Communication and Media

Recommended Prerequisites

The curricular unit has no prerequisites.

Teaching Methods

The curricular unit will have a part of exposition of the theacher about the main theories and research methods related to social communication and social media, and a part with students participation in the classroom with the analysis of practical cases and exercises related to the different analytical approaches to be studied. 

Learning Outcomes

To teach the theoretical frameworks and research methods about social communication and information in contemporary societies. Special emphasis will be given to the sociological prespectives abouth these subjects, namely institutional logics, the social origins and trajectories of journalists and audiences’ dynamics. The main objective is for students to develop a critican stance relating to infomation production, diffusion and reception. The distinction between social communication and social media will also be studied, taking into account social media impact in the production of the public sphere. Of relevance is the concept of post-truth and the centrality of social media to the performativity of personal and social identities. The Portuguese case will be the centre of the empirical cases to analyse.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. News as public knowledge.

2. The history of social communication.

3. Theories on the relationship between social communication and society.

4. Media research methods: Critical Discourse Analysis.

5. The information producers.

6. Audiences and media effects.

7. Media and regulatory policies.

8. Social media.

9. Social media and the production of public sphere: post-truth and the political question.

10. Social media and performative identities.

11. Social communication and social media in Portugal.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic or by final exam as given in the course information: 100.0%

Bibliography

BOYD, DANAH (2015), É complicado. As vidas sociais dos adolescentes em rede. Lisboa: Relógio d' Água

CARPENTIER, N. (2017), Media e participação. Porto: Media XXI.

ESTEVES, J. P. (2011), Sociologia da comunicação. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.

MARTINS, M. L. (2018), A linguagem, a verdade e o poder. Vila Nova de Famalicão: Edições Humus.

VAN DIJK, T. (2018), Discurso, notícia e ideologia. Estudos na análise crítica do discurso. Vila Nova de Famalicão: Edições Humus.