… is the name of the course I’m teaching this semester. It’s a compulsory subject for students of professional communication, advertising, public relations and journalism (I think), so it has at least 100 students from all year levels. It’s one of the most hated subjects in the school, because it’s all theory. No making stuff, just reading and writing. It can be tough. I’m dealing with it by making the assessment tasks smaller and more frequent, so students can afford to bum out early and improve later on. I’ve also got a list of jokes to put in my pocket during lectures for when they start to get bored or antsy. I’m also sewing leather patches on an old tweed jacket and dying my hair grey.

Here is a run down of the topics to be taught. Makes me look super smart.

Week 1 – 5 March – Engaging with theories of communication

- Communication as a process: Shannon & Weaver, Schramm

Week 2 – 12 March – Effects tradition: Comstock, Gerbner, Katz

Week 3 – 19 March – Communication as text: Saussure, Volosinov, Barthes

Week 4 – 2 April – Media discourses: Foucault, Kress, Van Leeuwen, Fairclough

Week 5 – 9 April – Communication technologies: McLuhan, Innes, Ong

Week 6 – 16 April – Communication technologies: OldWeb vs NewWeb

Week 7 – 23 April – Media industry – ideals and ideology: Liberalism, Gramsci, Chomsky, Postman

Week 8 – 30 April – The art of mass persuasion: Hall, McRobbie

Week 9 – 7 May – Mass communication and popular culture: Williams, Hall, Adorno, Ang, Modleski, Althusser

Week 10 – 14 May – Postmodernism and popular culture: Jameson, Baudrillard, Fiske

Week 11 – 21 May – Audiences, interactivity & identity: Goffman, Giddens, Slevin

- Engaging theory and practice