07297 - Sociology of Communication

Academic Year 2020/2021

  • Docente: Paolo Terenzi
  • Credits: 8
  • SSD: SPS/08
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Mass media and politics (cod. 8051)

Learning outcomes

The course studies the main issues of the sociology of communication, from interpersonal communication to mass media, with particular reference to the symbolic dynamics that can be found in the representations of the socio-political fenomena. At the end of the course, the student has learnt the fundamental theoretical and methodological tools for analysing and interpreting the communication processes in contemporary society

Course contents

The course is organized in lectures and seminars, as detailed in the following program. Lectures (16 hours in remote on MS TEAMS) aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline. Seminars (12 hours) aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials and exercises. For the seminar section of the course, students will be divided in two groups according to their preferences and according to rules concerning the current pandemic emergency: one group will do the seminar in classroom (12 hours) and another group will do the seminar remotely on MS TEAMS (12 hours), for a total of 28 hours for each student. Students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the session and - in the case of seminars - active participation through presentations of existing scholarship and case studies will also be expected. Regardless of

the health-related conditions and the specific organization of the course, students will be able to follow the lessons of the entire course remotely on MS TEAMS.

The students on this course must register with the mailing list set up by the lecturer.

paolo.terenzi.mmp

The sociology of the media; the problem of fake news

Readings/Bibliography

Set books for the written exam I

(1) S. Bentivegna, G. Boccia Artieri, Le teorie delle comunicazioni di massa e la sfida digitale, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2019.

(2) Riva, Fake news. Vivere e sopravvivere in un mondo post-verità, il Muilino, Bologna, 2018.

Book for the written exam II

(3) M. Sorice, Partecipazione democratica. Teorie e problemi, Mondadori, Milano, 2019.

 

(4) Set book for the oral exam

A book chosen from among the following

- A. Kenn, Internet non è la risposta, Egea, Milano, 2018.

- G. Lovink, Nichilismo digitale. L’altra faccia delle piattaforme, Egea, Milano 2019.

-  M. Thompson, La fine del dibattito pubblico. Come la retorica sta distruggendo la lingua della democrazia, Feltrinelli, Milano, 2017.

- G. Ziccardi, L'odio online. Violenza verbale e ossessioni in rete, Raffello Cortina, Milano, 2016.


 

Teaching methods

lectures and seminars

Assessment methods

The exam shall be in written form

Attending students

There shall be two intermediate written exams held, regarding books (1)(2)(3) indicated in the programme. Each intermediate written exam shall consist of 3 essay questions, and students will have 90 minutes to answer the questions. Marks shall be given out of 30. Attending students must present, in the lecture room, an article chosen in agreement with the lecturer.

The oral exam shall be on the chosen work.

The exams are designed to assess the knowledge and understanding that students have acquired during the course, together with their level of critical comprehension of the sociology of mass media, of the relationship between communication and power in a networked society, and of the role of credibility in communicative relations.

Non-attending students

Those students not present at the intermediate exams can sit a written exam (in the exam sessions), in which they will be required to reply to 16 questions (on set books 1, 2, 3) in 120 minutes. Non-attending students shall study two books of their choice, and sit an oral exam in regard to said books/book (5)  

The exams are designed to assess the knowledge and understanding that students have acquired, during the course, of the sociology of mass media, of the relationship between communication and power in a networked society, and of the role of credibility in communicative relations.

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Terenzi