Lecture 2 - Approach paradigm
Our approach
A bird’s eye view on communication studies
- Tour d’horizon= “fast chronological overview”
- Institutionalization and development of the discipline (after WWII)
- Focus on mediated and mass communication - explain and understand
- General social sciences theories and media-focused theories
- Authors, schools, traditions
- Research topics and research questions
Focus on mediated communication
Communication via a technological ‘medium’ ≠ face-to-face
- Mass communication
- Mediated communication
- In light of increasing mediatization of society → interesting research question
- Not interpersonal face-to-face communication
⚠ Technological determinism = technology (media, AI) is independent to a certain extent form
human will — has own internal logic — and is a driving force of change by itself
≠ just a part of social process, where it would leave an impact but wouldn’t be crucial for change
→ careful : embedded within social structures
Multidisciplinarity
= thinking about subject in context of the whole environment where it exists
● Media communication takes place within a complex of interrelated historical, social,
political , psychological, cultural, economic, technological, legal, … processes, actors,
events
→ Therefore, inspiration and insights from other disciplines that focus on these processes
● Insights from sociology, political sciences, economics, law, anthropology, psychology,
philosophy & ethics, history, cybernetics, technology studies, … (multidisciplinarity)
● Integration/combination in communication studies (interdisciplinarity)
● Pros and cons
Importance of societal and historical context - to gain insight
- Placing concepts, theories, authors, traditions, … within their historical and societal context
→ (Who? What? When? Where? How? Saying)
- Underlying view on man and society (optimistic/ pessimistic - content is very revealing)
- Importance of Media History
= important to research information behind paradigms and media
photo represents a mentality shift of US around the Vietnamese war
→ pictures bring reality of the world: growth of anti war movement + later
controlling on information/ journalistic coverage comes back from war -
embedded journalists
1
,Scientific and critical approach
Scientific and critical approach = Applying critiques to the different theoretical approaches
e.g. propaganda; stereotypes
=> what is their impact Critical approach to media and communication
- By means of knowledge on scientific research
- Via use of (abstract) theories and concepts
- Examples
- No practical course, pure theory
- Complexity of media and communication
- Impossible to investigate and/or speak of media completely neutral/value-free
- No definitive answers : very different angles & opinions, always competing explanations
- Make presuppositions (=veronderstellingen/ aannemingen) explicit
- Critiques and self-criticism
Structure
3 BLOCKS:
1. Core themes and development of the discipline
2. Theoretical developments in the discipline
3. Specific fields of research and concepts in the discipline
1. Core themes and development of the discipline
- General introduction on communication studies: Mickey Mouse?
- Paradigms (= manier van denken die bepaalt hoe we naar de wereld kijken)
- Classifying theories
o Dichotomies (= tegenstellingen)
- Media history: overview of different media and their context → beginning of the 20th Century
2. Theoretical developments in the discipline Approach
- Theoretical contextualization and theories with a focus on media, i.e.
o ‘Sources of inspiration’ in terms of theory (from sociology, psychology, …)
o Media focused theories and concepts
- In the 20th Century, i.e.
o Pre-institutionalization (of communication studies as a specific field) (ca. 1900 –
end of World War II)
o Post-institutionalization (end of World War II – …)
Pre-institutionalization of communication studies
Sources of inspiration
- Gemeinschaft-Gesellschaft
- Learning theory (stimulus-response)
- Psychoanalysis
Media focused theories
- Mass society theory
- Propaganda studies
- Lasswell
- Critical propaganda studies
2
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,Post-institutionalization of communication studies;
The mainstream paradigm (founding fathers of our discipline)
Sources of inspiration
- Functionalism
- Action oriented approaches
o Symbolic interactionism
o Phenomenology
o Ethnomethodology
- Congruence theory (cognitive dissonance)
Media focused theories
- Functionalist media theory
- Limited effects
o Two-step flow
o Mediating factors
o Uses & Gratifications
o Strong effects, the sequel
o Agenda-setting
o Cultivation
o Spiral of silence
The alternative-critical paradigm
Sources of inspiration
- Marxism
- Critical theory/Frankfurter Schule
- Semiotics
- Postmodernism
Media focused theories
- Frankfurter Schule
- Political economy of communication
- Cultural Studies
- Culturalism
- Structuralism
- Post-approaches
- Poststructuralism
- Creative consumption
- Postmodernism
Medium-oriented theories
- Media focused theories
- Toronto School
- H. Innis
- M. McLuhan
Page 3 of 7
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3. Specific fields of research and concepts in the discipline
Selection of fields of research in the discipline
- E.g. communicator studies and gatekeeping
- E.g. basic principles of (new) media economy
- E.g. content and message, including stereotyping, framing, genre
- E.g. media sociology
- E.g. reception studies
Paradigmatic battles and Paradigm
Paradigm
- Thomas S. Kuhn: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962)
- dominant understanding (60’s) science accumulates gradually
BUT Kuhn - disagree: points in which there are profound shakeups in what we understand as
science → scientific revolution: movement from 1 paradigm of doing science to another paradigm
= shifting sort of questions between different people who identify as scientists
Paradigm = a typical example/model or pattern of something
+/- universally shared model of what needs to be investigated, which questions are considered
essential, how to tackle these questions methodologically, and how to interpret research results
—> Guiding worldview (accepted by scholars) dominant paradigm gives framework
Knowledge is not accumulated step by step, but via ruptures (=breuken/scheuren)
Normal science → Puzzle-solving → D. Paradigm → Anomaly (= results that don’t fit within
that framework, keep coming back)→ Crisis → Revolution → ‘new’ paradigm / normal science /
puzzle solving
→ Scientific revolutions – paradigm shift
Most of scholars research smaller parts if paradigm. Paradigm shift happens after scientific
revolution in some field. It happens when results of research starts to contradict paradigm and
after accumulating of this type of anomalies there is an attempt to change paradigm which is
scientific revolution and creates new paradigm.
The old paradigm is being replaced by a profoundly different one = paradigm shifts. This is how
science evolves
The process (can) takes hundreds of years
- e.g. Copernican revolution : shifting from a geocentric model of the universe - new observations
like the calendar - crisis - scientists thinking profoundly out of that model - solar system
→ took almost a century
→ once this becomes dominant paradigm, impossible to do science using old paradigm
= paradigms are incompatible with eachother
→ Incommensurability of paradigms
- In exact sciences; not the case in social sciences
- In the social sciences, paradigms can exist next to each other
- Dominant paradigm vs. competing paradigm(s) = no consensus
- Non-linear developments within social sciences
4
Our approach
A bird’s eye view on communication studies
- Tour d’horizon= “fast chronological overview”
- Institutionalization and development of the discipline (after WWII)
- Focus on mediated and mass communication - explain and understand
- General social sciences theories and media-focused theories
- Authors, schools, traditions
- Research topics and research questions
Focus on mediated communication
Communication via a technological ‘medium’ ≠ face-to-face
- Mass communication
- Mediated communication
- In light of increasing mediatization of society → interesting research question
- Not interpersonal face-to-face communication
⚠ Technological determinism = technology (media, AI) is independent to a certain extent form
human will — has own internal logic — and is a driving force of change by itself
≠ just a part of social process, where it would leave an impact but wouldn’t be crucial for change
→ careful : embedded within social structures
Multidisciplinarity
= thinking about subject in context of the whole environment where it exists
● Media communication takes place within a complex of interrelated historical, social,
political , psychological, cultural, economic, technological, legal, … processes, actors,
events
→ Therefore, inspiration and insights from other disciplines that focus on these processes
● Insights from sociology, political sciences, economics, law, anthropology, psychology,
philosophy & ethics, history, cybernetics, technology studies, … (multidisciplinarity)
● Integration/combination in communication studies (interdisciplinarity)
● Pros and cons
Importance of societal and historical context - to gain insight
- Placing concepts, theories, authors, traditions, … within their historical and societal context
→ (Who? What? When? Where? How? Saying)
- Underlying view on man and society (optimistic/ pessimistic - content is very revealing)
- Importance of Media History
= important to research information behind paradigms and media
photo represents a mentality shift of US around the Vietnamese war
→ pictures bring reality of the world: growth of anti war movement + later
controlling on information/ journalistic coverage comes back from war -
embedded journalists
1
,Scientific and critical approach
Scientific and critical approach = Applying critiques to the different theoretical approaches
e.g. propaganda; stereotypes
=> what is their impact Critical approach to media and communication
- By means of knowledge on scientific research
- Via use of (abstract) theories and concepts
- Examples
- No practical course, pure theory
- Complexity of media and communication
- Impossible to investigate and/or speak of media completely neutral/value-free
- No definitive answers : very different angles & opinions, always competing explanations
- Make presuppositions (=veronderstellingen/ aannemingen) explicit
- Critiques and self-criticism
Structure
3 BLOCKS:
1. Core themes and development of the discipline
2. Theoretical developments in the discipline
3. Specific fields of research and concepts in the discipline
1. Core themes and development of the discipline
- General introduction on communication studies: Mickey Mouse?
- Paradigms (= manier van denken die bepaalt hoe we naar de wereld kijken)
- Classifying theories
o Dichotomies (= tegenstellingen)
- Media history: overview of different media and their context → beginning of the 20th Century
2. Theoretical developments in the discipline Approach
- Theoretical contextualization and theories with a focus on media, i.e.
o ‘Sources of inspiration’ in terms of theory (from sociology, psychology, …)
o Media focused theories and concepts
- In the 20th Century, i.e.
o Pre-institutionalization (of communication studies as a specific field) (ca. 1900 –
end of World War II)
o Post-institutionalization (end of World War II – …)
Pre-institutionalization of communication studies
Sources of inspiration
- Gemeinschaft-Gesellschaft
- Learning theory (stimulus-response)
- Psychoanalysis
Media focused theories
- Mass society theory
- Propaganda studies
- Lasswell
- Critical propaganda studies
2
Gedownload door: margolepoudre | Wil jij €76 per
Dit document is auteursrechtelijk beschermd, het verspreiden van dit document is strafbaar. maand verdienen?
,Post-institutionalization of communication studies;
The mainstream paradigm (founding fathers of our discipline)
Sources of inspiration
- Functionalism
- Action oriented approaches
o Symbolic interactionism
o Phenomenology
o Ethnomethodology
- Congruence theory (cognitive dissonance)
Media focused theories
- Functionalist media theory
- Limited effects
o Two-step flow
o Mediating factors
o Uses & Gratifications
o Strong effects, the sequel
o Agenda-setting
o Cultivation
o Spiral of silence
The alternative-critical paradigm
Sources of inspiration
- Marxism
- Critical theory/Frankfurter Schule
- Semiotics
- Postmodernism
Media focused theories
- Frankfurter Schule
- Political economy of communication
- Cultural Studies
- Culturalism
- Structuralism
- Post-approaches
- Poststructuralism
- Creative consumption
- Postmodernism
Medium-oriented theories
- Media focused theories
- Toronto School
- H. Innis
- M. McLuhan
Page 3 of 7
Gedownload door: margolepoudre | Wil jij €76 per
Dit document is auteursrechtelijk beschermd, het verspreiden van dit document is strafbaar. maand verdienen?
, Stuvia - Koop en Verkoop de Beste Samenvattingen
3. Specific fields of research and concepts in the discipline
Selection of fields of research in the discipline
- E.g. communicator studies and gatekeeping
- E.g. basic principles of (new) media economy
- E.g. content and message, including stereotyping, framing, genre
- E.g. media sociology
- E.g. reception studies
Paradigmatic battles and Paradigm
Paradigm
- Thomas S. Kuhn: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962)
- dominant understanding (60’s) science accumulates gradually
BUT Kuhn - disagree: points in which there are profound shakeups in what we understand as
science → scientific revolution: movement from 1 paradigm of doing science to another paradigm
= shifting sort of questions between different people who identify as scientists
Paradigm = a typical example/model or pattern of something
+/- universally shared model of what needs to be investigated, which questions are considered
essential, how to tackle these questions methodologically, and how to interpret research results
—> Guiding worldview (accepted by scholars) dominant paradigm gives framework
Knowledge is not accumulated step by step, but via ruptures (=breuken/scheuren)
Normal science → Puzzle-solving → D. Paradigm → Anomaly (= results that don’t fit within
that framework, keep coming back)→ Crisis → Revolution → ‘new’ paradigm / normal science /
puzzle solving
→ Scientific revolutions – paradigm shift
Most of scholars research smaller parts if paradigm. Paradigm shift happens after scientific
revolution in some field. It happens when results of research starts to contradict paradigm and
after accumulating of this type of anomalies there is an attempt to change paradigm which is
scientific revolution and creates new paradigm.
The old paradigm is being replaced by a profoundly different one = paradigm shifts. This is how
science evolves
The process (can) takes hundreds of years
- e.g. Copernican revolution : shifting from a geocentric model of the universe - new observations
like the calendar - crisis - scientists thinking profoundly out of that model - solar system
→ took almost a century
→ once this becomes dominant paradigm, impossible to do science using old paradigm
= paradigms are incompatible with eachother
→ Incommensurability of paradigms
- In exact sciences; not the case in social sciences
- In the social sciences, paradigms can exist next to each other
- Dominant paradigm vs. competing paradigm(s) = no consensus
- Non-linear developments within social sciences
4
