6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021439CER for all students in the 1st semester at a (C) Bachelor - specialised level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Possible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Students must have taken ‘Qualitative Research Methods’, before they can enroll in this course.
Taught in
English
Partnership Agreement
Under interuniversity agreement for degree program
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Communication Sciences
External partners
Universiteit Gent
Educational team
Frederik Dhaenens (course titular)
Sarah Van Leuven
External teachers
Frederik Dhaenens
Sarah Van Leuven
Activities and contact hours
15 contact hours Lecture
30 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
105 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

This course focuses on the study of media content and media texts. It starts from the argument that, without disregarding the value of production and audience studies, media content and texts cannot be dismissed in the study of media and communication. Hence, the aim of this course is to provide an overview of the diverse research methods that deal with media content and media texts.

The course starts with a conceptual discussion to elucidate similarities and differences between media content and media texts. Second, the course offers an overview of different approaches and debates regarding the study of diverse media content and texts (e.g., news media, film, television,…). For the greater part, this course elaborates and illustrates contemporary quantitative and qualitative approaches. Particularly, students are instructed on how to conduct specific quantitative and qualitative analyses of media content and media texts. Last, students within this course are expected to complete an individual and group assignment based on one method (either content analysis or textual analysis).

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Downloadable Powerpoint slides
Digital course material (Required) : Additional scholarly literature (max. 2 book chapters or articles per seminar)
Additional info

This course combines various teaching methods:

Lecture: The lectures introduce students to key methods, method-related theories and concepts, and contemporary debates in media content and media text research.

Independent work: Students must complete an individual assignment (i.e. writing and defending a problem statement) as part of the group work. For this part of the assignment, the use of AI is permitted, but only to support the development of one's own original ideas. Any use of AI must be properly stated. 
In addition, students will individually and independently process and review additional scholarly literature related to course content in preparation for the lectures.

Group work and seminar: Students work in groups on one major assignment (either an assignment requiring the use of content analysis or an assignment requiring the use of textual analysis). The use of AI is only allowed for the literature review and only to support the development of your own original ideas. Any use of AI must be properly stated. It is not permitted to use AI to generate output related to the research design and the analysis. Teachers and assistants provide students with feedback throughout the process.

Because of group size and guidance, one half of the students will complete an assignment that uses textual analysis. The other half will complete an assignment that uses content analysis.

Learning Outcomes

General competences

Final competences

  • The student can formulate a valid scientific research question on a topic that relates to the analysis of media content and media texts.
  • The student knows how to set up a scientifically and methodologically correct research design.
  • The student possesses the methodological knowledge and skills of data selection, processing and analysis to successfully conduct content or  textual analysis on their own.
  • The student has an investigative, problem-oriented and critical attitude towards media-related phenomena and scientific research results with regard thereof.
  • The student recognises the multi-layered and complex character of media content and media texts.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Academic Report with a relative weight of 75 which comprises 75% of the final mark.
  • Problem Statement with a relative weight of 25 which comprises 25% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

This course uses permanent evaluation: The final result is based on the evaluation of the group work paper (75%) and individual work (25%)

  • Group work (75%): based on evaluation of the process and report of the group work. In case the input of the different team members is clearly different, the examination mark per student in one team can be different. In other words, the lecturers can adapt the score of the group work for each team member based on (1) participation during the seminars and (2) the outcome of students' confidential peer evaluations of their group members, which have to be submitted electronically after the submission of the group assignment.
  • Individual work (25%): based on the student's individual contribution to the group work.

If students fail the permanent evaluation (score lower than 10/20), they will be able to do an alternative written assignment in the second term.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Communication Studies
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Political Sciences
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Sociology