Introduction to Communication (9023.3)

Please note these are the 2016 details for this unit
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Introduction to Communication
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Discipline Of Communication And Media Level 1 - Undergraduate Introductory Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
This unit provides a broad introduction to the role and importance of communication in professional practice and citizenship. Communication as an idea, a tool and a process is defined, explored and interrogated. The many forms of communication - written, spoken, visual - are investigated via a range of genres and media platforms. We examine theories that see communication as a tool of expression and of power. Finally, we consider the place of those for whom communication is designed - audiences and users. Students should complete this unit with a basic understanding of key issues in communication, within the context of industry and society.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the role and importance of communication in society;
2. Demonstrate elementary knowledge of the key communication professions, and the correlations and contrasts between these professions;
3. Demonstrate elementary knowledge of the key forms of communication and media platforms;
4. Demonstrate an awareness of those audiences/users for which communication is designed; and
5. Demonstrate a general sense of how communication theory relates to the practice of communication.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Skills development

1.      UC graduates are professional. Because we collaborate closely with industry and other stakeholders, our graduates have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to succeed in their profession and become leaders in their field.

 UC graduates can:

  • employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills;
  • communicate effectively;
  • use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems;
  • work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict;
  • display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload;
  • take pride in their professional and personal integrity.

 

2.      UC graduates are global citizens. We support students to gain the knowledge and confidence to be global citizens.

UC graduates can:

  • think globally about issues in their profession;
  • adopt an informed and balanced  approach across professional and international boundaries;
  • understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures;
  • communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings;
  • make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives;
  • behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives.

 

3.      UC graduates are lifelong learners. Our graduates are passionate about being at the forefront of their profession, staying in touch with the latest research, news and technology.

UC graduates can:

  • reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development;
  • be self-aware;
  • adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas;
  • evaluate and adopt new technology.

 



Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None

Equivalent units

None

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
Not available

Required texts

None.

Relevant readings are available in e-reserve.

Other texts relating to the weekly topics that may help with assignments:

 Adler, R.B. & Rodman, G. (2009). Understanding human communication. New York: Oxford University Press.

Abbott, H. P. (2008). The Cambridge introduction to narrative. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Abrams, K. S. (1986). Communication at work: listening, speaking, writing and reading. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Adorno, T. (1990). The culture industry: selected essays on mass culture. New York: Routledge.

Adorno, T. W. & Horkheimer, M. (1973). Dialectic of enlightenment. London: Allen Lane. 

Altman, I. & Taylor, D.A. (1973). Social penetration: the development of interpersonal relationships. New York: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston.

Ang, I. (1989). Living room wars: rethinking media audiences for a postmodern world. London: Routledge.

Bailey, S. (2005). Media audiences and identity: self construction in the fan experience. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Balnaves, M. S., Donald, S. H. & Shoesmith, B. (2009). Media theories and approaches: a global perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Baran, S. J. (2010). Introduction to mass communication: media literacy and culture (6th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill.

Barney, D. D. (2004). The network society. Oxford: Polity. 

Barthes, R. (1966). Introduction to the structural analysis of the narrative. Birmingham: Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham.

Baxter, L. A. & Montgomery, B.M. (1996). Relating: dialogues and dialectics. New York: Guildford Press.

Beck, A., Bennett, P. & Wall, P. (eds). (2004). Communication studies: the essential resource. London: Routledge.

Benoit, W. L. & Benoit, P. J. (2008). Persuasive messages: the process of influence. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Berger, A. A. (1997). Narrative in popular culture, media, and everyday life. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Berko, R.M., Wolvin, A.D. & Wolvin, D.R. (2007). Communication: a social and career focus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Bird, E. S. (2003). The audience in everyday life: living in a media world. London: Routledge.

Bonner, W.H. & Chaney, L. H. (2004). Communicating effectively in an information age. Mason, Ohio: Thomson.

Bretag, T., Crossman, J. & Bordia, S. (2010). Communication Skills. North Ryde: McGraw Hill.

Brooker, W. & Jermyn, D. (eds). (2003). The audience studies reader. London: Routledge.

Burton, G. (2010). Media and society: critical perspectives. (2nd ed.).  Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Chalkley, T., Brown, A., Cinque, T., Warren, B., Hobbs, M. & Finn, N. (2012). Communication, new media and everyday life. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Chen, G-M & Starosta, W. J. (2005). Foundations of intercultural communication. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: science and practice. (5th ed.) Boston: Pearson.

Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009). Digital cultures: understanding new media. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.

Cunningham, S, & Turner, G. (Eds). (1997). The media in Australia: industries, texts and audiences (2nd ed.). St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.

Cunningham, S, & Turner, G. (Eds). (1997). The media and communications in Australia (3rd  ed.). Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.

Danow, D. K. (1997). Models of narrative: theory and practice. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Dennis, E.E. & DeFleur, M. L. (2002). Media debates: great issues for the digital age (3rd ed.) Melbourne: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

DeFleur, M. L. (2010). Mass communication theories: explaining origins, processes, and effects. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.  

DeVito J. A. (2006). Human communication: the basic course. (10th ed.) New York: Harper & Row.

Durham, M. & Kellner, D. (eds). (2005). Media and cultural studies: keyworks. London: Routledge.

Dwyer, J. (2013). Communication for business and the professions: strategies and skills. Harlow: Pearson.

Edelstein, A. S. (1997). Total propaganda: from mass culture to popular culture. New Jersey: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Elliott, A.  (2001). Concepts of the self. Cambridge: Polity.

Eunson, B. (2004). Communicating in the 21st century. Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons.

Fill. C. (2009) Marketing communications: interactivity, communities and content. Harlow: Pearson.

Fiske, J. (2010). Introduction to communication studies. New York: Routledge.

Flew, T. (2008) New media: an introduction (3rd ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Frow, J. (2005). Genre. London: Routledge.

Fujishin, R. (2009). Creating communication: exploring and expanding your fundamental communication skills. Lanham Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Fulton, H. E. (2005). Narrative and media. Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Gergen, K. J.  (1971). The concept of self. New York: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston Inc.

Gibson, A. (1996). Towards a postmodern theory of narrative. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Giddens, A. (1993). Sociology (2nd ed.) Cambridge: Polity.

Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

 Gorman, L. & McLean, D. (2009). Media and society into the 21st century: an historical introduction (2nd ed.). Malden & Oxford: Blackwell.

Green, L. (2001). Technoculture: from alphabet to cybersex. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin.

Griffin, E. A. (2012). A first look at communication theory. (8th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill

Gudykunst, W. B. (ed.) (2003). Cross-cultural and intercultural communication. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Gudykunst, W. B. (2004). Bridging differences: effective intergroup communication. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Habermas, J. (1989). The structural transformation of the public sphere: an inquiry into a category of bourgeois society, Cambridge: MIT.

Hall, B. J. (2005). Among cultures: the challenge of communication. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

Hall, S. (Ed.). (1997). Representation: cultural representations and signifying practice. London: Sage.

Hargie, O. (Ed.) (2006). The handbook of communication skills (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Jowett, G. S. (2006). Propaganda and persuasion. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Hartley, J. (2011). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts. New York: Routledge.

Herman, D. (2009). Basic elements of narrative. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Herman, E. S. & Chomsky, N. (1994). Manufacturing consent: the political economy of the mass media. London: Vintage.

Hirst, M. & Harrison, J. (2007). Communication and new media: from broadcast to narrowcast. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.

Katz, E. & Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1955). Personal influence: the part played by people in the flow of mass communications. Glencoe, Illinois: Free Press.

Katz, E. & Szecho, T. (Eds). (1981). Mass media and social change.  Beverley Hills: Sage.

Kearney, R. (2002). On Stories. London: Routledge.

Kaye, M. (1994). Communication management. Sydney: Prentice Hall.

Lacey, N. (2000). Narrative and genre: key concepts in media studies. New York: St Martin's Press.

Lasswell, H. (1938). Propaganda techniques in the World War. London: Paul.

Lewis, G & Slade, C. (2000). Critical communication. Frenchs Forest: Prentice Hall.

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Luc, H. & Verveack, B. (2005). Handbook of narrative analysis. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

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Martin, J. N. & Nakayama, T. K. (2008). Experiencing intercultural communication: an introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill.

McKee, A. (2005). The public sphere: an introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

                McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: the extensions

McQuillan, M. (ed.) (2000). The narrative reader. London: Routledge.

Miller, K. (2005). Communication theories: perspectives, processes, and contexts. New York: McGraw Hill.

Mohan, T., McGregor, H., Saunders, S. & Archee, R. (2004). Communication as professionals. Southbank: Thomson.

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Morreale, S.P., Spitzberg, B.H. & Barge, J. K. (2007). Human communication: motivation, knowledge, and skills. London: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Nightingale, V. & Ross, K. (eds). (2003). Critical readings: media and audiences. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Norales, F. O. (2006). Cross-cultural communication: concepts, cases and challenges. ­New York: Cambria Press.

O'Shaughnessy, M. & Stadler, J. (2008). Media and society: an introduction. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Paterson, M. (2006). Consumption and everyday life. London: Routledge.

Penny, L. (2005). Your call is important to us: the truth about bullshit. New York: Crown.

Perloff, R. M. (1993). The dynamics of persuasion. New Jersey: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Phelan, J. & Rabinowitz, P.J. (2005). A companion to narrative theory. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Pratkanis, A. R. & Aronson, E. (2001). Age of propaganda: the everyday use and abuse of persuasion. New York: W. H. Freeman.

Ross, K. & Nightingale, V. Media and audiences: new perspectives. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Ruddock, A. (2007). Investigating audiences. London: Sage.

Ryan, M-R. (2004). Narrative across media: the languages of storytelling. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E. & McDaniel, E. R. (2007). Communication between cultures. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson.

Scannell, P. (2007). Media and communication. Los Angeles: Sage.

Schnell, J. A. (2003). Case studies in culture and communication: a group perspective. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books. 

Schultz, J. (1998). Reviving the fourth estate: democracy, accountability and the media. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

Severin, W. J. (2001). Communication theories: origins, methods, and uses in the mass media. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.

Silverblatt, A. (2007). Genre studies in mass media: a handbook. New York: M.E. Sharpe.

Stacks, D. W., Hill Jr, S. R. & Hickson II, M. (1991). An introduction to communication theory. Forth Worth: Holt, Rhinehart, & Winston.

West, R. & Turner, L. H. (2010). Introducing communication theory: analysis and application. New York: McGraw Hill.

Whaley, B. & Samter, W. (eds). (2007). Explaining communication: contemporary theories and exemplars. New Jersey: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Wilson, T. (2004). The playful audience: from talk show viewers to Internet users. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press.

Wilson, T. (2009). Understanding media users: from theory to practice.  Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Wood. J.T. (2006). Communication mosaics: an introduction to the field of communication. Belmont: Thomson-Wadsworth.

Participation requirements

Participation in tutorials enables students to meet the criteria in all assessment items, but particularly Assessment Items 2 and 3.
 

Required IT skills

This unit requires that you use Moodle for this unit. You will need basic computing skills. 

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.