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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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| Lecturer : | Geoffrey Geuens |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language |
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Organisation and examination :
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| Teaching in the second semester |
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Course contents :
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| This course describes the history of the process of institutionalization of the « Sciences of Information and Communication » (SIC) in the United States and France, by insisting upon certain fundamental theoretical movements in this discipline (political economy of the industries of communication, sociology of professionals in the communication field, Cultural Studies). One part of the course will be devoted to an introduction to documentary research in the area of SIC (research methodology, selective bibliography, presentation of the main scientific journals and databases available, etc.). |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| 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 testify, in the words of Armand and Michèle Mattelart, "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 France ; 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 communication. 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 introduce and locate reference publications and websites concerning SIC ; the course will clarify the criteria for assessing the reliability of a source document ; and finally will facilitate initial contacts with the library of Philosophy and Communication, its publications and databases. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| Within the framework of this course, students will be invited to participate, in small groups, in a seminar concerning the introduction to documentary research. 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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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| Face-to-face |
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Recommended or required readings :
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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| 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 communication professionals
2. Political economy of communication-related industries
Conclusion : the SIC today : general estimate of the current situation and critical perspectives |
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Contacts :
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| 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.
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. |
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| Items online : |
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| Online Notes |
| Powerpoint "Formation à la recherche documentaire" (made by S. Simon, Bibli Alpha) |
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| Online Notes |
| Powerpoint "Les conditions de production de la communication" |
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| Online Notes |
| Powerpoint "Les SIC, une histoire comparative de la discipline" |
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| Online Notes |
| Powerpoint "Ouvrages de référence du cours" |
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| Online Notes |
| Powerpoint "Repenser le pouvoir de la communication" |
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| Online Notes |
| Syllabus "Formation à la recherche documentaire" (made by S. Simon, Bibli Alpha) |
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