Dr Bradley Franks QUE.3.03 and Prof Martin Bauer QUE.3.17

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Social and Public Communication. This course is available on the MPhil/PhD in Social Psychology. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

The course examines core theories towards a social psychology of communication. Issues raised will refer to verbal and non-verbal, face-to-face, rumours and mass mediated, as well as private and public, communal and strategic forms of communication. The second half of the course will provide an overview of applied communication research in various professional areas of public communication. Theories of communication covered in the course include evolutionary theory, classical rhetoric, diffusion research, pragmatics and relevance theory, semiotics and system theory and the theory of communicative action. Issues will be raised as to the critical analysis and the design of communicative action. Issues will be raised as to the critical analysis and the design of communication efforts in professional fields such as business corporations, NGOs, scientific professional bodies, health promotion, governments and political parties, police campaigns, and international organisations.

20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the MT.

Students taking PS429 will also be required to attend PS443A lectures and discussion groups (PS443A lecture 10 x 120 mins (MT) and 9 x 60 mins discussion groups).

Students' will complete one formative assignment in the MT.

No one book covers the entire syllabus; students will be expected to read widely in appropriate journals, and a list of references will be provided at the start of the course.

J Habermas, Theory of Communicative Action, Vol 1 + 2, Polity Press, 1997; R Heath & B Jennings, Human Communication Theory and Research: Concepts, Contexts, and Challenges (2nd edn), Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000; A Mattelart & Mattelart, Theories of Communication: a Short Introduction, Sage, 1998; D McQuail, McQuail's Mass Communication theory (4th edn), Sage, 2000; R Rice & C Atkin, Public Communication Campaign, Sage, 2000; E Rogers, Diffusion of Innovation, Free Press, 1995; D Sperber & D Wilson, Relevance: Communication and Cognition, Cambridge, 1995.

Hook, D, B Franks, MW Bauer (2011) (eds) The Social Psychology of Communication, London, Palgrave.

Exam (25%, duration: 1 hour) in the LT week 0.
Essay (75%, 5000 words) in the MT.