ZUR393a Media, Society, and Culture

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2017
Extent and Intensity
0/2. 6 credit(s). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Tae-Sik Kim, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jiří Pavelka, CSc.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Bc. Pavlína Brabcová
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 13:30–15:00 AVC
Prerequisites
This course is designed to help students develop an understanding the complexity of media environments in our contemporary society. Students will consider ‘media’ as cultural practices and discourses. The course will look at the evolution of communication and media industries over time to explore how models for information distribution and reception have facilitated communication in modern society. As well, students will look at the ways that media practices influence and order other practices in the social world. The first half of the course will cover an historical and theoretical overview of contemporary media practices, including definitions of ‘media’, technological determinism and culture, and media and culture industry. The second half of the course will then focus on each medium such as newspapers, television, and ‘new’ media as environments of practice.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 14 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
• To understand the history of media and technology to comprehend their reciprocal roles in relation to society and culture

• To critically evaluate the power of cultural media and symbolic meaning-making in affecting fundamental social change

• To comprehend the ways in which the form of different media –newspapers, TV, video, exhibition and new media – affects cultural meaning-making
Syllabus
  • Week 1. Introduction to the course
  • Week 2. Media vs Culture: Views on Technologies
  • • MC p.3- 29
  • • Mumford, L. “Technics and Civilization”
  • Week 3. Media Effects
  • • MC p.467-489
  • • McQuail, D. “The influence and effects of mass media”
  • Week 4. Culture Industry and Society
  • • Adorno, T. & Horkheimer, M. “Culture industry: Enlightenment and mass deception”
  • Week 5. Media, Information, and People
  • • Chomsky and Media
  • • Manufacturing Consent on YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO51ahW9JlE )
  • Week 6. Alternative Media
  • • Understanding Alternative Media p. 51-62
  • • Shirky, C. “Here comes everybody” Chapter 3
  • Week 7. Media and Representation
  • • Hall, S. (1997). Representation and the Media. Lecture.
  • Week 8. Midterm Exam
  • Week 9. Group Presentation
  • Week 10. Transnational Media
  • • Kraidy, M. M. (2003). Glocalisation: An international communication framework?. Journal of International Communication, 9(2), 29-49.
  • Week 11. Media and Commerce
  • • Jhally, S. “Image­Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture”
  • Week 12. New Media and Culture
  • • Livingstone, Sonia (2007) From Family Television to Bedroom Culture: Young People's Media atHome, in Eoin Devereux (ed.) Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates, London: SagePublications, 302-321.Week 13. Final Examination
Teaching methods
The format of the course is a combination of lectures and controlled discussions of assigned readings.

All students are expected to read textbooks assigned and to develop appropriate discussion questions.

TEXTBOOK

Richard Campbell, Christopher Martin, and Bettina Fabos, MEDIA AND CULTURE: An Introduction to Mass Communication (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010).
Assessment methods
• Attendance 20%: 4 unexcused absences during a semester shall be denied academic credit

• Midterm Examination 30%

• Group Presentation 10%

• Group with 3-4 colleagues
• Case Study: Media in Brno (Major media, Local media, Street media, Social media )
• Submit PPT and Present in Week 11

• Class Presentation 10%
• Develop discussion questions on assigned week’s topic.
• Introduce cases not included in textbooks

• Final Examination 30%
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2017, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2017/ZUR393a