General provisions

The course is open for students accepted to the Master's Programme in Social Science at Uppsala University, but it can also be taken as a single course. The course language is English.

Entry requirements

80 credit points/120 credits where 60 credit points/90 ECTS credits should be in media and communication, or comparable, and proficiency in English according to the general admission requirements for Swedish higher education studies on the basic level.

Learning outcomes

This course provides an advanced introduction to Media and Communication Science. It presents and analyses theory for the scientific study of media and communication, and demonstrates how the media are related to culture and society. Through an examination of Identity - both as a concept and as mediated expression - the course seeks to develop an understanding of the emergence of modern media theory. Having completed the course, the student should be able to

Knowledge and Understanding

- present theories of media and communication in its social and cultural setting

- discuss and analyse how the global, national and local are linked together in media and communication practices and theories

- critically discuss and analyse how the relation between media, culture and identity is theorised in different areas of the field (media studies, social/cultural studies and strategic communication/organisational studies)

- discuss the theoretisation of media, communication and culture critically

Skills and capacities

- orally present theories and issues in a clear way

- compile and analyse recent research in the area and to present this in written form

Evaluative capacity and approach

- discuss issues about morality and responsibility of media and strategic communication

Content

Communication, media culture and media industries are essential traits in the social and cultural landscapes of the world of today. This course investigates how media and communication shape and are shaped by global social and cultural development. It also looks into how the science of media and communication of today has developed through a dialogue between social scientific and humanistic perspectives. The analysis of contemporary media culture and communication conditions is done through the lens of Identity – as a concept and as mediated expression. Social, professional and organisational identity is used as nexus for studying contemporary theory in Media and Communication Science.

Instruction

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Fulfilled seminar assignments and written seminar report. The grading system has three grades:VG (Väl godkänd, Passed with Distinction), G (Godkänd, Passed) and U (Underkänd, Failed)