Introduction to Media and Communication

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

10 weeks, 1 hour a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Intermediate
Subtitles

English

Found in

Overview

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This course explores how communication and culture shape society, from early mass media theories to modern concepts of ideology and public life. It examines key figures and their impact on media, technology, and communication theories. This course offers a deep dive into the historical development of mass communication, exploring how media, culture, and technology have shaped society over time. It connects communication theories with real-world impacts, providing a clear understanding of how media influences public and private life. Designed for learners interested in media studies, it emphasizes the evolving relationship between communication and cultural ideologies. This course is ideal for students and professionals in media studies, communication, and cultural analysis. A basic understanding of media history is helpful but not required. Learners will gain a deeper appreciation of how communication influences and reflects cultural and political change. The course takes a deep dive into the historical development of mass media, communication theories, and cultural studies. Using both classic and modern approaches, it explores how mass culture, technology, and rationality shape everyday communication. This course is based on Media and Communication, by Paddy Scannell. Copyright ©2020 by Sage Publications Limited. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. Published by Sage Publications Limited, London. Used by arrangement with Sage Publications Limited.

Syllabus

Mass communication: Lazarsfeld, Adorno, Merton, USA, 1930s and 1940s
- This module explores early communication theories and urban sociology from the 1930s and 1940s, focusing on key figures like Lazarsfeld and the development of media influence studies. Learners will analyze foundational methodologies and understand the evolution of social behavior analysis in the context of mass communication.
Mass culture: Horkheimer, Adorno, Brecht, Benjamin, Germany/USA, 1930s and 1940s
- This module explores key concepts in critical theory, including the origins of the Frankfurt School, the influence of Marx and Weber, and the impact of industrialization on culture and consciousness. Learners will analyze how mass culture and technology affect human society and develop an understanding of theoretical perspectives on modernity and social change.
The end of the masses: Merton, Lazarsfeld, Riesman, Katz, USA, 1940s and 1950s
- This module explores foundational theories in mass communication and sociology, focusing on the evolution of media influence during the 1940s and 1950s. It covers key contributions from sociologists like Merton, Lazarsfeld, and Riesman, analyzing how media shaped public behavior and individual choices. Learners will gain insights into early research methodologies and the development of media effects theories.
Culture and communication: Leavis, Hoggart, Williams, England, 1930s–1950s
- This module explores the development of cultural and social analysis in post-war Britain, focusing on the works of key scholars like Hoggart, Williams, and Leavis. It examines how working-class culture was perceived and represented, and how these perspectives influenced broader societal and political discourse. Learners will gain insight into the historical and intellectual context of cultural studies in the 1930s-1950s.
Communication and technology: Innis, McLuhan, Canada, 1950s–1960s
- This module explores the historical evolution of communication technologies and their transformative impact on society. It delves into the theories of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, focusing on how media shapes human interaction and cultural development. Learners will gain insight into the relationship between technology, information, and social change.
Communication as interaction: Goffman and Garfinkel, USA, 1950s–1970s
- This module explores the evolution of sociological thought from macrostructures to everyday interactions, focusing on the works of Erving Goffman and Harold Garfinkel. It examines how communication, social behavior, and the 'sociology of the self' shape our understanding of daily life. Learners will gain insights into key theories that reveal the hidden rules and practices of social interaction.
Communication and language: Austin, Grice, Sacks, Levinson, UK/USA, 1950s–1970s
- This module explores the evolution of pragmatics and communication theories in the 1950s-1970s, focusing on key concepts like speech acts, politeness, and deixis. It examines how language functions in social interaction and how these theories have shaped modern linguistic analysis.
Communication as ideology: Hall, UK, 1960s and 1970s
- This module explores the intersection of communication, media, and ideology through the work of Stuart Hall, focusing on how media shapes cultural meanings and social realities. Learners will analyze theoretical frameworks like the encoding/decoding model and examine the role of media in constructing ideology. The module also highlights historical developments in media studies and audience research.
Communication and publicness: Habermas, Germany (USA/UK), 1950s–1990s
- This module explores the development of public discourse in modern Europe, focusing on Jürgen Habermas's theories of communicative action and the influence of his seminal work, *The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere*. It examines the historical and philosophical contexts of public life, the impact of media, and evolving debates around modernity and postmodernity.
Communication and celebration: Dayan (France) and Katz (Israel), 1990s
- This module explores the evolution of media events and their impact on public perception, focusing on how historical narratives are constructed and interpreted. Learners will analyze key studies in media and communication, including the iconic 'MacArthur Day' event, and understand the role of television in shaping collective memory. The module also examines the theoretical frameworks used to study media and its influence on society.