Research Methods and Sources in Communication
Code: 105014 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501928 Audiovisual Communication | OB | 1 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Amparo Huertas Bailén
- Email:
- Amparo.Huertas@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Prerequisites
No comments
Objectives and Contextualisation
The objective of Reserach Methods and Sources in Communication is that students obtain the knowledge and skills they need to develop (or to evaluate) a reserch.
The main objective is to help students to:
a) Face up (and evaluate) a scientific research in the field of communication (know how to act)
b) Develop critical and self-critical ability to analyse communcative practices (know how)
Competences
- Demonstrate a critical and self-critical capacity.
- Demonstrate a self-learning and self-demanding capacity to ensure an efficient job.
- Demonstrate ethical awareness as well as empathy with the entourage.
- Demonstrate knowledge and skills to execute a practical and theoretical project with a scientific basis.
- Develop autonomous learning strategies.
- Develop critical thinking and reasoning and be able to relay ideas effectively in Catalan, Spanish and a third language.
- Disseminate the area’s knowledge and innovations.
- Generate innovative and competitive ideas in research and professional practice.
- Manage time effectively.
- Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
- Rigorously apply scientific thinking.
Learning Outcomes
- Be familiar with and apply scientific method in researching audiovisual communication.
- Build a theoretical discourse around a research subject.
- Demonstrate a critical and self-critical capacity.
- Demonstrate a self-learning and self-demanding capacity to ensure an efficient job.
- Demonstrate ethical awareness as well as empathy with the entourage.
- Develop autonomous learning strategies.
- Develop critical thinking and reasoning and be able to relay ideas effectively in Catalan, Spanish and a third language.
- Disseminate the area’s knowledge and innovations.
- Generate innovative and competitive ideas in research and professional practice.
- Implement various research methodologies of communicative phenomena.
- Manage time effectively.
- Raise scientific questions and establish hypotheses regarding communication research.
- Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
- Rigorously apply scientific thinking.
Content
Introduction: scientific activity and communication
- General characteristics of the scientific method (basic and applied)
- Thematic sections and communication: professional activity (production), legislation, audiovisual products (content analysis) and audiences (reception)
- Types and main lines of general research: social research and content analysis
- Main sources in communication: academia, institutions ans economic sector
Stages of the scientific process
- Subject of study and context (What do we want to know?)
- Developing theoretical framework (What do we know about that?)
- Developing methodological strategies (How can we get to know it?)
- Final Analysis and interpretation (what have we discovered after doing framework?)
Basic concepts in scientific methodology
- How to elaborate theoretical framework, theories and epistemology
- Hyphotesis and questions
- Effects of variables (Typology)
- Univers / Sample - Corpus
Social Research (uses, consumption, reception, public opinion,...)
- Qualitative Methodology: Ethnographic observation, Digital ethnographic, focus group, interviewing.
- Quantitative Methodolgy: Survey and questionnaires
- Triangulation: Qualitative and Quantitative Research.
Content Analysis (speeches, representations, stereotypes,...)
- Qualitative Methodology: Languages and narratives. Case Study.
- Quantitative Methodology: Big Data.
- Triangulation: Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Research Trends in Catalonia and Spain
- Main lines of research at international context
- Research Centers
Methodology
The devolopmetn of the subject includes three types of activities:
Directed activities
- Master Classses: basic concepts (online)
- Seminars: The objective is to deepen about the basic concepts through analysis and reflection (individual and group work. individual final delivery)
- Laboratory Practical: The objective is to deepen about basic concepts through an own research project (group work)
Supervised activities
- Personal interviews to check the evolution of learning and to help students (online)
Autonomous activities
-The students will have to make the readings indicated as obligatory and all the activites planned for a correct development of seminars and laboratory practices.
The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject. In case of a change of teaching modality for health reasons, teachers will make readjustments in the schedule and methodologies.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Discussion seminars and debat | 18 | 0.72 | 14, 13, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7 |
| Laboratory practical | 15 | 0.6 | 14, 13, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 9, 11, 10, 12 |
| Master Classes | 15 | 0.6 | 2, 1, 3, 7, 8 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Custom tracking | 7 | 0.28 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Laboratory practical preparation | 15 | 0.6 | 14, 13, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 10, 12 |
| Reading and synthesis of scientific documents | 30 | 1.2 | 14, 13, 2, 4, 5, 3, 7, 8 |
| Works for the development of seminars | 22 | 0.88 | 14, 13, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, 11 |
Assessment
The subject will be evaluated from different procedures (the final grade will be the sumn of all the scores):
- Works (70%): solving individual exercises (35% - It can be repeated) and group research (35%)
- Participation in seminaris (10%)
- Written exam (20%). Individual - It can be repeated
The last two weeks will be dedicated to recovery activities, which can accommodate students who have made a minimum of 2/3 of all evaluable activities and who have obtained a minimum score between 3.5 and 4.9. After a mandatory face-to-face individual interview and depending on the grade obtained, it will be decided which exercises can be repeated (exam and / or seminars). In these cases student can get a maximum of 5 and the note can not go down.
Students who have obtained a grade in 8 can choose to upload a grade from an oral test. In this case, the final grade may go down.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works (resolution of exercises and research work) | 70% | 15 | 0.6 | 14, 13, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 |
| Participation in seminaris | 10% | 4 | 0.16 | 14, 13, 2, 1, 5, 3, 7, 9, 11, 10, 12 |
| Written exam | 20% | 9 | 0.36 | 14, 13, 4, 5, 3, 9 |
Bibliography
- Casas, Jordi; Nin, Jordi; Julbe, Francesc (2019). Big Data. Análisis de datos en entornos masivos. Barcelona: UOC [https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2085336?lang=cat]
- Igartua, Juan José (2006). Métodos cuantitativos de investigación en comunicación. Barcelona: Bosch
- Jensen, Klaus B. i Jankowski, Nicholas V. (1993). Métodos cualitativos de investigación en comunicación de masas. Barcelona: Bosch
- Medina, Alfons i Busquet, Jordi (2019). La recerca en comunicació. Barcelona: UOC
- Soriano, Jaume (2007). L'ofici de comunicòleg: métodes per investigar la comunicació. Barcelona: Eumo
- Tardivo, Giuliano (2016). Aproximación a la sociología contemporánea. Barcelona: UOC
Further reading:
- Berger, Peter L. (2004). Invitació a la sociologia. Una perspectiva humanística. Barcelona: Herder
- Cuesta, Ubaldo (2000). Psicologia social de la comunicación. Madrid: Catedra
- Eguizabal, Raúl(2015). Metodologías I. Madrid: Fragua
- Eguizabal, Raúl (2016). Metodologías II. Madrid: Fragua
- Kellner, Douglas (2011). Cultura mediática. Estudios culturales, identidad y política entre lo moderno y lo posmoderno. Madrid: AKAL /Estudios Visuales
More information:
Observatori de la Comunicació aCatalunya (OCC InCom-UAB): [https://incom.uab.cat/occ/]
Portal de la Comunicación (InCom-UAB): [https://incom.uab.cat/portalcom/?lang=es]