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| COMU2147-1 | Encyclopedia of communication, with an introduction to desk research
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| Duration : | 30h Th |
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| Holder(s) : | Geoffrey Geuens |
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| Language : | French language |
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| Course contents : | This course describes the history of the process of institutionalization of the « Sciences of Information and Communication » (SIC) in the United States, France, and Belgium, by insisting upon certain fundamental theoretical movements in this discipline (political economy of the industries of communication, sociology of professionals in the information field, Cultural Studies). One part of the course will be devoted to an introduction to documentary research in the area of the SIC (presentation of the main scientific journals and databases available, working up a reference bibliography, etc.). |
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| Course objective : | The course has three objectives : first, to present a detailed history of the constitution of this particular field within the social sciences, namely, the « Sciences of Information and Communication » (SIC) - which will mainly consist in specifying the practical modalities of this process of becoming (relatively) independent as a field ; next, the course will take account of the plurality and the division into parts of this field of scientific observation - and do so by drawing up a diagram of the various disciplines associated with SIC, and also by mapping the relationships between major research institutions in the United States and in France and Belgium ; and finally the course will present some of the main founding theories of this vast area of research, namely the political economy of industries of communication, Cultural Studies, or the sociology of professionals in the area of information. We will show along the way the relative antagonism between different models, but also their complementarity in certain respects. This first, longest, and main part of the course will be accompanied by critical presentation of the main bibliographical references in the subject area. As concerns the introduction to documentary research, the course will look at the various ways of writing bibliographical references, and will introduce and locate reference publications and websites concerning SIC, and finally will facilitate initial contacts with the U.D. of Philosophy and Communication, its publications and databases. |
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| Prerequisites : | Students should have taken the course titled Introduction to Information (1st BAC) and have at least an elementary grasp of English in order to have a good understanding of the texts in the lecture portfolio. |
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| Workshops : | Within the framework of this course, students will be invited to participate, in small groups, in a seminar concerning the introduction to documentary research that will be held in the U.D. of Philosophy and Communication and at the CIPL. On this occasion they will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the major scientific journals, databases, and other electronic resources placed at their disposal by the U.D. Students will not be required to perform, in one way or the other, any home/class work that is figured into the final grade. However, the theoretical elements discussed at these meetings to introduce students to research techniques will be an integral part of the material for the entire course. |
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| Organization : | See http://cipl82.philo.ulg.ac.be/horaires |
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| Written notes : | Students are obliged to obtain and read : a lecture portfolio including reference texts - francophone and Anglo-Saxons - in the area of the Sciences of Information and Communication (SIC)
Recommended reading :
* Denis McQuail, Mass Communication Theory. An Introduction, London, Sage Publications, 1994
* Armand et Michèle Mattelart, Histoire des théories de la communication, Paris, La Découverte, 1995
* Bernard Miège, L'information-communication, objet de connaissance, Bruxelles-Paris, De Boeck & Larcier-Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA), 2004
* Eric Maigret, Sociologie de la communication et des médias, Paris, Armand Colin, 2007 |
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| Assessment : | The written examination (QCM) will aim at verifying students' grasp of the theoretical material of the course and their knowledge of the main research tools, methods and resources with regard to documentary research (Cf. the classes to be held at the U.D. and the CIPL). Material for which students are responsible on the examination will be as follows: theoretical lectures by the instructor, including PowerPoint slide shows ; theoretical elements presented in the classes on research methods ; and finally, unless there is notice to the contrary, all the texts in the lecture portfolio. The instructor will hold, before the opening of the May-June session in 2009, a special class meeting to answer questions that may arise from students regarding the problems studied in the class, and to inform students about the details of the examination in practical terms. |
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| Contacts : | Instructor : Geoffrey Geuens, Department of « Arts and Sciences of Communication », Place du 20-Août, 7, 4000 Liège (Bldg. A1, 4th floor). Tel. : 04 366 52 30. Fax : 04 366 51 84. E-mail : Geoffrey.Geuens@ulg.ac.be. Geoffrey Geuens will meet students in his office every Wednesday morning from 9h to 11h.
Secretary : Evelyne Libens, Department of « Arts and Sciences of Communication », Place du 20-Août, 7, 4000 Liège (Bldg. A1, 4th floor). Tel. : 04 366 32 86. Fax : 04 366 51 84. E-Mail : emjlibens@ulg.ac.bects |
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| Remarks : | GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE (see below)
I. SIC, a comparative history of the discipline in the United States and Europe
1. The origins of the SIC in the United States : factors favoring emergence and the process of institutionalization
2. The creation of CECMAS, a decisive step for research in France
3. The necessity of going beyond dominant paradigms (theory of effects, cybernetics, etc.)
II. Rethinking the power of communication
1. The manufacture of information. From naïve functionalism to critical theories
2. Mass culture, between ideology and hegemony
3. Cultural Studies and the « encoding/decoding » model (S. Hall). Towards a theory of reception ?
III. The conditions of production of communication
1. The sociology of information professionals and media institutions
2. Political economy of communication-related industries
Conclusion : the SIC today : general estimate of the current situation and critical perspectives |
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