Communication Models and Theories

Presentation

- - To present the epistemological field of communication sciences and provide an overview of communication theories developed over the XXth century;
- To convey the importance of the city, its architectural elements, its transport and media as a communicative phenomenon structuring our daily experience;
- To identify and characterize the techniques of the body and media representations, that contributes to the transformation of appearance, gesture and consumption in today's world;
- To acknowledge the material characteristics of media both in their advertising and informational dimensions and to study their impact on everyday life;
- To approach the social and cultural dynamics of inclusion-exclusion and dominance-periphery in media coverage;

Programme

Audiovisual and Multimedia Communication

Level of Qualification|Semesters|ECTS

| Semestral | 6

Year | Type of course unit | Language

1 |Mandatory |Português

Code

ULP728-2348

Recommended complementary curricular units

History of Mass Media

Professional Internship

Não

Syllabus

I.   From communication to its models: theoretical views and historical retrospective
II.    The city as a social laboratory
III.    The body and the everyday gestures
IV.    Media, culture and consumption
V.    Hegemonies, global order and cultural imperialism
VI.    Minorities, subcultures and resistance policies

Objectives

- Situating the communication sciences epistemological field and distinguishing the different traditions of Mass Communication Research, Frankfurt School, Chicago School, Cultural Studies and contemporary French research;
- Framing the role of cities in everyday communicative frenzy, through historical approaches such as Simmel and Benjamin and understand the formation of urban ecology at the thought of the Chicago School;
- Mapping the body shapes in everyday life, resulting from social theatricality (Goffman, 1993), appearance cultivated by media and consumer society (Baudrillard, 1981) and post-human body hybridized with technical (Le Breton, 2006);
- Characterizing media according to a critical perspective based on the Frankfurt School, in the tradition of Cultural Studies and contemporary French thought;

Teaching methodologies and assessment

Presentation of the programmed contents using multimedia materials (photographs, films, videos, images, ...).

Participatory debate and critical discussion with students.

Group Work with presentation in class (1) Essay related to the program content;

Group Work with presentation in class (2) - Review of one of the texts studied in class;

Final Exam: 

Essay related to the program content;

Review of one of the texts studied in class;

References

• Benjamin, W. (2012). A Obra de Arte na Era da sua Reprodutibilidade Técnica in Sobre Arte, Técnica, Linguagem e Política. Lisboa: Relógio d¿Água.
• Bourdieu, P. (1997). Sobre a Televisão. Lisboa: Celta.
• Goffman, E. (1993). A apresentação do eu na vida de todos os dias. Lisboa: Relógio d¿Água.
• Morin, E (1997) - Cultura de Massa no Século XX - O Espírito do Tempo - Vol 1. Rio de Janeiro: Forense Universitária.
• Wolf, M. (1999) Teorias da Comunicação. 5ª Edião. Editorial Presença. Lisboa.

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