Ferment in the field: notes on the evolution of communication studies and its disciplinary nature

Nordenstreng, Kaarle (author)

One of the questions addressed by the colloquium focused on the changing status and character of communication and media studies in universities. This article follows that institutional perspective about communication research in general and critical media studies in particular. First the evolution of the field since the 1950s is reviewed through a number of stages, which coincide with the history of leftist thinking - six ferments, one for each decade. Then the disciplinary nature of the field is discussed, with special reference to the ongoing reform of higher education in Europe known as the Bologna process. An illustrative case is provided by a survey of the field in the Scandinavian countries. The conclusion is that there is a need for radical reflection about the discipline in the contemporary world, calling for an approach to media studies in terms of the philosophy of science. The article presents notes for further thought rather than suggests final scenarios, and this is done from an admittedly personal and national perspective - as a veteran of the field and as a member of the Finnish community.

• Language: English
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2004
• Number of pages: Str. 5-17
• Numbering: Vol. 11, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-76264
• UDC: 3
• ISSN on article: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23800157
• Publication date in RUL: 21.12.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Javnost
• Shortened title: Javnost
• Publisher: Taylor&Francis
• ISSN: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 40119808

Secondary language

• Language: Unknown
• Title: Kvašenje polja: beležke o razvoju komunikacijskih študij in njihovega disciplinarnega značaja

Abstract

Članek obravnava spremenjeni položaj in značaj komunikacijskih in medijskih študij na univerzi nasploh in posebej kritičnih medijskih študij. Najprej je predstavljen razvoj področja po letu 1950 v stopnjah, ki so povezane z zgodovino kritičnega mišljenja - šest vrenj, v vsakem desetletju eno. Sledi razprava o disciplinarnem značaju polja s posebnim ozirom na potekajočo reformo visokega šolstva v Evropi, znano pod imenom "bolonjski proces". Za ponazoritev je predstavljen skandinavski primer. Zaključek avtorja je, da je potreben radikalen premislek o disciplini v sodobnem svetu, ki zahteva obravnavo medijskih študij z vidika filozofije znanosti. Članek prinaša beležke za razmišljanje in ne dokončnih scenarijev; avtor poudarja svoj osebni in nacionalni pogled veterana na področju in člana finske skupnosti.