COM3701 ASSIGNMENT 1 COMPLETE ANSWERS STUDY GUIDE
2025/2026 VERIFIED SOLUTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS || 100%
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COM3701 ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE (100 Q&A)
Section A: Foundational Concepts & Semiotics
1. Q: What is the primary focus of the field of Communication Science?
A: It focuses on the systematic study of communication processes, media
institutions, the content they produce, and the effects they have on individuals and
society.
2. Q: Define 'semiotics'.
A: Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
3. Q: According to Saussure, a sign is composed of what two parts?
A: The signifier (the form the sign takes, e.g., a word or sound) and the
signified (the concept it represents).
4. Q: What is the difference between denotation and connotation?
A: Denotation is the literal, descriptive meaning of a sign. Connotation is the
cultural, personal, and ideological associations that the sign evokes.
,5. Q: What does 'polysemy' mean in media studies?
A: It refers to the capacity of a text (like a TV show or image) to have multiple
potential meanings for different audiences.
6. Q: Define 'ideology' in a media context.
A: A system of ideas, values, and beliefs that shapes our understanding of the
world and justifies maintaining or challenging power relations, often promoted
through media.
7. Q: What is 'hegemony' as theorized by Gramsci?
A: It is the process by which a dominant group secures consent to its
leadership through cultural and ideological means, rather than just coercion.
8. Q: What is the 'public sphere' according to Habermas?
A: A virtual or imaginary community where private individuals come together
to discuss matters of public concern and form public opinion.
9. Q: What is the 'hypodermic needle' or 'magic bullet' theory of media
effects?
A: An early and now largely discredited theory that suggests media messages
are injected directly into a passive audience, having an immediate and uniform
effect.
, 10. Q: What are the two main functions of a model in communication theory?
A: To simplify a complex process and to identify key components and their
relationships.
Section B: Media Industries & Political Economy
11. Q: What is the primary concern of the political economy approach to
media?
A: It focuses on the power relations that influence the production, distribution,
and consumption of media, emphasizing ownership, corporate structure, and profit
motive.
12. Q: What is 'concentration of media ownership'?
A: The process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations
control increasing shares of the mass media.
13. Q: Name the three main types of media ownership concentration.
A: Horizontal, Vertical, and Conglomerate (or Diagonal) concentration.
14. Q: What is 'vertical integration' in a media company?
A: When a company controls different stages of production and distribution
within the same industry (e.g., a film studio owning a cinema chain).
2025/2026 VERIFIED SOLUTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS || 100%
GUARANTEED PASS <LATEST VERSION>
COM3701 ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE (100 Q&A)
Section A: Foundational Concepts & Semiotics
1. Q: What is the primary focus of the field of Communication Science?
A: It focuses on the systematic study of communication processes, media
institutions, the content they produce, and the effects they have on individuals and
society.
2. Q: Define 'semiotics'.
A: Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
3. Q: According to Saussure, a sign is composed of what two parts?
A: The signifier (the form the sign takes, e.g., a word or sound) and the
signified (the concept it represents).
4. Q: What is the difference between denotation and connotation?
A: Denotation is the literal, descriptive meaning of a sign. Connotation is the
cultural, personal, and ideological associations that the sign evokes.
,5. Q: What does 'polysemy' mean in media studies?
A: It refers to the capacity of a text (like a TV show or image) to have multiple
potential meanings for different audiences.
6. Q: Define 'ideology' in a media context.
A: A system of ideas, values, and beliefs that shapes our understanding of the
world and justifies maintaining or challenging power relations, often promoted
through media.
7. Q: What is 'hegemony' as theorized by Gramsci?
A: It is the process by which a dominant group secures consent to its
leadership through cultural and ideological means, rather than just coercion.
8. Q: What is the 'public sphere' according to Habermas?
A: A virtual or imaginary community where private individuals come together
to discuss matters of public concern and form public opinion.
9. Q: What is the 'hypodermic needle' or 'magic bullet' theory of media
effects?
A: An early and now largely discredited theory that suggests media messages
are injected directly into a passive audience, having an immediate and uniform
effect.
, 10. Q: What are the two main functions of a model in communication theory?
A: To simplify a complex process and to identify key components and their
relationships.
Section B: Media Industries & Political Economy
11. Q: What is the primary concern of the political economy approach to
media?
A: It focuses on the power relations that influence the production, distribution,
and consumption of media, emphasizing ownership, corporate structure, and profit
motive.
12. Q: What is 'concentration of media ownership'?
A: The process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations
control increasing shares of the mass media.
13. Q: Name the three main types of media ownership concentration.
A: Horizontal, Vertical, and Conglomerate (or Diagonal) concentration.
14. Q: What is 'vertical integration' in a media company?
A: When a company controls different stages of production and distribution
within the same industry (e.g., a film studio owning a cinema chain).
