Lesson plan /

Lesson Information

Course Credit
Course ECTS Credit
Teaching Language of Instruction Türkçe
Level of Course Bachelor's Degree, TYYÇ: Level 6, EQF-LLL: Level 6, QF-EHEA: First Cycle
Type of Course
Mode of Delivery Face-to-face
Does the course require compulsory or optional work experience?
Course Coordinator Assoc. Prof. (Ph.D.) OLCAY UÇAK
Instructor (s)
Course Assistant

Purpose and Content

The aim of the course The objective of the course is to provide a critical evaluation of the social, cultural, and political impacts of mass communication. By positioning mass communication at the center of the production of social consciousness, it aims to enable students to recognize the invisible forms of power exercised by the media.
Course Content The social impacts of press, radio, television, cinema, and digital media formats are discussed through the lenses of ideology, representation, power, public sphere, and culture. Mass communication is treated not merely as a mechanism for information transmission, but as a domain where meaning is produced, identity is constructed, and cultural hegemony is exercised. In this context, the course relates classical mass communication theories (e.g., Frankfurt School, McLuhan, Hall, Baudrillard, etc.) to contemporary media culture, aiming to foster a critical and creative perspective on communication processes.

Weekly Course Subjects

1A general framework is provided regarding the historical and sociological foundations of the concept of "mass," the social functions of communication, and the meaning of the "mass" in modern society.
2The social impact of the printing press, the birth of journalism, the development of propaganda techniques, and the relationship between mass communication and nation-states are discussed.
3The concept of the culture industry is examined from the perspective of the Frankfurt School, discussing the relationship between art, entertainment, and ideology through Adorno and Horkheimer’s critiques of mass culture.
4The formal power of media, the technology-human extension relationship, and the concept of the culture industry are addressed through Antonio Gramsci’s approach to "hegemony and consent."
5The ideological functions of the media are discussed through Louis Althusser’s theory of ideological apparatuses and Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony.
6Stuart Hall’s encoding-decoding model is examined, analyzing the production of meaning, the social structure of representation, and the negotiation of meaning with the audience.
7Marshall McLuhan’s "the medium is the message" approach is addressed, covering the formal power of media, the technology-human extension relationship, and the concept of media ecology.
8A written exam and a short analysis study are conducted.
9Popular culture is discussed as a field of resistance and negotiation from the Birmingham School’s cultural studies perspective, including analyses of the active audience approach, fandom culture, reception studies, and the audience-society relationship.
10The dissolution of boundaries between media and reality is discussed through Jean Baudrillard’s theory of simulation and hyperreality.
11News manipulation, propaganda, disinformation, ethical dilemmas, and the responsibility of media professionals are addressed.
12Discussions are held on new media, social networks, algorithmic culture, and the data society.
13The concepts of the politics of the visual, image economy, screen aesthetics, and visual meaning production are examined.
14Student analysis projects are presented and the conceptual framework of the semester is evaluated holistically.

Resources

- Adorno, Theodor W. & Horkheimer, Max. Aydınlanmanın Diyalektiği.
- McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man.
- Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices.
- Baudrillard, Jean. Simülakrlar ve Simülasyon.
- Williams, Raymond. Culture and Society.
- Thompson, John B. Medya ve Modernite.
- Castells, Manuel. Ağ Toplumunun Yükselişi.
- Habermas, Jürgen. Kamusal Alanın Yapısal Dönüşümü.
- Kellner, Douglas. Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern.
- Fiske, John. Understanding Popular Culture.
- Berger, John. Görme Biçimleri.
- Lister, Martin et al. New Media: A Critical Introduction.
- Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide.
- Morley, David. Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies.
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