COMM 102 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of New Media and Communication

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	face to face
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	Discussion Case Study Q&A Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	Öğr.Gör.Dr. Kenan DEMİREL
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.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses	X
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Introduction
2	The mass – Media, Culture and Society Mass media in history	Communication Theory, s. 43/59 Winston, B. (1999). “How are media born?”, in Marris, P. and Thornham, S. (eds.) Media Studies: A Reader (2nd edition). Edinburgh Press – pp 786-801.
3	Early Communication Thories	Mattelart, A. & Mattlart, M. (1998). Theories of Communication: A Short Introduction. London: Sage, 19-30.
4	Main Theories of Communication I
5	Main Theories of Communication II In-class activity
6	Marxist Media Theory I	Mattelart & Mattelart, Communication Theory, s.57/68
7	Marxist Media Theory II In-class activity	Mattelart & Mattelart, Communication Theory, s.57/68
8	Midterm
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	Informationalism and the Network Society I	M. Castells, (2009) Communication Power and counter-power in the Network Society, s.238/259 van Dijk, J. (2020). The Network Society. 4th edition. London: SAGEPublications.
13	Informationalism and the Network Society II In-class activity	M. Castells, (2009) Communication Power and counter-power in the Network Society, s.238/259 van Dijk, J. (2020). The Network Society. 4th edition. London: SAGEPublications.
14	New Approaches in Theories of Communication
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

Books:

Adorno, T. W., & Horkheimer, M. (2002). Dialectic of enlightenment: Philosophical fragments (E. Jephcott, Trans.). Stanford University Press. (Original work published 1944)
Craig, R. T., & Muller, H. L. (Eds.). (2007). Theorizing Communication: Readings Across Traditions. Sage Publications. ISBN: 978-1-4129-5237-8
Güngör, N. (2015). İletişim kuramları (3rd ed.). Siyasal Kitabevi. ISBN: 9786057877482
Kellner, D. (1995). Media culture: Cultural studies, identity and politics between the modern and the postmodern. Routledge (1–3): pp. 1–85. ISBN: 9780415105743
Littlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A., & Oetzel, J. G. (2021). Theories of human communication (12th ed.). Waveland Press.
Mattelart, A., & Mattelart, M. (1998). Theories of communication: A short introduction. Sage.
McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1086/267990
McQuail, D., & Deuze, M. (2020). McQuail’s media and mass communication theory (7th ed.). SAGE.
Mosco, V. (2009). The political economy of communication (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, pp. 51–84. ISBN: 9781412947131
Thompson, J. B. (1995). The media and modernity: A social theory of the media. Stanford University Press. ISBN: 978-0804726795

Articles:

Guzman, A. L., & Lewis, S. C. (2020). Artificial intelligence and communication: A human–machine communication research agenda. New Media & Society, 22(1), 70–86.
Hancock, J. T., Naaman, M., & Levy, K. (2020). AI-mediated communication: Definition, research agenda, and ethical considerations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 25(1), 89–100.

Video contents:

CrashCourse. (2018, November 13). Ford, Cars, and a New Revolution: Crash Course History of Science #28 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPvwpYeOJnI
Post Philosophy. (2022, August 11). Frankfurt School - Critical Theory [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7QdGpheT8A
The School of Life. (2018, November 13). Ford, Cars, and a New Revolution: Crash Course History of Science #28 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQgCy_iIcc
YaleCourses. (2009, September 01). 17. The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFpGf7aPXNA

Blogs:

Henkins, H. (2023, September 5). Participatory culture and digital media. Convergence Culture Blog. https://www.henryjenkins.org/

Podcasts:

Branham, S. (Host). (2021, March 15). Semiotics and meaning-making [Audio podcast episode]. In Communication in Focus. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/example
Dubner, S. J. (Host). (n.d.). Freakonomics radio [Audio podcast]. https://freakonomics.com
Jenkins, H. (Host). (2020, September 10). Participatory culture and media convergence [Audio podcast episode]. In Media Studies Now. Apple Podcasts.
McLuhan, M. (Host). (2019, June 20). The medium is the message: Understanding media theory [Audio podcast episode]. In Media & Society Talks. Google Podcasts.
Smith, L., & Brown, J. (Hosts). (2022, November 5). Symbolic interactionism and social construction [Audio podcast episode]. In Theories of Communication Explained. SoundCloud.
Thompson, R. (Host). (2023, May 12). Uses and gratifications theory in the digital age [Audio podcast episode]. In The Media Lens Podcast. Stitcher.

Movies:

Curtis, A. (Director). (2002). The century of the self [Documentary]. BBC.
Bailey, J. (Director). (2019). The great hack [Documentary]. Netflix.
Bennett, P. (Director). (1997). Stuart Hall: Representation and the media [Documentary]. Media Education Foundation.
Berg, C. (Director). (2010). Inside job [Documentary]. Sony Pictures Classics.
Beyer, D. (Director). (2016). Marshall McLuhan: The medium is the message [Documentary]. OnFiction Productions.
Carpenter, J. (Director). (1988). They live [Film]. Universal Pictures.
Chandor, J. C. (Director). (2011). Moneyball [Film]. Columbia Pictures.
Chomsky, N., & Achbar, M. (Directors). (1992). Manufacturing consent: Noam Chomsky and the media [Documentary]. Zeitgeist Films.
Cullen, J., Orlowski, J., & Baca, V. (Directors). (2020). The social dilemma [Documentary]. Netflix.
Debord, G. (Director). (2016). HyperNormalisation [Documentary]. BBC.
Fincher, D. (Director). (2010). The social network [Film]. Columbia Pictures.
Fritz, L. (Director). (1927). Metropolis [Film]. UFA.
Gilliam, T. (Director). (2012). The pervert’s guide to ideology [Documentary]. Zeitgeist Films.
Glazer, C. (Director). (1999). The matrix [Film]. Warner Bros.
Herzog, W. (Director). (2016). Lo and behold: Reveries of the connected world [Documentary]. Magnolia Pictures.
Jewison, N. (Director). (1976). Network [Film]. MGM.
Jonze, S. (Director). (2013). Her [Film]. Warner Bros.
Kubrick, S. (Director). (1998). The Truman show [Film]. Paramount Pictures.
McGoohan, P. (Director). (1983). Videodrome [Film]. Universal Pictures.
Miller, G. (Director). (1987). RoboCop [Film]. Orion Pictures.
Morris, M. (Director). (2015). The man who knew infinity [Film]. IFC Films.
O’Neill, K. (Director). (2007). The hypodermic needle model of media effects [Video]. Media Education Foundation.
Orlowski, J. (Director). (2020). The Social Dilemma [Film]. Exposure Labs; Argent Pictures; The Space Program.
Stone, O. (Director). (1989). Do the right thing [Film]. Universal Pictures.
Weir, P. (Director). (1998). The Truman Show [Film]. Paramount Pictures
Wright, J. (Director). (2016). Nosedive (Season 3, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In Black Mirror. House of Tomorrow; Netflix.

Documentaries:

Curtis, A. (Director). (2002). The Century of the Self [Documentary]. BBC.
Curtis, A. (Director). (2016). HyperNormalisation [Documentary]. BBC.
Ferguson, C. (Director). (2010). Inside Job [Documentary]. Sony Pictures Classics.
Ferguson, S. (Director). (2019). The Great Hack [Documentary]. Netflix.
Miller, J. (Director). (1992). Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media [Documentary]. Zeitgeist Films.
Morris, E. (Director). (2012). The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology [Documentary]. Zeitgeist Films.
Rettberg, J. (Director). (2016). Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World [Documentary]. Magnolia Pictures.
Rosenstein, J., & Orlowski, J. (Directors). (2020). The Social Dilemma [Documentary]. Netflix.
Scorsese, M. (Director). (1997). Stuart Hall: Representation and the Media [Documentary]. Media Education Foundation.
Sheen, M. (Director). (1997). Marshall McLuhan: The Medium is the Message [Documentary]. CBC Television.

Academic journals:

Journal of Communication https://academic.oup.com/joc/
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/
Communication Theory https://academic.oup.com/ct
Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/turcom
Galatasaray Üniversitesi İletişim Dergisi http://iletisimdergisi.gsu.edu.tr/tr/
İletişim Çalışmaları Dergisi https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/icd

Games:

Crows Crows Crows. (2022). The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe [Video game]. Crows Crows Crows.
Pope, L. (2013). Papers, Please [Video game]. 3909 LLC.
Wreden, D. (2015). The Beginner's Guide [Video game]. Everything Unlimited Ltd.

Music:

Pink Floyd. (1979). Another brick in the wall, Part 2 [Song]. On The wall. Harvest Records.
Radiohead. (1997). Fitter happier [Song]. On OK computer. Parlophone.
Childish Gambino. (2018). This is America [Song]. mcDJ Recording/RCA Records.

The Buggles. (1979). Video killed the radio star [Song]. On The age of plastic. Island Records.

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation	1	10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	2	15
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury	1	20
Project
Seminar / Workshop	1
Oral Exams
Midterm	1	25
Final Exam	1	30
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	4	70
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade	1	30
Total

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	2	7	14
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments			0
Presentation / Jury	1	8	8
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms	1	8	8
Final Exam	1	14	14
		Total	150

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to critically discuss and interpret the theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of the discipline of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	X
2	To be able to critically interpret theoretical debates concerning the relations between the forms, agents, and factors that play a role in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	X	-	-
3	To have the fundamental knowledge and ability to use the technical equipment and software programs required by the new media production processes.	-	-	-	-	-
4	To be able to gather, scrutinize and scientifically investigate data in the processes of production and distribution.	-	-	-	-	-
5	To be able to use the acquired theoretical knowledge in practice.	-	-	-	-	-
6	To be able to take responsibility both individually and as a member of a group to develop solutions to problems encountered in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
7	To be informed about national, regional, and global issues and problems; to be able to generate problem-solving methods depending on the quality of evidence and research, and to acquire the ability to report the conclusions of those methods to the public.	-	-	-	-	-
8	To be able to critically discuss and draw on theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of other disciplines complementing the field of new media and communication studies.	-	X	-	-	-
9	To be able to develop and use knowledge and skills towards personal and social goals in a lifelong process.	-	-	-	-	-
10	To be able to apply social, scientific and professional ethical values in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
11	To be able to collect datain the areas of new media and communication and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign language at a medium level of fluency efficiently.	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.	-	X	-	-	-