Aims

This course is intended to enable students to integrate the theories and communicational tools already acquired within a range of disciplines (Linguistics, Semiotics, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Literature etc) into a wider framework, leading to the creation of a model specific to the Information and Communication Sciences. More particularly, this model will be used to understand the communicational issues at stake in three major spheres of society: culture, the media and socio-educational contexts. What role does culture have in society in terms of cultural politics as cultural practice? How does the media fit in within the cultural, economic and political system? What role does communication play within formal and informal educational projects (knowledge transmission, scientific vulgarisation etc)? Finally, the course introduces the issues which form part of the specialised Master degree in " Media, Culture and Education ".

Main themes

The course does not revisit the main theories and methodologies covered in the basic disciplines studied in the prerequisite BAC1 and BAC2 course. But it presupposes that students will already have mastered these theories and methodologies. Instead, the course is focused on developing students' ability to take a communication-based approach to culture, the media and the socio-educational sector.
Within culture, students should develop an opinion on the place (political, anthropological, economic) of culture within society. They will also be introduced to the field of cultural politics.
They will also analyse the media system within its socio-cultural context, the relationship between media and culture on the one hand and knowledge transmission on the other. They will be able to define media culture and examine the relationship between mass and media.
Within the socio-educational context, students will identify the places, processes and mechanisms behind knowledge transmission. They will also examine the issues linked to informal and formal learning and define and investigate issues relating to knowledge mediation and scientific vulgarisation

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisite: COPS 1111, COPS 1122, COMU 1121, COMU 1211 and COMU 1221
Evaluation: Students will be tested on their knowledge of the course and through a piece of personal work demonstrating their critical thinking skills
Course materials: Course notes and reference articles
Supervision: Lectures given by a member of the academic staff

Other credits in programs