PhD Media and Communications

Research Debates (MC 7101)

Objectives:

The main objective is to familiarize students with different methodologies used to address the same issue in different ways. Students will be equipped with critical thinking to read research papers critically, write their own critique, and present it in class for discussion. Moreover, this course enables students to develop a critical approach and analytical abilities to write their own reports keeping in view different methodologies and research approaches.

Topics Covered:

• Major Philosophical Thinkers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Wittgenstein, G.E. Moore, Bertrand Russell, Gilbert Ryle, Austin, A.J. Ayer, P.F. Strawson, Brentano, Meinong, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Albert Camus
• Ontology, Epistemology, Methodology, Paradigms
• Positivism / Post-Positivism
• Rationalism, Pragmatism, Idealism
• Realism & Materialism
• Frankfurt School & Existentialism
• Interpretivism / Constructivism
• Rationalism vs Empiricism
• Deductive vs Inductive

Key Readings:

1. Morehouse, R. E., & Maykut, P. (2002). Beginning qualitative research: A philosophical and practical guide. Routledge.
2. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. R. (2012). Management research. Sage.
3. Prasad, P. (2017). Crafting qualitative research: Beyond positivist traditions. Routledge.
4. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2008). The landscape of qualitative research (Vol. 1). Sage.
5. Shusterman, R. (2016). Practicing philosophy: Pragmatism and the philosophical life. Routledge.

Managing Information (MC 7102)

Objectives:

The core objective of this course is how to collect information and make this information useful for research purposes. This course enables students to retrieve information and papers from different sources and use them in their research.

Topics Covered:

• Data modelling and creation of subject-predicate relationship (Nexus Relationship)
• Information lifecycle management (ILM)
• Principles of Managing Digital Information
• Successful Digital information-based Citizen
• Information governance (data quality, security breaches, employee productivity, reducing risk exposure)
• Wide usage of Artificial Intelligence in Information Management
• Information systems based on cloud deployments
• Information systems integrated with other similar systems (Use of AI)
• Information Literacy Skills and Information Retrieval Techniques
• Information Behaviour
• Result-oriented and ethical information sharing
• Checking Information quality, security, credibility, and authenticity
• Research Data Management (RDM)
• Information and Reference Management through Software (Mendeley, Endnote)
• Information Management in Research Writing and Use of APA Reference Manual
• Enhancing the possibility of publication
• Scholarly Publishing, information ethics and Information Management

Key Readings:

1. Bytheway, A. (2014). The information management body of knowledge. Springer.
2. Ray, J. M. (Ed.). (2014). Research data management: Practical strategies for information professionals. Purdue University Press.
3. Mackall, J. (2014). Research and Information Management. Infobase Publishing.
4. Baykoucheva, S. (2015). Managing scientific information and research data. Chandos Publishing.
5. Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2011). Essentials of management information systems. Pearson.

Tools and Skills of Social Sciences Research (MC 7103)

Objectives:

This course introduces basic and fundamental tools for social sciences research. The course takes students through each step of data editing, screening, and preparing file for analysis besides familiarizing them about different statistical techniques. The course also focuses on data analysis by explaining data analysis design and providing hands-on experience to use SPSS for data analysis.

Topics Covered:

• I. Foundations and Toolkits: Importance of research tools, Ethics in data handling, Introduction to software (SPSS, NVivo/Atlas.ti)
• II. Quantitative Research Skills (SPSS-Focused):
  • Data Management & Pre-processing: SPSS interface, Coding, Defining variables, Data entry, File handling, Screening and cleaning
  • Descriptive and Exploratory Analysis: Mean, median, mode, SD, Frequency tables, Graphical representations
  • Reliability & Scale Testing: Cronbach's Alpha
  • Inferential Statistics — Comparing Groups: t-tests, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, ANOVA (One-way, Two-way, Repeated measures)
  • Inferential Statistics — Relationships: Correlation (Pearson, Spearman, Kendall's Tau), Partial correlation
• III. Qualitative Research Skills:
  • Qualitative Research Approaches: Nature, Inductive reasoning, Open-ended inquiry
  • Data Collection Techniques: In-depth interviews, FGDs, Participant observation, Purposive/snowball/theoretical sampling
  • Qualitative Data Analysis: Manual coding, Thematic analysis, Grounded theory, Content analysis, Narrative analysis
  • Qualitative Software Use: NVivo or Atlas.ti
• IV. Mixed Methods Integration: Philosophical foundations (Pragmatism), Designing mixed methods, Combining SPSS outputs with qualitative interpretations

Key Readings:

• Adhelheid A. M. Nicol and Peeny M. Pexman (2002). Presenting Your Findings: A practical guide for creating tables. APA.
• Ajai S. Gaur and Sanjaya S. Gaur (1977). Statistical Methods for Practice in Research: A guide to data analysis using SPSS. Sage.
• Andy, F. (2000). Discovering Statistics using SPSS. London: Sage.
• Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS. McGraw-Hill.

Dissertation Writing Workshop (MC 7201)

Objectives:

This course will provide key techniques, guidelines and suggestions to improve academic written communication. It gives hands-on experience in drafting, organizing and revising academic texts. Designed for students who will be publishing academic papers and writing dissertation at the end of their coursework.

Topics Covered:

1. Purpose, Common Types, General Features
2. Types of Scientific writing
3. Introduction
4. Literature review
5. How introduction and literature review differ
6. Understand Titles and Plan the Writing Process
7. Structure, types of literature review, and strategies for writing
8. How of a research process: writing methods section, methodology, research design, sampling techniques
9. Results section
10. Discussion
11. What is difference between results and discussion section?
12. Use these techniques when preparing your own proposal and research reports

Key Readings:

• Lester, J. D., & Lester, J. D. (2012). Writing research papers: A complete guide. Pearson.
• Cooper, H. M. (1984). The integrative research review: A systematic approach. Sage.
• Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.
• Schimel, J. (2012). Writing science: how to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded. OUP USA.

Research Practicum (MC 7202)

Objectives:

This course will familiarize scholars with key texts on theory and research to develop their critical thinking about the field of mass communication. The course instructor will acquaint Ph.D students with the recent state of the field and challenges. Three working groups of students would be made, and they would be asked to develop their proposal/research reports and present them in class for discussion.

Topics Covered:

1. Integrating theory and research: Starting with questions
2. Thinking about theory quantitatively and qualitatively
3. Agenda-setting effects of mass communication
4. Media Priming: A meta-analysis
5. Third person effect: A meta-Analysis of the perceptual hypothesis
6. Media gatekeeping
7. Spiral of silence: Communication and public opinion as a societal process
8. Cultivation of realities
9. Framing: three approach of a fractured paradigm
10. Diffusion of innovations

Key Readings:

• Anderson, J. A. (1996). Integrating theory and research. In D. W. Stacks & M. Salwen (Eds), An Integrated Approach to Communication Theory and Research. Lawrence.
• Paul, B., Salwen, M. G., & Dupagne, M. (2007). The third-Person effect. In R. W Preiss et al. (2006). Mass media effects research: Advances through meta-analysis. Routledge.
• Wanta W. & Ghanem, S. (2007). Effects of Agenda-Setting. In R. W Preiss et al. (2006). Mass media effects research: Advances through meta-analysis. Routledge.

Media and Politics (Elective)

Objectives:

The core purpose of this course is to introduce students with media and politics issues and debates. This course enables students to critically analyze issues related with media and representation of politics in media.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to the Media and Politics
• Theorizing Media and Conflict: Paradigms and Perspectives
• The Media and the Total War: World Wars and the Media
• The Media and Limited Wars: From Vietnam to Iraq
• Media and Ethno-Nationalist Conflicts: Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Rwanda and Palestine
• Media and Peace Building: Information & Media Interventions as a Tool for Conflict Resolution
• Global Media and Foreign Policy
• Media and the Traumas of War: The Role of the Media in Truth-Telling and Reconciliation
• International Media and Conflicts
• Media and Terrorism
• New Media Wars: The Use of New Communication Technologies & Cyber Warfare
• Media, Communication & Civil Unrest: The Arab Spring and Beyond
• Resolving Conflict?

Key Readings:

• Cottle, Simon (2006). Mediatized Conflict: Developments in Media and Conflict Studies. Open University Press.
• Carruthers, Susan L. (2000). The Media at War: Communication and Conflict in the Twentieth Century. Palgrave MacMillan.
• Ellis, Donald G. (2006). Transforming Conflict: Communication and Ethnopolitical Conflict. Rowman & Littlefield.

Media and Conflict Resolution (Elective)

Objectives:

The purpose of this course is to understand and discuss theories on causes, development, and resolution of conflicts. To compare and critically evaluate different explanatory models and development of armed conflict. Moreover, to identify empirically and critically evaluate central obstacles and problems for conflict resolution, conflict management, and durable peace.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction and Syllabus
• Wars and conflicts — Theory
• Wars of the 20th century
• Propaganda
• Media effects and violent conflicts
• Conflict transformation
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Case study: Rwanda
• Peace media
• Communication for Development
• Media as a tool of conflict transformation
• Peace Journalism
• Case studies: Bosnia, Ireland, The Middle East, Cambodia

Key Readings:

• Joseph S. Nye. Understanding International Conflict: Chapter 1
• Johan Galtung: Conflict, War and Peace: A Bird's Eye View
• Welch, D. (1999). Powers of persuasion. History today.
• Bratic (2006): Media effects during violent conflict. Communication and Conflict

Media and Gender (Elective)

Objectives:

The purpose of this course is to understand the theories and methods of studying media, power, and social identity. To examine the role of media in constructing and identifying stereotypes of gender, race, class, and sexual identity in media portrayals. Moreover, to develop analytically, critical thinking and writing skills through the production of research paper.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to Gender Identity
• Foucault and Theories of Resistance, Applying Foucault to Gender Studies and Media
• Gender, sexuality, representation
• Debating gender and sexuality through ideas of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler
• Gender as performance
• Masculinity Rules
• How and Why to Use Content Analysis to Study Gender in Media
• Media and Audience
• Media representations of women and men
• Laws and ethics applying to portrayal of women and gender issues — PEMR
• Feminism, Post-Feminism, and Sexual Empowerment
• Case studies — Gender and media in Pakistan
• How and Why to Use Semiotics to Study Gender in Media
• The Media Coverage of Women in Sports
• Disciplining the Body and the Home
• News: Representations & Working in
• Advertising

Key Readings:

• David Gauntlett. Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction. Ch. 6 and 7.
• Stuart Hall. The Work of Representation.
• Julia T. Wood. Gendered media.
• Byerly, Carolyn M. and Ross, Karen. (2006). Women and Media: A Critical Introduction. Blackwell.
• Barrie, G. and Maggie, W. (2005). The Media and Body Image: If Looks Could Kill. Sage.

Media and Technology (Elective)

Objectives:

The purpose of this course is to understand the role and shapes of media in the education of the 21st century. It intends to improve the participants' digital competences. It aims to explore how technology and media can enhance learning and understanding of storytelling and narrative building as teaching and learning style. Moreover, it would familiarize how to develop communication, collaboration, presentation, problem solving, negotiation, critical and creative thinking skills.

Topics Covered:

• Writing for Digital Media
• Broadcast and Print Production
• Blogging and Micro Blogging
• Emerging Media
• Digital Motion Graphics and Animation
• Social Media: Strategy and campaign
• Social Media Marketing
• Social Media and Revolution
• New Media Theory
• Convergent Media & the Future of Storytelling

Key Readings:

• S. K. Goel. Communication media and information technology.
• Donald A. Stepich, James D. Lehman, Timothy J. Newby. Instructional technology for teaching and learning.
• Liesol, Gunnar, Morrison, Andrew, Rasmussen, Terje. Digital media revisited theoretical and conceptual innovation in digital domains.
• Prakash, Anil. Digital media and communication technology.

Media Economics (Elective)

Objectives:

This course introduces students with the media economics. Media economics is the most debated and sensitive issue in media studies. The owning media economics is corresponded to owning ideas of an epoch. Thus, this course intends to familiarize the students with approaches of media economic to enable them to critically assess how media ownership affects media content diversity.

Topics Covered:

• Preliminary Aspects
• Microeconomics review: perfect competition and monopoly
• Perfect competition markets: marginal cost pricing
• Monopoly
• Market power and monopoly
• Social welfare and monopoly
• The economics of information goods
• The pricing of information goods
• Price discrimination
• Price discrimination with self-selection of consumers and versioning
• Bundling
• The economics of the media and advertising
• Media as platforms of two-sided markets
• The supply chain and integration strategies
• Social role of the media and public policies
• The economics of advertising (General Aspects)
• Advertising and the Internet

Key Readings:

• Rysman, Marc (2009). "The Economics of Two-Sided Markets". Journal of Economic Perspectives - Vol. 23, N. 3.
• McChesney, Robert W. (2008). The Political Economy of Media. Monthly Review Press.
• Gentzkow, Matthew and Jesse M. Shapiro (2009). "Competition and Truth in the Market for News". Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 22, N. 2.
• David S. Evans (2009). "The Online Advertising Industry: Economics, Evolution, and Privacy". Journal of Economic Perspectives, Volume 23, Number 3.

Visual Communication (Elective)

Objectives:

This course is designed for students interested in visual communication. With the development of social and digital platforms, visual communication has emerged as a separate field of inquiry. Thus, this course would acquaint the students with latest techniques of visual communication.

Topics Covered:

• Principles of Design and Visual Literacy
• Composition and Layout
• Typography as an effective tool for visual communication
• Using and adjusting Photographs and making composites
• Illustration as a crucial inspiration for animated films
• Color Theory and its practicality
• Analysis and Assessment of Visual Communication
• Professional Workflow and working to a Brief

Key Readings:

• Hodgdon, L. A. (1995). Visual strategies for improving communication (Vol. 1). QuirkRoberts Pub.
• Ivins, W. M. (1969). Prints and visual communication (Vol. 10). MIT Press.
• Lester, P. M. (2013). Visual communication: Images with messages. Cengage Learning.

Media Management (Elective)

Objectives:

This course is designed especially to equip students with media management skills and tools. In the contemporary times, media management skills have become very significant and career oriented course to address the needs of the media industry to handle different functions and positions in efficient manner coupled with professional skills.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to Managing Different Forms of Media
• Media Analysis and Problems of Media Management
• Media Investigations and Examination of Media as a Part of Cultural, Political and Educational Systems
• Relationship between Cultural Environment and Media
• Media and Creative Industries — Media Markets
• Key Skills in Media Management
• Size and Pace of Development
• Media Management: Theoretical Foundations and Application
• Strategic and Operational Disciplines Required For Modern Media Executives
• Understanding Emerging Media Management
• Evolution of Social Media Marketing
• Ways to Manage Social Media
• Media Innovation

Key Readings:

1. O'Brien, J. A., & Marakas, G. M. (2006). Management information systems (Vol. 6). McGraw-Hill Irwin.
2. Chan-Olmsted, S. M. (2006). Competitive strategy for media firms: Strategic and brand management in changing media markets. Routledge.
3. Albarran, A. B. (Ed.). (2013). The social media industries. Routledge.