Theories in Information and Communication

Teacher(s)

Philippette Thibault;

Language

French

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	The aim of this course is to give the student a base of theoretical skills in the field of the communication. In this way, it joins a logic of specialization following the course of Communication and Information I. The student will be brought to understand the concepts and the methods of the main research currents. Beyond the simple identification of the diverse theories of the communicational approach, the student will be able to place them among the analysis currents of the contemporary world.

Content

The course provides a systematic and critical review of the essential conceptual components and major founding theories of ICS. It shows the articulations between the theories and the authors of reference (founders) to draw the constitutive lines of ICS, since its origins. The course seeks to embed ICS as a disciplinary and interdisciplinary field within the social sciences and humanities, articulating the discovery of ICS with other courses in the information and communication curriculum, and demonstrating how ICS can play a unifying role within the broad area of humanities and social sciences study.
The course is structured in several chapters (non-chronological):
Chapter 0: Introduction
Chapter 1: The evolution of human communication systems
Chapter 2: Functionalist Models of Information
Chapter 3: Making Signs
Chapter 4: Industrialization and Mass Culture
Chapter 5: Limited Effects Theory
Chapter 6: Theory of Opinion and Public Space
Chapter 7: Cultural Studies
Chapter 8: From the Telegraph to the Band(wo)man
Chapter 9: Communication professions
Chapter 10: Synthesis and conclusion on some issues 

Teaching methods

The theoretical course is given in the form of ex-cathedra sessions. At the beginning of some session, a Q/R moment may be organised on the basis of the previous material in order to evaluate the progress in the understanding of the theories. Note: participation and performance in these comprehension tests may give rise to a "bonus" in the final assessment (see assessment section of this sheet).
The practical work (TP) associated with the course is intended for Block 1 (COMU11BA) students only. They aim at accompanying the students in the reading of texts related to information and communication theories. The practical work is organised in the form of a reversed class: students are asked to work on chapters of a reference book (L'explosion de la Communication: Introduction aux théories et aux pratiques de la communication by Philippe Breton and Serge Proulx), which will then be discussed during the sessions. The student will be continuously assessed during the practical work (TP) on his or her mastery of the different chapters, through several modalities (reading cards, quizzes, tests, etc.).

Evaluation methods

For the course: written exam, MCQ type, which may include one or other open-ended questions.
For the exercises (COMU11BA): active participation in the practical exercises and regular evaluations during the year, in connection with the readings.

• For COMU11BA students, the practical exercises are worth 40% of the final grade, the remaining 60% is assessed by the examination (the examination is composed of 80% of questions on knowledge of the subject and 20% of questions on additional readings).
• For the other students (outside COMU11BA), 100% of the assessment is made up of the exam (the examination is composed of 80% of questions on knowledge of the subject and 20% of questions on additional readings).

The second session exam is worth 100% of the grade and is only based on knowledge and understanding, as well as further reading (same weighting as first session).

Other information

The course does not have a syllabus but is made up of a set of presentation materials and resources accessible on the course's Moodle platform (text portfolio, exercises and quizzes, etc.). The content presented orally is part of the course material and the student must therefore ensure that he/she is up to date on the material presented. 

Online resources

https://moodleucl.uclouvain.be/course/view.php?id=11703

Bibliography

• O. Aïm, & S. Billiet (coord.) (2015), Communication, Paris : Dunod. 
• D. Bougnoux (2001 [1998]), Introduction aux sciences de la communication, Paris : La Découverte (coll. Repères).
• P. Breton, & S. Proulx (2006 [2002]), L'explosion de la Communication: Introduction aux théories et aux pratiques de la communication, Paris : La Découverte (coll. Repères).
• Y. Jeanneret (2011 [2000]), Y a-t-il (vraiment) des technologies de l'information ?, Paris : Septentrion.
• J. Lohisse (1998), Les systèmes de communication : approche socio-anthropologique, Paris : Armand Colin.
• A. & M. Mattelart (1995 [1977]), Histoire des théories de la Communication, Paris : La Découverte (coll. Repères).
• E. Maigret (2015 [2003]), Sociologie de la Communication et des Médias, Paris : Armand Colin.
• J.-P. Meunier, & D. Peraya (2010 [1997]), Introduction aux théories de la communication, Bruxelles : De Boeck Supérieur.  
• Y. Winkin (dir.) (2000 [1981]), La nouvelle Communication, Paris : Ed. du Seuil.

Faculty or entity

ESPO