Checking date: 03/06/2025 16:31:17


Course: 2025/2026

Mass Media Theory
(18362)
Bachelor in Cultural Studies (Study Plan 2019) (Plan: 435 - Estudio: 364)


Coordinating teacher: REQUEJO ALEMAN, JOSE LUIS

Department assigned to the subject: Communication and Media Studies Department

Type: Basic Core
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:

Branch of knowledge: Social Sciences and Law



Requirements (Subjects that are assumed to be known)
The Media Theory course (hereinafter, MMT) stands as a foundational pillar upon which the Cultural Studies degree at our university is built. Strategically and appropriately located in the first year, MMT is conceived as a gateway to a complex and fascinating universe of thinkers, researchers, theories, and histories, providing students with the conceptual tools necessary to understand the communicative processes that shape our society (Craig, 1999: 119) and frameworks for interpreting the reality of journalism and communication. The course has been dubbed by UC3M students as "the philosophy of the program." MMT is not a stand-alone subject, but rather a bridge that connects different disciplines, from sociology and psychology to philosophy and linguistics. Its introductory and cross-curricular nature makes it a required subject (Craig, 1999: 120) for the degrees in Cultural Studies and Journalism, and for the double degrees in Journalism and Audiovisual Communication and Journalism and Humanities. This pedagogical decision is not accidental, but rather aims to establish a common language and a shared theoretical framework for all those wishing to delve into the field of public communication. As a subject shared by various degrees and aligned with European higher education standards, the TMC facilitates the international mobility of our students. The exchange agreements our university maintains with prestigious European institutions also value solid training in communication theory (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 2024), precisely because it provides depth and perspective. The TMC is also a journey through the history of journalism and public communication, exploring the ideas that have shaped our understanding of how we communicate and how the media, journalists, business leaders, and social actors influence our lives. But it is not possible to learn them all in one semester, in an organized and logical way. Of the more than 249 communication theories compiled by Anderson (Craig, 1999: 120), specialists agree that it is not possible to articulate and discuss them all in depth in one semester. Therefore, our choice is clear: it is not about filling our students' minds with knowledge but rather about igniting a flame, making students fall in love with the perspective so that they can recognize it, reformulate it, and propose it, when necessary, in the various professional environments in which they work. Therefore, my main objective in this course is to approach, in an engaging way, the legacy of the great thinkers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the different and complex dimensions of journalism, public communication, and nonfiction. From the classics, such as Harold Lasswell with his iconic phrase "propaganda is cheaper than war" (1979: 51), to more contemporary theorists who explore the challenges of the digital age, such as Marshall McLuhan and his famous phrase "The medium is the message" (McLuhan, 1996: 14), we study the different schools and currents that have structured our object of study. We analyze their ideas, arguments, and research, revealing the keys to understanding the communicative phenomena that surround us and the questions they attempted to answer. The perspective of the classics offers us an invaluable historical framework for interpretation. Authors such as Harold Lasswell, Paul Lazarsfeld, and Stuart Hall not only introduce us to their theories but also to the historical and social context in which they were formulated. Most of them emerged during times of profound social change, similar to those we are experiencing in our time. This allows us to understand how they have evolved and why they remain relevant despite all of them having detractors. Furthermore, the classics provide us with a clearer conceptual framework upon which to build our own knowledge. Their ideas serve as a starting point for analyzing contemporary communication phenomena, from the influence of social media on politics to the reconstruction of reality through the media, precisely because the questions, despite the passage of time, remain the same. However, we cannot remain stuck in the past. It is essential to connect this theoretical knowledge with current reality. To this end, in this course we also introduce practical cases that allow us to apply the concepts learned, recognize situations, and propose career paths. This is what I call "finding a place for professional practice again" or "reinventing the profession." We analyze successful and unsuccessful social events (Belvedere, 2015), study media coverage of relevant events, and debate
Objectives
1. Develop critical and reflective thinking to rigorously analyze communicative phenomena, unraveling their discursive structures, underlying interests, and social implications. 2. Acquire a solid theoretical foundation. It is not a matter of building on what has been taught, but rather, grasping the logic that governs the questions and gives meaning to the different analyses. Connect with classical thinkers and provide students with at least three essential ideas from key communication theories and approaches so they can understand this discipline's logic and apply it to similar situations. 3. Encourage creativity and innovation. Stimulate their ability to generate original ideas, develop new formats and narratives, and adapt to the demands of an ever-changing media environment. 4. Awaken the sense and need for professional ethics by instilling traditional values such as truth, objectivity, independence, and social responsibility. These values are essential for the practice of journalism, but they can also lead to the discovery of new values.
Description of contents: programme
The course covers theories and concepts relevant to analyzing the current media system. It covers classical and contemporary contributions to the field. Topic 1: Fundamental Concepts What is communication? What is theory? Topic 2: From the hypodermic theory to the Lasswell paradigm. Topic 3: Mass Communication Research Topic 4: Two-step communication theory. Topic 5: Uses and Gratifications Theory Theme 6: The Frankfurt School Theme 7: French Structuralism Theme 8: Cultural Studies The Toronto School and New Technologies Theme 10: The Long Tail Theory Theme 11: Agenda-setting theory Theory of the Spiral of Silence Theme 13: Framing Theory
Learning activities and methodology
Lectures Seminars Case studies Online resources (Open Course Ware, MOOCs etc.) Readings / Screenings Textual / Audiovisual analysis Teamwork Discussion Elaboration of reports Classroom presentations Forums
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination/test 60
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 40

Calendar of Continuous assessment


Extraordinary call: regulations
Basic Bibliography
  • Anderson, C.. La larga cola. Empresa Activa. 2006
  • Baudrillard, J.. Fatal Strategies. The MIT Press. 1990
  • Benjamin, W. . Discursos interrumpidos. Taurus. 1989
  • Bernays, E.. Propaganda. Desert. 2018
  • Carrera, P.. Basado en hechos reales. Mitologías mediáticas e imaginario digital. Cátedra +Media. 2020
  • Carrera, P. . La comunicación en el diván. Mitologías mediáticas e imaginario digital . 2025. Cátedra
  • Carrera, P. . Nosotros y los medios. Prolegómenos para una teoría de la comunicación. Biblioteca Nueva . 2017
  • De Moragas, M.. Sociología de la Comunicación de Masas. Paidós. 1985
  • Hall, S; Hobson, D; Lowe, A; Willis, P.. Culture, Media, Language. Hutchinson. 1980
  • McCombs, M.. Estableciendo la agenda. Paidós. 2004
  • McLuhan, M.. The medium is the massage . Penguin. 2008
  • Morín, E.. El cine y el hombre imaginario. Paidós. 1969
  • Wolf, Mauro. La investigación de la comunicación de masas. Paidos. 1987

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.