FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION

Department of Cinema and Digital Media

COMM 102 | Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Name
Theories of Communication
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
COMM 102
Spring
2
2
3
5

Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Required
Course Level
First Cycle
Mode of Delivery -
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course Discussion
Case Study
Q&A
Lecture / Presentation
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s) -
Course Objectives The theory component of the course aims to introduce the students to the major theories that shape the field of communication studies within their historical contexts. Students will acquire the necessary knowledge to critically reflect on the major paradigms of the last century within media and communication theories. The application component aims to enable students\nto deploy the communication theories and models in the analysis and production of media products.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • discuss the relation between the developments in mass communication processes and their historical conjunctures.
  • define the fundamental models of mass communication.
  • define the fundamental theories of mass communication and their weaknesses and strengths
  • apply the theories discussed in this course to the analysis of a variety of different media texts.
  • make use of the relevant terminology from the field of communication studies when analyzing media texts
Course Description The course focuses on the media and communication theories that have been developed over the 20 th century and the beginning of the 21 st century. The course adopts a historical perspective when introducing these theories, shedding light not only on the theories and models themselves but also on the socio political context within which they have emerged. The first section of the course focuses on administrative (mainstream media theories) while the second section introduces critical approaches to media and communication. In the application component, the students are expected to use the theories they have learned in their analysis and production of media texts. Within this context, the course includes a two hours-per-week application module. In some weeks students present and critique the media texts they have produced. In others they form groups to engage in hands-on text analysis.

 



Course Category

Core Courses
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Management Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Related Preparation
1 Introduction
2 Theory Building and Communication Communication Theory, s.1/14
3 The mass – Media, Culture and Society Communication Theory, s. 43/59
4 Empiricist Approach P. F. Lazarsfeld and R. K. Merton, Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action. Mattelart & Mattelart, Theories of Communication, s. 5/11
5 Models and Effects Mc Quail, Mass Communication Theory, s.68/76 ve 86/94
6 Medium Theory Mattelart & Mattelart, Communication Theory, s.19/25
7 Midterm
8 Marxism and Media Theory Mattelart & Mattelart, Communication Theory, s.57/68
9 The Culture Industry Theodor Adorno, the culture Industry, s.62/84
10 The Political Economy of Media Dallas W. Symythe, On the Audience Commodity and its Work, s.230/256
11 Media and Cultural Studies Stuart Hall, Encoding/Decoding s.164/173
12 Postmodernism and Media Studies Guy Debord, Society of Spectacle, s.108/127. Jean Baudrillard, The Precision of Simulacra, s.453/481
13 Informationalism and the Network Society M. Castells, (2009) Communication Power and counter-power in the Network Society, s.238/259
14 Digital Cultures and Politics
15 Review
16 Final

 

Course Notes/Textbooks

Mattelart, A.  Mattelart M. (1998) Theories of Communication: A Short Introduction. London, Sage. ISBN: 1446232441, 9781446232446

Suggested Readings/Materials

Castells, M. (2009) Communication Power. Oxford Unıvers Wiley- Blackwell. ISBN: 978-0199595693

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
1
10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
1
30
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm
1
30
Final Exam
1
30
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
3
70
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
1
30
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Theoretical Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
2
32
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)
16
2
32
Study Hours Out of Class
14
3
42
Field Work
0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
0
Portfolio
0
Homework / Assignments
-
0
Presentation / Jury
1
10
10
Project
0
Seminar / Workshop
0
Oral Exam
0
Midterms
1
10
10
Final Exam
1
20
20
    Total
146

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

To be able to have fundamental knowledge about narrative forms in cinema, digital and interactive media, and the foundational concepts relevant to these forms.

2

To be able to create narratives based on creative and critical thinking skills, by using the forms and tools of expression specific to cinema and digital media arts.

3

To be able to use the technical equipment and software required for becoming a specialist/expert in cinema and digital media.

4

To be able to perform skills such as scriptwriting, production planning, use of the camera, sound recording, lighting and editing, at the basic level necessary for pre-production, production and post-production phases of an audio-visual work; and to perform at least one of them at an advanced level.

5

To be able to discuss how meaning is made in cinema and digital media; how economy, politics and culture affect regimes of representation; and how processes of production, consumption, distribution and meaning-making shape narratives.

6

To be able to perform the special technical and aesthetic skills at the basic level necessary to create digital media narratives in the fields of interactive film, video installation, experimental cinema and virtual reality.

7

To be able to critically analyze a film or digital media artwork from technical, intellectual and artistic perspectives.

8

To be able to participate in the production of a film or digital media artwork as a member or leader of a team, following the principles of work safety and norms of ethical behavior.

9

To be able to stay informed about global scientific, social, economic, cultural, political, institutional and industrial developments.

10

To be able to develop solutions to legal, scientific and professional problems surrounding the field of cinema and digital media.

11

To be able to use a foreign language to communicate with colleagues and collect data in the field of cinema and digital media. ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).

12

To be able to use a second foreign language at the medium level.

13

To be able to connect the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to the field of expertise.

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest

 


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