Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Department of Sociology

Code

ESZOCBA65

Title

Sociology of Communication

Usual semester

Spring

ECTS

4

Language

en

Learning outcomes

The objective of the course The purpose of the course is for students to become familiar with the main theories about the interaction between society and the media. We explore the changing role, influence, and social functions of the media. Throughout the course, we switch between synchronic and diachronic perspectives, learn about the social conditions and effects of creating and spreading printed and audiovisual media, discuss classical theories of media influence, and evaluate their relevance in the age of new media. During contact hours, the lecturer’s presentations and moderated discussions with active student participation alternate. The debates are organized around dilemmas related to the course topics.

Course content

Outline: Week 1: Introduction. Course outline, course requirements. Functions and dysfunctions of the media. Week 2: The concept of the public sphere.  (Habermas). The transformation of the private and public spheres in the new media age. Debate: The transformation of the public in the age of the Internet: positives and negatives. Week 3: The print media Social, economic, and political conditions for the appearance and spread of the printed press. Early theoreticians of the freedom of the media. (Keane) Changing functions of the press. Debate: Greater media freedom or stricter regulation? Week 4:           The emergence of radio and film - early theories of media influence Magic bullet theory, (Lasswell), "People's choice" research, two-step flow of communication, the role of interpersonal communication (Katz-Lazarsfeld) Debate: Is mass media a weak or strong influence? Week 5:           The emergence of television - Theories of strong media influence Gerbner's cultivation theory; McLuhan's technological determinism. Debate: Is the content or form/medium of media messages more important? Week 6:  Weak media effect theories Agenda-setting effect (McCombs and Shaw); Modification of the theory: framing theory. Debate: Passive or active audience? Week 7:           The role of the audience The role of the recipient in the interpretation of the message. The concept of an active audience. The uses and gratification theory. Selection. Possibilities of interpretation, coding, and decoding (S. Hall). Debate: the rise of new media and citizen journalism: positives and negatives. Week 8: The spiral of silence The relationship between mass media, interpersonal communication, and public opinion. The spiral of silence theory (Noëlle-Neumann). Pluralistic ignorance. Debate: Dictatorship of the majority? Week 9:           The informative function of the media The concept of news. The news value. How is the news created? The function of information in the age of infotainment and fake news. Debate: Do we need public service media? Week 10:         Fake news Information in the age of post-truth. The spread of fake news and conspiracy theories. Debate: Objective information or interpretive journalism? Week 11: The entertainment function of the media Historical overview. Criticism of the entertainment function - Frankfurt school. Debate: The rise of entertainment - the death of the responsible citizen? Week 12:         Postmodern media criticism Fragmentation, intertextuality, pastiche, irony (Baudrillard) Debate: Pros and cons of political correctness. Week 13:         Feminist media criticism Women in the media. Liberal, radical, and postmodern feminist media criticism. Invisibility, stereotypes, the male gaze. Debate: Feminizing media or surviving stereotypes?

Assessment method

Assessment: The subject is a lecture that ends with an in-person, written exam taken in the university building during the exam period. There will be no online exam options, exams can only be taken during the pre-announced exam times. One exam date in December and one in January are expected. The exam is based on the lectures and the required reading. Attendance at lectures and active participation in class is strongly recommended. Participation in structured classroom debates may be rewarded with extra points, which will be added to the exam score. Important information regarding classes during the fall semester of 2025/26 In this term, the majority of the lectures will take place in person, at the university building. However, due to my temporary stay abroad, a few lectures will be replaced by individual work-based homework assignments and online lectures held on the Teams platform during the regular lecture time. Attendance at both in-person and online classes is strongly recommended. The current schedule and type of classes, with links to join the Teams lectures, will be regularly posted on the Canvas interface.

Bibliography

Required reading: Chambers, Deborah (2017) Networked intimacy: Algorithmic friendship and scalable sociality. European Journal of Communication, 32: 1. 26–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323116682792 Griffin, Em; Andrew Ledbetter and Glenn Sparks (2023) A First Look at Communication Theory, 11th Ed. McGraw Hill, : Division Six: Mass Communication Habermas, J. (., Burger, T., & Lawrence, F. (1994). The structural transformation of the public sphere: An inquiry into a category of bourgeois society. Cambridge: Polity Press.(selected chapters on Cancvas) Keane, J. (. (1991). The media and democracy. Cambridge: Polity Press. (selected chapters on Canvas)

Recommended bibliography

Further recommended reading: Boyd, Danah (2014) It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press. Gill, Rosalind (2007) Gender and the Media. Polity Marris, P., & Thornham, S. (2005). Media studies: A reader (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press. Van Dijck, Jose (2013) The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media. Oxford University Press.

Programmes of the course