Students will Identify different mass media theories and their related conceptual frameworks. Be able to apply these concepts and theoretical frameworks to the critical analysis and interpretation of current phenomena.

1. Communication as scientific discipline 2.Communication and information 3. Mass media and popular culture 4. The "magic bullet theory": mass society and propaganda theories 5. The paths to persuasion. 6. Mass media, conversation and public opinion 7. The functionalist approach. 8. Structuralism, semiotics and the media. 9. Critical theory and the cultural industry. 10. The software effects of hardware 11. From cultural studies theory to cultural studies as metatheory 12. Theories on the long-term effects of media exposure 13. Narratives about the "Digital Society" 14. Artificial intelligence, media and power in the XXI century

Lectures Seminars Case studies Online resources (Open Course Ware, MOOCs etc.) Readings / Screenings Textual / Audiovisual analysis Teamwork Discussion Elaboration of reports Classroom presentations Forums