About people's relations with the media. Qualitative analysis of web content

elective courses

Good command of English

Basic knowledge of qualitative research methods

Classroom

The goal of the seminar will be to conduct qualitative content analysis and visual analysis from a selected social media. Using the Maxqda program, participants will become familiar with the basic concepts of mediatization, as well as semiology (G. Rose's visual analysis) and different types of content research. In the next block in groups, male and female students will create a research plan, make a selection of material, and then analyze it. Participants will become familiar with the basic functions of the Maxqda program, but the main goal of the course will not be to learn how to use the software, but to use it in practice to conduct analyses. Participation in the seminar will also require work at home (material analysis, teamwork, take-home assignments,, etc.). The final result of the project will be prepared reports and presentations prepared by the participants at the last class.

A growing number of studies, including those conducted as part of thesis work at the Department of Sociology, are using social media content. The methodological challenge is the diversity of the types of material they offer: whether textual, graphic or audiovisual. At the same time, social media pose important questions for researchers about users' relationships with media, about where to look for "media influence" on selected aspects of social life, and how to perceive the interpenetration of different online and offline activities and realities.

The seminar will aim, first, to conceptualize this relationship between digital media and their users from the perspective of the concept of deep mediatization. Second, to translate this perspective into ways of investigating selected mediatized worlds and figurations. Third, to use the potential of the diversity of social media material to describe these mediatized worlds in a multidimensional way. The fourth goal will be to develop participants' sociological analytical and research skills.

To achieve these goals, in the 1st and 2nd theoretical and introductory blocks, students will be introduced to basic concepts of mediatization, as well as to semiology (G. Rose's visual analysis) and various types of content research. In the next block, they will become familiar with the basic functions of Maxqda. In block IV, they will choose the topic of their research and select sources, and then create a research plan, make a selection of material. The fifth block will be devoted to the analysis of the material. Credit for the seminar, in addition to activity in class, will require the submission of partial papers (small take-home assignments, I anticipate 8 of them during the year), as well as the preparation of a final report and presentation(block VI).

Participants will become familiar with the basic functions of the Maxqda software, but the main goal of the course will not be to learn how to use the software, but to use it in practice to conduct analyses. Participation in the seminar will also require work at home (material analysis, teamwork, etc.).

The effects of the projects will be presented in research reports and presentations shared during class.

selected literature:

Hepp A and Hasebrink U (2018) Researching transforming communications in times of deep mediatization: A figurational approach. In: Hepp A, Breiter A and Hasebrink U (eds) Communicative figurations: Transforming communications in times of deep mediatization. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 15-35.

Hsieh, H-F., Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative text analysis. Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 15 No. 9: 1277-1288

Krotz F and Hepp A (2011) A concretization of mediatization: How mediatization works and why ‘mediatized worlds’ are a helpful concept for empirical mediatization research. Empedocles: European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication 3(2): 132-152.

Kuckartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2019). Analyzing qualitative data with MAXQDA: Text, audio, and video. Springer.

Mayring, P., 2000. Qualitative Content Analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research Vol 1, No 2 (2000): Qualitative Methods in Various Disciplines I: Psychology. https://doi.org/10.17169/FQS-1.2.1089

Rose, G. (2007). Visual Methodologies. London, New Delhi: Sage.

Zhang, Yan & Wildemuth, Barbara M. (2005). Qualitative Analysis of Content. Human Brain Mapping 30 (7):2197-2206.

Can use ethical norms and rules in research practice

Can use academic knowledge acquired in social practice

Can select proper research methods and techniques to conduct an analysis of a particular problem

Can plan and carry out a social study using basic quantitative and qualitative research methods and techniques

Can use the basic functions of a chosen computer program for data analysis

Can effectively collaborate with members of a task team

Can share the acquired sociological knowledge

Can find, gather and synthesize information about social phenomena

Can critically assess sources

Can present results of his/her own research

Knows and observes the rules of professional ethics, including those pertaining to intellectual property

Participation in class, take-home assignments (5 per year), final research report (group or individual)