PHD COURSE DESCRIPTION
FSSP 701 PHILOSOPHY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Course Description
The course aims at exposing doctoral students to the epistemological underpinnings of social science research. It focuses on the differences and similarities between the social and natural sciences, causal relationships, social laws, and the ontological significance of structure and agency. The course also attempts to elucidate the nature of scientific enquiry such as observational procedures, patterns of argument, metaphysical presuppositions, and to evaluate the grounds of their validity.
COMS 701 PHILOSOPHY AND THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION
Course Description
This seminar format course aims to acquaint and equip research students with an understanding of philosophical trajectories and application of their practical tenets in the study of communication phenomena. It examines the field from the macro, meso and micro-levels, stencilling out nodes of intersection among competing schools of thought, and transposing their enduring canons onto the contemporary media and communication milieus. The course also emphasises the pivotal role of theory as guiding framework for research, whether approached inductively or deductively; and seeks to enable students problematize communication conundrums with the ontological and epistemological rigour expected of research scholars.
COMS 702 READINGS IN COMMUNICATION THEORY AND RESEARCH
Course Description
This is a guided readings course that requires students to submit an annotated bibliography of 50 items (selected from peer-reviewed journal articles and other relevant publications) agreed upon with the supervisor as a basis for developing two papers for seminar presentation. The readings shall relate to the student’s thesis area. One of the papers shall be on communication theory and the other on communication research. The two papers shall be presented at two separate seminars and are to be submitted for assessment after the seminars.
COMS 703 CURRENT ISSUES IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Course Description
The course critically explores contemporary developments in communication thought and practice and draws on the wide and diverse range of scholarly traditions and ideas as well as professional experiences and perspectives in communication and media research and practice. Topics are selected based on current developments in the area of practice and research and discussions are led by specialists, with contributions from students based on assigned readings.
COMS 704 ADVANCED COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Course Description
The design and execution of investigations into communication phenomena using a plethora of advanced methods underpin this course. Students learn to design their own research projects guided by scholarly propositions on ideal methods of inquiry. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches are discussed with emphasis on their techniques for gathering, analysing and presenting data. Topics include the philosophy and ethics of social science communication research, in-depth interviews, case studies, ethnographies, surveys, experiments, content analysis, focus group discussions and historiographies.
COMS 705 POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
Course Description
The course explores the intersection between politics and communication. It discusses the production and consumption of political information and how such information spreads and influences politics. The course will also probe the interrelatedness between the message production and consumption from symbiotic and adversarial perspectives. Techniques and tactics of spinning, lobbying and the role of the social media in contemporary politics will be subjected to critical analysis. Topics include normative ideals for media and democracy, political conduct campaigns, and participation, the rise of new media platforms, political persuasion, messaging strategies, and effects of political communication on audiences.
COMS 706 COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC POLICY
Course Description
This course is both theoretical and practical and explores the idea that public policy making is a democratic process of solving problems and requires effective communication. Topics include the interface between the research and policy communities and the wider public; connecting and sharing of information among policy makers, researchers, and media professionals at different stages of the policy process; governmental public communication; strategies of effective communication of public policies; and developing tools and products for policy communication (e.g. press releases, policy briefs, policy blogs, communication strategies).
COMS 708 INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Course Description
The course provides students with knowledge of the general field of communication for business and organisational purposes. Approaches to the strategic integration of various communication options for building organisation-client connections would form the basis of class discussions. Students will be exposed to integrated marketing communications as an interactive and systematic process that cross-functionally plans and optimises messages to stakeholders to ensure coherent and transparent communication in ways that create synergies and encourage profitable relationships. Topics include the marketing communication process, integrated communications tools, and marketing communication campaign planning.
YEAR TWO
Experiential Research Learning
COMS 710: Seminar I - 3 credits
COMS 720: Seminar II - 3 credits
YEAR THREE
COMS 730: Seminar III - 3 credits
COMS 700: Thesis
YEAR FOUR
COMS 740: Seminar IV - 3 credits
COMS 700: Thesis - 45 credits