Communication Science and Media Research

Communication science examines the social conditions, consequences, and meanings of media-mediated communication in television, radio, print media, and on the internet: How do political parties, companies, NGOs, or individuals succeed in making their voices heard publicly and effectively pushing their issues? How do they manage communication, and which strategies actually generate resonance? How does media-mediated communication affect individuals as well as society as a whole?

As a communication science student, you are interested in questions such as: How do media shape our perception of reality? How is the internet transforming society? What impact does the communication of scientific findings have? Media and communication profoundly shape human coexistence. In the program, you therefore learn about social science theories that help explain human behavior and social developments in a mediatized world.

In lectures and seminars, we address topics such as fake news, the social implications of algorithms, the role of media in election campaigns, financing models for digital media, advertising, digital inequalities on the internet, science communication, crisis communication, crime in the media, cultural journalism, brand communication, the effects of violence in video games, or how climate change is discussed on social media.

Communication science is an empirical discipline. Research methods and statistics are therefore essential components of studying communication science!