Course Contents

Outlines: • Approaches to communication Theories o Concept of communication theory o Relationship between theory and research o Approaches to study communication theory  Theory of Mass society  Dominance Vs pluralist media approach  Traditional approaches to Mass media effect a. Powerful media effects  Magic bullet theory b. Limited media effects  Theory of selective influence c. Moderate media effects  Media Determinism  Agenda Setting theory and concept of framing  Knowledge gap hypothesis  Uses and Gratification theory d. Powerful media effects  Spiral of silence  Cultivation theory

Course Synopsis

This is a pro-seminar course designed to explore the nature of communication and mass Communication inquiry. Purpose of this course is to familiarize students with some of the basic literature of mass communication and communication theory and research in a historical context. As a survey of the field, it provides highly selective readings, which have been chosen as some of the major intellectual ideas upon which the work has been based. Students will be assigned readings and will participate to class discussions.