CM 325 - TV, Communication, and Media in Austria

Communication and media have always been interesting themes to study and analyze. If we characterize traditional media as exhibiting a common way of behaving and pursuing a common goal, new digital interactive media are blurring the distinction between mass and interpersonal communication. This course will consider two different points of view to talk about communication and media. Firstly, it will stress the explanation of what communication is, what it has meant, and what it means in a world characterized by relationships and connections. It is impossible to deny or ignore the influence the media exert on people, not only from an industrial and commercial point of view but foremost from a human and social perspective. This course will study the values and ways of life television and advertising offer the audience and will offer information about the producers of television programs and TV commercials that people love or hate. Moreover, it will focus on different media fields that characterize Austria: journalism and news making, the advertising industry, television, and the fields of art, business, culture, and entertainment. Students will analyze each theme from the point of view of history and theory, and from a practical and productive angle. We will explore select topics with guest lectures held by experts and professionals; field trips will provide a deeper insight into the activities of media industries.