of the texts provided in the syllabus.

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. A selection of these texts will be discussed during the online seminars so that students can familiarise themselves with scientific texts written in English.

Exam session January :

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a an online, open book, written exam based on open-ended questions about material covered in class, in the reader, and/or in the seminars.

The overall grade will be based on the following three elements :

• The January exam will count for 90% of the final grade. The exam will be organised via Moodle as a written open book exam, based on open-ended questions
• Four short intermediary tests with closed questions about the obligatory course material will count for 10% of the final grade. An average will be made of the score for each intermediary test. This average will count for 10% of the final evaluation.
• If students miss an intermediary test, they will score 0/20 on that test unless they can present a valid justification for their absence. In that case, this test will not be taken into account in the calculation of the final grade. Students who miss all tests for a valid reason are exempted from the test. Their grade will be based solely on the exam.
• Students who score more than 50% on the mock exam earn an extra point that will be added to the grade scored via the exam and the intermediary tests. Students who do not succeed this mock exam will simply not get this extra point, they do not lose a point.


Exam sessions June and September

• The exam will count for 100% of the final grade. The exam will be organised via Moodle as a written open book exam, based on open-ended questions.
• Students who earned an extra point in the first semester for succeeding the mock exam may keep this extra point for the June and September sessions.

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.

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.

Moodle and email may be used to interact with the professor and the assistant of this course.

There are seven 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.

Moreover, we will organise four intermediary tests that aim to verify whether students have read and understood the obligatory texts that we will use for our collective discussions during the online seminars.