Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
This course is specifically designed to thoroughly explore the theoretical foundations of communication, with a particular emphasis on media effects. We will delve into how media theories interpret the historical and current roles played by mass media, digital media, and user-centric media. Moreover, we will closely examine how individuals actively engage with these multimedia platforms, emphasizing their interactive nature. In this course, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of these evolving concepts and their profound impact in today’s media landscape. Furthermore, this course will enhance your understanding of research methodology, particularly in the context of effects research. You will gain insights into the methodologies employed to study media effects, enabling you to comprehend and evaluate empirical studies.
能力項目說明
Upon successful completion of the assigned coursework, students can expect to cultivate the following skills:
| 教學週次Course Week | 彈性補充教學週次Flexible Supplemental Instruction Week | 彈性補充教學類別Flexible Supplemental Instruction Type |
|---|---|---|
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週次 |
課程主題 |
課程內容與指定閱讀 |
教學活動與作業 |
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1 |
Introduction |
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2 |
Working week |
Preparing for presentation |
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3 |
Agenda-setting |
Althaus, S, & Tewksbury, D. (2002) Agenda setting and the “new” news: Patterns of issue importance among readers of the paper and online versions of the New York Times. Communication Research, 29, 180-207. |
Different levels of agenda-setting theory |
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4 |
Priming |
Krosnick, J. A. and Kinder, D. R. (1990). Altering the foundations of support for the president through priming. American Political Science Review, 84, 497-512. |
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5 |
Framing |
Scheufele, D. A. (1999). Framing as a theory of media effects. Journal of Communication, 49, 103-122. |
Comparing framing with agenda-setting and priming |
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6 |
Information processing/ Mental models |
Petty, R. E., & Briñol, P. (2011). The elaboration likelihood model. Handbook of theories of social psychology, 1, 224-245. |
Elaboration Likelihood Model |
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7 |
Deliberation/ Discussion |
Scheufele, D. A. (2000). Talk or conversation? Dimensions of interpersonal discussion and their implications for participatory democracy. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77(4), 727-743. |
Understanding the concepts of deliberation, discussion, and heterogeneous talk |
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8 |
Mid-term exam week |
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9 |
Communication mediation model |
Cho, J., Shah, D. V., McLeod, J. M., McLeod, D. M., Scholl, R. M., & Gotlieb, M. R. (2009). Campaigns, reflection, and deliberation: Advancing an OSROR model of communication effects. Communication theory, 19(1), 66-88. |
OSOR model and OSROR model as an extension of the communication mediation model |
|
10 |
Social capital |
Gil de Zúñiga, H. & Valenzuela, S. (2010.) Weak Ties, and Civic Engagement: The Mediating Path to a Stronger Citizenship: Online and Offline Networks. Communication Research, 20, p. 1-25. |
Two types of social capital and links |
|
11 |
Cultivation |
Dudo, A., Brossard, D., Shanahan, J., Scheufele, D. A., Morgan, M., & Signorielli, N. (2011). Science on television in the 21st century: Recent trends in portrayals and their contributions to public attitudes toward science. Communication Research, 38(6), 754-777. |
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12 |
Uses and gratifications |
Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3-37. |
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13 |
Aggression |
Anderson, C.A. et al. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytical review. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 151-173. |
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14 |
Spiral of silence |
Scheufele, D. A., & Moy, P. (2000). Twenty-five years of the spiral of silence: A conceptual review and empirical outlook. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 12(1), 3-28. |
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15 |
Theories about emotions |
Witte, K. (1992). Putting the fear back into fear appeals: The extended parallel process model. Communications Monographs, 59(4), 329-349. |
EPPM, Affect heuristic |
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16 |
Parasocial interaction |
Giles, D. C. (2002). Parasocial interaction: A review of the literature and a model for future research. Media psychology, 4(3), 279-305. |
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17 |
Working week |
Work on the final paper |
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18 |
Final paper due |
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Submitting the final paper to Moodle |
Class participants will select a topic and serve as discussion leaders for a week of their choice. This is assignment is designed to be a collaborative group activity. The readings outlined in the weekly schedule represent the foundational works in their respective fields. However, as discussion leaders, it is expected that you supplement these seminal readings with at least two more recent and relevant studies. These additional studies should be shared with the class one week prior to the presentation.
4. Final paper, 40%
The key capstone of this course can take two forms: (1) a research proposal that includes a research idea, literature review (relevant research questions or hypotheses), and methods for testing the idea; and (2) a theoretical paper, which is a comprehensive literature review. The theoretical paper focuses solely on the exploration of a research topic through an in-depth examination of existing literature, without involving any methodology. This is also a collaborative group activity. The length of the final paper is 3,000-3,500 words.