Introduction to Media and Communication Studies

Module 1 Introduction to media and communication studies 3 (ECTS cr) The disciplinary field is introduced by focusing on the traditional problems in the field, that is, the role of media in society and in the life of the individual. The changes in the media landscape in the 20th and 21st centuries are treated, especially in terms of media and communication studies perspectives on the development in the last decades. The history and development of discipline are also discussed. Module 2 Media and society (12 ECTS cr) The basic theoretical perspectives on the media's role i society socially, politically, economically, and culturally are presented along with basic media history with a focus on the development in Sweden and media structures what does the Swedish and international media landscape look like today? Analyses of the social, economic, technical, political, judicial and cultural circumstances of the media are presented. The mass media are viewed as integrated parts of the societal system and as central opinion forming channels and actors. A special focus is on the role of media in a democratic society. The development of the mass media is seen as a structural process in which the traits of the media users, the media themselves, and the society at large contribute to the process. The module includes basic philosophy of science and scholarly methods with a focus on how to study the roles of media in society.