Social Theories for Communication Sciences

Recommended Prerequisites

A good knowledge of witten english is recommended.

Teaching Methods

Exposition and discussion of the mandatory readings and scheduled readings for each session (specific bibliography of the seminar), in addition to the presentation and discussion of the texts chosen by the doctoral students around specific questions, theories and objects of interest.

Learning Outcomes

The seminar proposes to approach a number of theories of the social, political and cultural nature of the construction of a common sense, based on ideas of some of the main authors that help placing communication within the matrix of the social sciences. It analyses major theoretical traditions of the social and the political as well as the cultural processes implicated in the production and consumption of media forms.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

 - Gain a critical understanding of major theoretical traditions tin order to understand media communications.

- Be aware of the manner in which communication practices shape perceptions of reality in contemporary society.

- Demonstrate competence in reading relevant academic literature and in reflecting critically on it.

- Demonstrate conformity to appropriate forms of written and discussion of academic work

- Demonstrate awareness of the role of theory in understanding and explaining social life.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Communication and social theory: thinking about communication and the media

2. The media construction of reality

3. Power, biopower and governmentality

4. Communication and the public sphere

5. Critique of political economy: Neoliberalism and the media

6. Political communication in the age of platforms

7. Communication and radical politics: social movements and networks

8. The public communication crisis.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Synthesis work: 20.0%
Research work: 80.0%

Bibliography

 Embora para cada sessão seja constituída uma lista de leituras específicas, as obras que nos guiarão incluem:

Couldry, N. & A. Hepp (2016). The Mediated Construction of Reality. Cambridge: Polity

Davis A (2019) Political Communication: A New Introduction for Crisis Times.

Davis, A., Fenton, N., Freedman, D., & Khiabany, G. (2020). Media, Democracy and Social Change. Sage

Esteves, J. P. (2019) Comunicação política e democracia, Coimbra: I. U. Coimbra

Ferreira J, W Gomes, (2020) Redes, sociedade e pólis: recortes epistemológicos na midiatização FACOS-UFSM

Gomes, W. (2014). Transformações da política na era da comunicação de massa.  Paulus.

Hesmondhalgh, D. e Jason T., ed. (2008) The Media and Social Theory, New York, NY: Routledge

Hepp, A. (2019). Deep Mediatization: Key Ideas in Media & Cultural Studies. Routledge

Wessler, H. (2019). Habermas and the Media. John Wiley & Sons.

Van Dijck, J. Poell, T., & De Waal, M. (2018). The platform society: Public values in a connective world.