Discipline seminar - Communication and Media Studies (I year) 1600-SZD-SEM-KM
Course objectives:
• To familiarize students with the structure and conventions of academic articles in the field of communication and media studies.
• To develop practical skills in searching, selecting, and analyzing scholarly literature.
• To introduce digital tools supporting academic research, including AI-based tools.
• To train students in formulating research problems and designing academic queries.
Course content:
1. Structure of an academic article in communication and media studies
o Core components of scholarly writing.
o Structural variants depending on methodological approach (quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods).
o Analysis of sample articles.
2. Scientific information sources and search tools
o Academic databases (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Google Scholar).
o Search strategies and query design.
o Bibliographic reference managers (Zotero, Mendeley) – key functionalities and basic use.
3. AI tools in academic research
o AI-based tools supporting scholarly work (e.g., ChatGPT, Elicit, Semantic Scholar tools).
o Use case demonstrations.
o Critical reflection on limitations and risks.
4. Individual academic querying
o Students design their own research queries.
o Supervised consultations and feedback.
o Evaluation of the relevance and quality of retrieved materials.
5. Literature analysis for students’ own research plans
o Identifying scholarly articles aligned with students’ research interests and planned methodology.
o Discussion of research objectives, hypotheses, methods, techniques, and tools.
o Group discussion and critical evaluation.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: Knows and understands:
WG_1 – world achievements, covering theoretical foundations as well as general issues and selected specific issues of a given scientific or artistic discipline, to a degree allowing revision of existing paradigms
WG_2 - main development trends of the scientific or artistic disciplines which are the object of studies
WG_3 - methodology of scientific research
Skills: Can:
UW_1 - use knowledge of various scientific or artistic disciplines to creatively identify, formulate and innovatively solve complex problems or perform research tasks, and specifically: define the purpose and subject of research and formulate a research hypothesis, develop and creatively use research methods, techniques and tools, draw conclusions from research results
UW_2 – make a critical analysis and evaluation of the results of scientific research, expert activity and other creative works and their contribution to the development of knowledge
UK_1 - communicate on specialist topics to a degree enabling active participation in the international research community
UK_3 - initiate a debate
UK_4 - participate in the scientific discourse
Social competences: Is ready to:
KK_1 - critically evaluate the achievements of a given scientific or artistic discipline
KK_2 - critically evaluate own contribution to the development of a given scientific or artistic discipline
KK_3 - recognise the importance of science in solving cognitive and practical problems
KO_1 - fulfil social obligations of researchers and creators
KR_1 - maintain and develop the ethos of research and creative communities, including: conducting scientific activity independently, respecting the principle of public ownership of research results, taking into account the principles of intellectual property protection
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the
permitted number of explained absences: 1 absence allowed
Principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session): Tasks completed during class
Methods for the verification of learning outcomes; 1st year: - Activity during class. - Presentation of the work concept (according to the indicated assumptions) is also possible. II year - Activity during classes. Obligatory presentation discussing the progress of the scientific work (according to the indicated assumptions). III and IV year - Activity during classes. - Obligatory presentation of a minimum of one presentation discussing the progress of scientific work (according to the indicated assumptions).
Evaluation criteria:
• Class participation and engagement (40%)
Active involvement in discussions, evidence of having read assigned materials, and constructive contributions to group work. Regular attendance and preparedness are expected.
• Completion of in-class assignments (30%)
Timely and satisfactory completion of practical tasks during the course (e.g., database searches, article analyses, reference management exercises, query formulation tasks).
• Final project presentation (30%)
Short in-class presentation of a selected academic article related to the student's planned research topic. Evaluation will focus on the clarity of presentation, critical understanding of the article’s structure and methodology, and the ability to relate it to individual research interests
Bibliography
• Connaway, L. S., & Radford, M. L. (2016). Research methods in library and information science (6th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. University of Chicago Press.
• Given, L. M., Case, D. O., & Willson, R. (2023). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (5th ed.). Emerald Publishing.
• Hartel, J. (2020). Writing-up ethnographic research as a thematic narrative: The excerpt-commentary-unit. Library & Information Science Research, 42(3), Article 101037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101037
• Tashakkori, A., Johnson, R. B., & Teddlie, C. (2020). Foundations of mixed methods research: Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social and behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: