2010-11 academic year

Communication's Theories (21307

Degree/study: Journalism
Year: 2nd
Term:1st
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 150 hours
Teaching language or languages:
Teaching Staff:

1. Presentation of the subject

This subject constitutes the academic and scientific fundamentals of Communication Studies. It is a basic subject, with a great tradition within national and international Communication Studies. It is like a "map-subject". It presents the students with the research and advances being made in the communication field, both the basic postulates and the theories that they develop, and does not forget the necessary methods to reach these results. For this reason, the main objective of this subject is to offer the students the basic knowledge about communication concepts and theories, in an historical context.

2. Competences to be attained

- General:

•· Understand, analyse and interpret adequately and logically written texts of an academic level about any relevant subject

•· Be able to justify with solid arguments one's opinions and defend them in public

•· Be able to communicate properly, both speaking an writing, in the two official languages in Catalonia - Catalan and Spanish -, in front of expert and inexpert audiences

•· Ability to think autonomously and critically when talking about controversial subjects

•· Be self-disciplent, self-demanding and rigorous when doing academic tasks, and organise your time correctly

•· Develop the sense of curiosity, wanting to know what we don't know, which is an essential competence in all teaching processes and in all professional activities

•· Ability to apply and adapt the acquired knowledge to new contexts and situations, with flexibility and creativity

- Specific of the degree:

•· Knowledge of the informative and communicative processes, as well as of the theories that support or criticise them

•· Knowledge of the English language, as it is a form of expression in the communication media's world

•· Knowledge of the world and of its recent historical evolution

•· Knowledge of the main mediatic debates and events

•· Knowledge of the research techniques applied to the Social Communication field

•· Knowledge of the fundamentals and methods of scientific disciplines that can contribute to understand the world better

- Specific of the subject:

•· Knowledge and critical vision about the different communication's theories and about their methodology

•· Understand that any human phenomenon is generated in the time by an agent, by social relations, by needs, by interests, by rational actions, etc., and that is possible to have a reaction towards the parameters of the context where it happens

•· Knowledge of the fundamentals of research methodology in the communication field

•· Know how to find the interpretative key points of any social, economic and productive phenomena. Knowledge of the social values at the moment, in order to adapt messages to them

3. Contents

Part 1: Communication as a subject to study: research in communication

•· Definition of the subject to study

•o Human communication

•o Mass communication

•· The start and history of research in communication

•o The first theories: Hypodermic needle model

•o Limited Effects Theory

•o Theories about knowledge

•§ Theory of the distancing from knowledge

•§ Spiral of Silence Theory

•· Current tendencies on research in communication

•o The information society

Part 2: Different perspectives of communication

•· The interpretative perspective

•o "La Escuela de Palo Alto"

•o Constructionism

•o The symbolic interaction

•o Ethnomethodology

•o Goffman's contributions

•§ The Framing Theory

•· The functionalist perspective

•o The origins of functionalism. Principles and concepts

•o Communication's Functions and Dysfunctions

•o Communication's uses and social effects

•§ Uses and Gratifications Theory

•§ Agenda-setting Theory

•· The critical perspective

•o The Frankfurt School

•o The political economy

•o Cultural studies

•§ Reception Theories

4. Assessment

The continuous assessment will consist of two parts: an assessment of the theoretical part (exam) and another assessment of the practical part (individual tasks, task in groups, participation). Under no circumstances will this practical part be worth less than 50% of the final mark.

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

BUSQUET, J.; MEDINA, A.; SORT, J. La recerca en comunicació. Què hem de saber? Quins passos hem de seguir?. Barcelona: UOC, 2006.

IGARTUA, J. J.; HUMANES, M. L. Teoría e investigación en comunicación social. Madrid: Síntesis, 2004.

McQUAIL, D. Introducción a la teoría de la comunicación de masas. Barcelona: Paidós, 1999.

RODRIGO, M. Teorías de la comunicación. Ámbitos, métodos y perspectivas. Barcelona: Publicacions de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2001.

RODRIGO, M.; ESTRADA, A. Les teories de la comunicació. Barcelona: UOC, 2008.

SORIANO, J. L'ofici de comunicòleg. Mètodes per investigar la comunicació. Vic: Eumo, 2007.

WIMMER, R. D.; DOMINICK, J. R. La investigación científica de los medios de comunicación. Barcelona: Bosch, 1996.

5.2. Complementary bibliography

BONI, F. Teorías de los medios de comunicación. Barcelona: Publicacions de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2008.

FARRÉ, J. Invitació a la teoría de la comunicació. Tarragona: Universitat Rovira Virgili, 2005.

GARCÍA JIMÉNEZ, L. Teorías de la comunicación en España: un mapa sobre el territorio de nuestra investigación (1980-2006). Madrid: Tecnos, 2007.

GARCÍA, M.; IBÁÑEZ, J.; ALVIRA, F. El análisis de la realidad social: métodos y técnicas de investigación y compilación. Madrid: Alianza, 1993.

MATTELART, A.; MATTELART, M. Historia de las teorías de la comunicación. Barcelona: Paidós, 1997.

MORAGAS, M. (ed.). Sociología de la comunicación de masas. Vol. I, II, III i IV. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1985.

RODRIGO, M. Los modelos de la comunicación. Madrid: Tecnos, 1995.

RODRIGO, M. La comunicación intercultural. Barcelona: Anthropos, 1999.

SAPERAS, E. Introducció a les teories de la comunicació. Barcelona: Pòrtic, 1992.

SAPERAS, E. La sociología de la comunicación de masas en los Estados Unidos. 2a de. Barcelona: ESRP/PPU, 1992.

VALBUENA, F. Teoría general de la información. Madrid: Noesis, 1997.

WOLF, M. La investigación de la comunicación de masas. Barcelona: Paidós, 1987.

5.3. Teaching resources

•· COMMUNICATION WEBSITES

Portal de la comunicación del INCOM (UAB) http://www.portalcomunicacion.com/cat/home.asp

Infoamerica

http://www.infoamerica.org/

Communication, cultural and media studies http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/index.html

The media and communication studies site

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/

•· COMMUNICATION THEORIES

Nombre Falso: comunicación y sociología de la cultura (Argentina)

http://www.nombrefalso.com.ar/

New Media Studies

http://www.newmediastudies.com/

The Critical Theory

http://www.uta.edu/huma/illuminations/

Effects Research

http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/media/efterms.html

JOURNALS

Análisis: cuadernos de comunicación y cultura (UAB)

http://ddd.uab.es/record/2

Formatos: revista de comunicación audiovisual (UPF)

http://www.upf.edu/materials/depeca/formats/si_flash2.htm

Revista Latina de Comunicación Social

http://www.ull.es/publicaciones/latina/

Zer: Revista de Estudios de Comunicación

http://www.ehu.es/zer/

•· SOCIAL SCIENCES

Sociosite (sociology resources)

http://www.sociosite.net

Critical dictionary for the social sciences

http://www.ucm.es/info/eurotheo/diccionario/

RESEARCH CENTRES AND ASSOCIATIONS

Unidad de Investigación en Comunicación Social (U.P.F.)

http://www.upf.edu/depeca/unica/

Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación

http://www.ae-ic.org/esp/home.asp

Federación Latinoamericana de Facultades de Comunicación Social

http://www.felafacs.org/

Seminario Hacia una Comunicación Posible (México)

http://www.uacm.edu.mx/comunicologia/index.html

Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya

http:// www.cac.cat

Observatorio de la Comunicación Audiovisual

http://www.upf.edu/depeca/opa/home_cat.htm

THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Portal de la Sociedad de la Información (Generalitat de Catalunya)

http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/societat-informacio

Televisió de Catalunya (information and news about information society)

http://www.tvcatalunya.com/internet/info.htm

HOW TO CITE QUOTES IN ACADEMIC TASKS

How to elaborate and academic task

http://www.upf.edu/bibtic/es/guiesiajudes/tre-aca.html

Referencias y citaciones bibliográficas (UB)

http://www.ub.es/criteris-cub/ARXIUS/pdf/part4.pdf

6. Metodology

The learning process will be organised as follows:

•· Lectures

•· Tasks in class

•· Tasks at home

•· Self-learning

•· Meetings

•· Exams

Distribution of time

This is a 6 ECTS subject, so the students should spend 150 hours on it. We expect them to organise these hours as follows:

Activities	HOURS
Lectures	40
Seminars	20
Exams	2
Meetings	2
Tasks at home	32
Self-learning	24
Preparation of the exams	30
Total	150

The learning process in class will consist of 3 "tasks": lectures, seminars and exams. The lectures and seminars will take up 10 weeks, 6 hours a week (divided in two parts of 2h and 4h respectively).

Week	Lectures	Seminars
1	6 hours	---
2	4 hours	2 hours
3	4 hours	2 hours
4	2 hours	4 hours
5	4 hours	2 hours
6	4 hours	2 hours
7	2 hours	4 hours
8	4 hours	2 hours
9	4 hours	2 hours
10	2 hours	4 hours
Total	36 hours	24 hours

Sessions IN CLASS

Lectures: Explain the main concepts and the different theoretical perspectives of the study of communication. Solve the problem and doubts of the students. 18 sessions (2h each).

Seminars: Tasks in class; they are assessable exercises (in groups or individual). 12 sessions (2h each), always following a lecture session (3 groups, 4 sessions of 2h).

The activities that you will be doing in the seminars are:

•· Comparative reading of texts

•· Analysis exercises and/or application of knowledge

•· Discussion and correction of the tasks done at home

Activities AT HOME

Supervised by the teacher:

•· Prepare assessable activities: tasks, reading of texts, etc.

•· Reflection exercises that cannot be done in class.

Self-learning:

•· Read the basic manuals of the subject and other selected texts.

7. Planning of activities

Lectures: 18 sessions (2h each) (36 hours)

Seminar: 12 sessions (2h each) (24 hours)

3 groups (A, B, C) of 26 students each, with alternate sessions of 2 hours every 3 weeks (approx.) Each student does 4 sessions (8 hours)

Week

Activities in class

Activities at home

Week 1: Part 1

Session 1. Lecture

Session 2. Lecture

Plenary - Meeting

Individual reading

Week 2:

Part 1

Session 3. Lecture

Session 4. Lecture

Seminar A-1

Prepare task

Week 3:

Part 2 L1

Session 5. Lecture

Session 6. Lecture

Seminar B-1

Prepare task

Week 4:

Part 2 L1

Session 7. Lecture

Session 8. Seminar C-1

Seminar A-2

Prepare task

Week 5:

Part 2 L1

Session 9. Lecture

Session 10. Lecture

Seminar B-2

Prepare task

Week 6:

Part 2 L2

Session 11. Lecture

Session 12. Lecture

Seminar C-2

Prepare task

Week 7: Part 2 L2

Session 13. Lecture

Session 14. Seminar A-3

Seminar B-3

Prepare task

Week 8:

Part 2 L3

Session 15. Lecture

Session 16. Lecture

Seminar C-3

Prepare task

Week 9:

Part 2 L3

Session 17. Lecture

Session 18. Lecture

Seminar A-4

Prepare task

Week 10:

Part 2 L3

Session 19. Lecture

Doubts Session 20. Seminar B-4

Seminar C-4

Prepare task