PMCb1010 Media effects

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Michal Tkaczyk, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Tereza Hálová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Michal Tkaczyk, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Vlastimil Havlík, Ph.D.
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 U35
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 29 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 21/29, only registered: 1/29
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course acquaints the students with the media effects theory and research, emphasizing the effects of mediated political communication. The course content is divided into three thematic modules. The first introduces research on the effects of media as a distinct tradition in communication research. It provides a brief historical overview of paradigm shifts in media effects research, and it introduces basic concepts, models, theories, and methods used in media effects research. The second module narrows the scope on political communication effects, and it surveys different types of effects on individuals, such as effects on opinion formation and change cognitive and behavioral effects, concluding with theoretical models proposing the conditionality of those effects. The final module focuses on the effects of political communication on political systems and institutions, such as political polarization or mediatization of politics. The focus will be on learning how to understand the effects of political communication rather than on memorizing a catalog of facts. Key insights relevant to professional practice will be emphasized.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, learners will be able to:
-Explain key concepts and theories of media effects and illustrate them using historical or contemporary examples.
-Describe and categorize specific effects of political communication.
-Identify audiences most susceptible to political communication effects.
-Apply core media effects theories and concepts to analyze various forms of mediated political communication.
-Critically evaluate different forms of mediated political communication, considering their potential impact on political systems.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the course
  • 2. Introduction to scientific study of media effects: concepts and methods used
  • 3. Scientific (r)evolutions in media effects research: overview of media effects research history
  • 4. Narrowing the scope: Classification of political communications effects
  • 5. Effects on political opinions formation and change
  • 6. Cognitive political effects: Agenda-setting, Priming, Framing, and Knowledge gain
  • 7. Effects on perception of political system: Systemic Perceptions, Causal attribution, Climate of Opinion
  • 8. Day of the Faculty
  • 9. Behavioural Effects on Voter Turnout, Citizen Engagement, and Civic Participation
  • 10. Conditionality of political communications effects
  • 11. Systemic effects 1: Media and political polarization
  • 12. Systemic effects 2: Mediatization and its effects on politics
  • 13. Course summarisation
Literature
    required literature
  • Media effects. Edited by W. James Potter. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, 2017, 1 online. ISBN 9781544308500. URL info
  • SPARKS, Glenn Grayson. Media effects research : a basic overivew. Fifth edition. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016, xx, 348. ISBN 9781305077478. info
    not specified
  • The international encyclopedia of media effects. Edited by Patrick Rössler - Cynthia A. Hoffner - Liesbet van Zoonen. First published. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 2017, Strana 143. ISBN 9781118784044. info
  • BRYANT, Jennings, Susan THOMPSON and Bruce W. FINKLEA. Fundamentals of media effects. Second edition. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland press, 2013, xiii, 410. ISBN 9781577667858. info
  • Mass media effects research : advances through meta-analysis. Edited by Raymond W. Preiss. Mahwah: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2007, xiii, 535. ISBN 0805849998. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussion, group work, readings
Assessment methods
Weekly open book short online tests (10%) 3 position papers (40%) Final exam (50%)
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024, Spring 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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