Introduction to Media Studies

SoSe 2011Mag. Klaus Heissenberger

North American Literary and Cultural Studies Universität des Saarlandes

Models of ‘communication’

Shannon und Weaver (1948):

sender message receiver

Models of ‘communication’

„Lasswell formula“: Harold Lasswell,1948„Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?“

e.g.:

Media definitions

Compare definitions from German media studies (‚Medienwissenschaften‘) textbooks:

What (which definitions, which media listed as examples) illustrate very ‘narrow’ and very ‘broad’ definitions of ‘the media’?

Which ones are optimistic, neutral, or pessimistic about the usefulness of the media or the effects of media?

Media?

Media?

active vs. passive role of the audience/consumersidentity: empowerment < > disempowerment

Models of ‘communication’: Circuit of Culture

Media consumption

See Burton 7, “Why people watch what they do”