COM 501 Mass Communication and Society

Ümit Atabek

Why science? Why to study society?

 Why theory? ““Social” “Sciences””

 Systematic accumulation of knowledge

 Relationship between academic inquiry and social “reality”

 Relationship between social “reality” and social theory

 Academic division of labor and theorizing

 Theory and method: critics of theory from epistemological perspective

 Academic work and schools of thought

 Grand theory as a “narration” and as a “distortion of reality” (ideology)

 Two main sources for contemporary social theory:

 M. Weber (1664) and K. Marx (1818)

 Weber versus Marx: Roots from Hegel (1770)

Dialectic method, idealism, geist, truth, fundamental laws inevitability of war, fascism

Weber versus Marx: determinism and social change

            Ideal types of authority versus class as the force of chance

            Bureaucracy and class: impersonal entities

Christian (Protestant / Calvinist) ethics and work, heaven, reinvestment for production

Division of labor, Taylorism, rational and written rules / communication,

Developmental economics, saving and reinvestment, capital accumulation, modern society, neo-weberian approach,

 Theory versus methodology: Positivism

            Empirical, historical hermeneutical and critical studies

Positivist “sphere”: content analysis, audience research etc.

Non-positivist “approaches”: hermeneutics, discourse analysis, semiology and  semiotics, phenomenology, gender

            Political economy, post-structuralism

 Critical Social Theory

            Frankfurt School (1923) as a social and political entity

Carl Grunber (empirical and historical), Max Horkheimer (material and spiritual culture, social philosophy, social theory, supradisciplinary approach, total and integrated social science

 Ferment in the field: Culturalism (text) and mass-madiated communication (political

economy and history)

 Critical Theory of “Popular Culture”: Adorno (music), Lowenthal (popular

theater), Herzog (soap operas)

Culture Industry: Horkheimer (Massification / commodification)

Popular (mass / low) culture labeled negative

            Artistic (aesthetic / high) culture labeled positive

 Birmingham School for Cultural Studies (1960s): R. Hoggart, R. Williams, E.P.

Thompson, S. Hall

Supradsiciplinary approach as a reconstruction of Marxism with major concepts (interests) being class, gender, race and education

Structuralism (Althuser) versus Culturalism (Cultural Studies with emphasis on culture)

SIAs (State Ideological Apparatuses) and popular culture versus popular culture as authentic expression of subordinated social groups (popular culture labeled as positive)

A.     Gramsci and hegemony (counter hegemony)

“Neo Gramscian Critical Cultural Studies”

Selected Readings:

 David West, An Introduction to Continental Philosophy, Polity Press, 1996

Philip Wexler (ed.), Critical Theory Now, The Falmer Press, 1991

J. M. Chamberlain, Marx and Weber: A Comparison of Views on Industrial Society (http://www.sspp.net)

John Storey, What is Cultural Studies, Arnold, 1996

Brian Redhead, Siyasal Düşüncenin Temelleri, Alfa, 2001

Allex Callinicos, Postmodernizme Hayır, Ayraç, 2001