Communication and Media Studies: An Introduction to the U.S. Discipline

The University of Social Sciences and HumanitiesVietnam National University HCMC

17 March 2008

Carol Wilder, Ph.D.2007-08 Fulbright Scholar - Hanoi University

Professor of Media Studies and FilmThe New School, New York

• Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of people, knowledge, and skills.

www.iie.org/fulbright

Hanoi University(formerly Hanoi University of Foreign Studies)

• The first university in Vietnam (2002) to offer courses in English in Business, Tourism, Finance, Banking, Accounting, International Studies, & Computer Science

• www.hanu.vn

Origins in Humanities, Arts and Social Science

• Humanities: Philosophy, Literature, History, Languages

• Arts: Poetry, Theatre, Visual Arts

• Social Sciences: Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

Facts About the Field

• Communication industry is the 4th fast growing sector of US economy ($700 billion annually)

• 3 of the 6 “Most Popular Undergraduate Majors” are in Communication-related Areas

• There are more than 1300 Communication/Media Departments in US enrolling more than 500,000 undergraduate majors

• 90,000 B.A. degrees in Communication/Media are awarded each year

• Media/Communication programs are offered in many other countries, especially Australia and U.K.

Roots in Ancient Greece & Rome

• 480-338 BCE “The Golden Age of Pericles” - Birth of Democracy

• 469-399 BCE -- Socrates• 427-347 BCE -- Plato -“Phaedrus”• 384-322 BCE -- Aristotle -“Rhetoric”• 006-043 -- Cicero -“OnOratory”• 035-095 -- Quintilian “The good

man speaking well.”

Concerns of “Classical Rhetoric”

• Elements: Speaker, Speech, Audience, Occasion

• Purpose: To Persuade (primary) Also “To Teach” and “To Please”

• Types of Speeches: Political, Legal, Ceremonial

• Forms of “Artistic” Proof: Ethos (Ethical),Pathos (Emotional), Logos (Logical)

• “Inartistic” Proof: contracts, witnesses, testimony, etc

• Teaching Methods: Theory, Imitation, Practice

Roots of Rhetoric in Ancient China

• 8th C. BCE -- Shi Jing (“Book of Odes”) and Shang Shu (“Book of History”)

• 5th C. BCE -- Confucius “Lun Yu” (Analects)

• 5th C. BCE -- Laozi -- “Dae de Jing”

Some Concerns of Ancient Chinese Rhetoric

• Moral/Ethical Emphasis

• “Tian Ming” -- Mandate of Heaven

• “Junzi” -- Well Cultivated and Morally Refined Gentleman

• “Zheng Ming” -- Reification of Names

Communication Technology Timeline . . .

• 3500 BCE -- Sumerians and Egyptians develop writing

• 105 -- Tsai Lun invents paper• 1450 -- Gutenberg introduces printing

press• 1835 -- Samuel Morse = Morse Code• 1876 -- A.G. Bell exhibits telephone• 1877 -- T. Edison patents phonograph• 1895 -- Lumiere brothers screen first public

film

• 1920 Marconi creates first transatlantic short wave radio connection

• 1922 BBC radio goes on the air• 1923 Kodak introduces home movie

equipment• 1923 Process for sound motion

pictures developed• 1924 2,500,000 radios sold in U.S.• 1926 First 16mm movie shot in U.S.

• 1932 8mm cameras and film introduced for home movies

• 1933 Philo Farnsworth displays electronic television

• 1934 Associated Press starts wirephoto service• 1935 First telephone call made around the

world• 1936 Alan Turing describes a general purpose

computer• 1939 NBC starts first daily television

broadcasts in the U.S.• 1941 Push button telephone introduced

• 1942 Warring nations use radio for propaganda

• 1944 NBC broadcasts first network newscast

• 1947 Transistor invented at Bell Labs• 1948 Edward Land introduces one-minute

Polaroid camera• 1948 Long-playing record introduced

• 1950 Xerox photocopiers begin production

• 1951 Color television sets go on sale• 1957 USSR launch of Sputnik satellite• 1958 Stereo LPs go on sale• 1959 Ampex produces mobile

videotape recorder• 1959 Microchip that enables the

computer revolution introduced

• 1971 Email is introduced• 1971 Cellphone is invented• 1971 Wang 1200 is first word

processor• 1972 Pong, the first home video

game• 1972 Sony introduces the "Port-a-

Pak" portable video recorder• 1974 The word "internet" enters the

lexicon

• 1980 24 hour news channel CNN goes on air

• 1980 Sony introduces consumer camcorder

• 1980 Voyager 1 sends back images of Saturn

• 1981 Laptop computer introduced• 1981 IBM PC introduced• 1983 CDs go on sale

• 1993 First Hollywood film edited on non-linear computer system

• 1995 Digital wireless phones introduced

• 1996 Flat-panel computer displays are introduced

• 1997 DVDs go on sale• 1998 300 million World Wide Web

pages, adding 1.5 million daily• 1998 Internet traffic doubles every

100 days

• 1998 Google introduced• 2000 +/- Major consolidation of

media industries• 2001 Apple introduces iPod• 2005 YouTube• 2006 Google buys YouTube for 1.65

billion dollars• The future? Unlimited.

Typical Major Areas of Undergraduate Study in Communication & Media -- 2008

• Film and Video Studies and Production • “New” and Digital Media• Media Education • Journalism • Intercultural Communication• Media Law• Media and Popular Culture• Media Management• Health Communication• Interpersonal and Group Communication • Organizational Communication • Political Communication • Human Communication Technology• History of Communication and Rhetoric

Some Related Professions

• Media Education• Journalism, Reporting and Publishing• Producing• Public Affairs/Corporate Communication• Writing and Editing• Independent Video and Filmmaking• Media Programming• Broadcasting and Cable Industries• Telecommunications• New Media Companies• Health Communication• Information Technologies/Game Design• Media Sales• Media Policy Analyst

Large U.S. Programs• Communication: Annenberg Schools at USC and Communication: Annenberg Schools at USC and

University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, Boston UniversityBoston University

• University of Wisconsin, University of California (San University of Wisconsin, University of California (San Diego and Santa Barbara)Diego and Santa Barbara)

• Journalism: Columbia, Missouri, U.S. BerkeleyJournalism: Columbia, Missouri, U.S. Berkeley• Media Studies: The New School, New York Media Studies: The New School, New York

University, Emerson CollegeUniversity, Emerson College• Film: New York University, Columbia, University of Film: New York University, Columbia, University of

Southern California, American Film InstituteSouthern California, American Film Institute

Major Professional Organizations

• National Communication Association (8,000 members; founded 1915)

• International Communication Association (3,000 members; founded 1954)

• Society for Cinema and Media Studies

• Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

One growing part of the field is “Media Studies”

• While there are many differences between programs, one can summarize that the goal of Media Studies is to advance the understanding, making, and managing of media across all formats in the service of professional training, creative expression, and civic engagement.

The Values of Media Studies

• 1. Understanding Media: including critical analysis of media systems and effects

Making Media

• 2. Making Media: turning theory into practice in audio, video, film, and digital media

Managing Media

• 3. Managing Media: acquiring strategic knowledge and skills for media industry leadership

Across Media Formats

• 4. Across Media Formats: radio, television, film, internet, wireless, audio, video, digital media, etc

Professional Training

• 5. Professional Training: acquiring skills in producing, designing, directing, shooting, and editing in one or more mediums using cross-platform training

Creative Expression

• 6. Creative Expression: learning to create quality original content in documentary, narrative, and experimental genres

Civic Engagement

• 7. Civic Engagement: honoring the ethical imperatives for media specialists by actively contributing to a more peaceful and humane world

Dimensions of Media Studies

• Understanding Media• Making Media• Managing Media• Across Formats• Professional Training• Creative Expression• Civic Engagement

Summary

• The discipline of Communication and Media Studies is a vibrant, contemporary, diverse field that prepares students for the challenging global media environment they will face in their personal and professional lives.

Carol Wilder 2008