Theories in Communication and Digital Media
Theories in Communication and Digital Media
Dr. Sharon Avital
Class Overview
This class introduces important schools of thoughts in the field of communication and takes a critical perspective by examining the relations between media, technology, and culture.
We will ask how everyday messages shape people’ perceptions and behaviors and how they are related to and dependent upon media institutions and societal considerations.
Taking into account recent accusations regarding the importance of news, media, and the very notion of “fact” and “truth”, this class will examine classic and recent approaches to communication with the aim of understanding the politics of information.
By the end of the class students should be able to:
- Identify and understand important schools of thought in the field of communication
- Understand the myriad considerations shaping the texts in the media
- Understand the myriad elements shaping the ways in which the audience respond to the final product
- Evaluate and analyze messages in the media based on the myriad considerations shaping them
Attendance
The following is very important: If you are absent, it is your responsibility to learn about what you missed and to borrow notes from a classmate. Office hours are for clarification and discussion and are not to substitute as make-up lectures.
You are required to attend 80% of class lectures.
Grade Policy
The average grade in this course is around “70.” This grade means that you have met all basic requirements, produced competent, college-level work, completed the assignments on time, and contributed to the classroom environment. You cannot earn a grade higher than a C without giving extra effort to your assignment and class participation. This extra effort includes actively engaging the course material and significant time spent developing your work and discussion contributions. To earn “85” you must exceed the above requirements of producing solid work as well as show evidence of active participation in the class, completing all activities carefully, and showing preparation, improvement and effort in every area. To earn a grade above “90” you must excel consistently. This means producing polished, professional, well crafted work that shows exceptional effort and mastery of course material, taking an active leadership role in discussion and participation, and being organized, ambitious and articulate.
Earning a grade of “60” or lower means that you have not shown consistent effort toward improvement, and have not met the minimum standards for the course.
It is your right and responsibility to take an active interest in how you are evaluated in this or any class.
I will make every effort to make standards for evaluation as clear as possible. When you discuss grades with me, be prepared to make a well-developed case regarding the evaluation. Your argument must be related to your assignment as presented, and based on how it compares with the criteria for the assignment (not how hard you tried, how you think it compares with someone else’s work, or how it will affect your final grade in the class or overall average. Any grade appeals must occur in writing no sooner than 24 hours after but no later than ONE WEEK after receiving the evaluation. It is probably easiest to initiate grade discussions via email, although I am happy to talk with you in the office or over the phone.
Grading:
Attendance and ACTIVE Participation- 10%
Home Exam- 70%
Close and open-ended questions about the material
Assignment (20%):
These assignment will be done in small groups. We will dedicate a day in class for meetings and discussion with me about the project, about a week before the presentations are due. Howeever, I recommend that you begin working on your projects before Passhover.
Assignment:
For this assignment you need to write a report AND prepare a 15min presentation as a group.
Choose one of the following countries: Israel, USA, Germany, Italy, Russia, Egypt, China.
- What is the World Freedom of Press Index? What is the level of freedom of press in your chosen country?
- Identify the important TV channels, newspapers, internet sites, find out the owners for each one of them and create an ownership map.
- Where possible, please list the ties these companies have with other big businesses in that country.
- What is the regulatory situation in regard to media in your chosen country? (e.g., are there any restrictions on cross ownership of press and electronic media? Limit to number and extent of mergers, Public/private media).
- What are the implications of these regulations (or lack thereof) on the map of ownerships (e.g., can one company own TV and newspapers? Does the country limit the amount of power the government/private owners have on ownerships and or/content? )
- McChesney’s “Rich Media, Poor Democracy” and Hesmondhlgh’s Ch. 11 analyze the current state of affairs in regard to media ownerships and its relation to the regulatory system. According to them, in spite of apparent diversity, media are now owned by fewer companies then in the past. Is this situation true to your company? What caused the change in your country? What are the possible implications of this situation? (in terms of freedom of press, etc other relevant issues).
For your presentation:
No need to read to us out loud each of the companies owned by each of the big media conglomerates. This can be long and tedious. Find a more visual way to present the information and focus the discussion of the connections between the regulatory system, the map of ownerships and the implications in regard to freedom of press and the political situation in your country.
Bonus Points:
You also have the option of earning up to 4 BONUS points.
When preparing for the next class session and reading the required readings you might have an idea for a game or another creative and interactive idea to illustrate one of the main points made in your readings.
You can email me your idea at least one day in advance and IF we have enough time AND your idea is relevant, I will allow you to project your clip and lead a short discussion/ a game/ etc. In that case, you will earn 3pts for your effort (even if the discussion/game did not go as well as you wanted to.)
I cannot promise I will grant you the time but when possible I hope you will be able to contribute and share your creativity and wisdom with all of us.
IMPORTANT: when you email your idea to me please write in title of your email: idea for bonus points, Comm Theory Class. In the email please explain your idea and why it is relevant for the readings. Please make sure to sign your full name: last name, first name in the body of the email.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Students are responsible for noting any changes to the schedule.
Changes will be announced in class and posted on the Moodle.
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Week |
Topic |
Reading |
Assignment |
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1. |
Introduction- Syllabus, The field of Communication
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(all the above are for context and are Optional) |
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Influence
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2. |
Columbia School |
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Frankfurt School |
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3. |
Cultural Studies
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Postmodernim |
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4. |
Continued |
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Talk about presentations |
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5. |
Agenda Setting |
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Muted Group Theory
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6. |
Workshop |
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Continued |
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7. |
Presentations- The Institutional Approach: Relations between legislations, ownership and content
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8. |
Circulation and virality |
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9. |
Technological Determinism |
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10. |
Cyber Warfare- Guest lecture: Ram Levi |
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Class Summary |
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Bibliography
Baudrilliard, J. The Precession of Simulacra, In: Media and Cultural Studies Key Works, eds. Meeakshi, G.D & Kellner D. M. (Malden, M: Blackwell Publishing, 2008).ch.28, p.453-482
Benjamin, W. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” In: Media and Cultural Studies Key Works, eds. Meeakshi, G.D & Kellner D. M. (Malden, M: Blackwell Publishing, 2008). Ch.3, pp. 18-40
Berger, Jonah & Milkman, Katherine L. (2012) What Makes Online Content Viral . Journal of Marketing Research: April 2012, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 192-205.
Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains.
Cooley, Charles, Herbert, Ch.8 in Social Organization. Glencose: The Free Press, 1956, p.80-90
Debord, Guy. “The Commodity as Spectacle.” From: Society of the Spectacle. Detroit, MI: Black and Red, 1970.
Dewey, John, Ch.1 in Democracy and Education. New York: The Free Press, 1966
Griffin, Em. “Agenda Setting.” In: A first Look at Communication Studies. ”Ed. 7. (2008). Ch. 28.
Griffin, Em. “Media Ecology.” In: A first Look at Communication Studies. ”Ed. 7. (2008). Ch. 24
Griffinm, Em. “Muted Group Theory.” In: A first Look at Communication Studies. ”Ed. 7. (2008). Ch. 35
Elior, Rachel. “Present but absent: Still life and a pretty woman who has no eyes- On the presence and absence of women in the Hebrew language, in the Jewish tradition and in Israeli life.” Studies in Spirtuality 20, 381-455 (2010).
Hall, S. "Encoding/Decoding." In: Media and Cultural Studies Key Works, eds. Meeakshi, G.D & Kellner D. M. (Malden, M: Blackwell Publishing, 2008). Ch.13, pp. 163-174
Hesmondhalgh, D. The Cultural Industries, 3rd ed. (London: Sage, 2013), Ch. 9-11.
Horkheimer, M. & Adorno, W. T: “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass deception.” In: Media and Cultural Studies Key Works, eds. Meeakshi, G.D & Kellner D. M. (Malden, M: Blackwell Publishing, 2008). Ch.4, pp. 41-73
Lazarsfeld, Paul. F. and Robert K. Merton, "Mass Communication, Popular Taste, and Organized Social Action" in The Communication of Ideas, ed. L. Bryson (New York: Ins. for Religious and Social Studies, 1948).
McLuhan, “Medium is the Message.”
Nahon, Karin. & Hemsley, J. (2013). What Makes Something Viral I: The Control of Networks through Gatekeeping. Ch.3, p.41-60, In: Going Viral, Malden: USA
