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Welcome back to Introduction to [br]Communication Science.

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This is week 4 of our MOOC. So far we have [br]discussed the history

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of our field, in week 2, and the linear [br]transmission perspective, last week.

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I’m very glad to see that our course is inspiring [br]many

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discussions on our forum. I’m also grateful for all [br]your suggestions for further reading.

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You’ve probably noticed that I have frequently [br]added your suggestions to the Little Box of

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Nuance section. So thanks for helping improving [br]this course.

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That's what a MOOC is all about. As you know [br]by now I’m using a very broad distinction

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into our field. I’ve said before that these [br]categories are by no means fixed,

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but I find them useful nonetheless. First, we [br]have the linear transmission perspective.

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Then a focus on reception and signification, [br]that's the topic of this week.

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And at roughly the same time a focus on social [br]and cultural effects of communication.

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The topic for this week is the second approach.

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The reception and signification perspective.

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Or perhaps I should say perspectives, because [br]there is a distinction here that I will cover later.

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Next week we’ll talk about communication as a [br]social and cultural force.

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I will use week 6 to answer questions you might [br]have.

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Post your questions on our forum. I’ll make a [br]selection of recurring themes and

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further explain some of the more complicated [br]theories and concepts that we discussed.

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Week 6 is all about class interaction, so let me [br]know which topics you want to cover.

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Week 7 is of course very exciting, because it is [br]our exam week.

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You need to do the self-evaluation tests each [br]week and pass the exam

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to complete this course and get a certificate of [br]accomplishment.

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In week 8 we’ll discuss the exam and look back [br]at our MOOC. It’s a behind-the-scene look on

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how it was made, why it was made and for who [br]it was made.

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I would also love to say something about who [br]you are, what your background is and

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why you enrolled in this course. There is already [br]a survey in place to get this information.

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It would be great if you participate.

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Okay, back to the topic at hand. Last week we [br]started with the linear perspective. I explained

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how the First World War fueled research into our [br]field

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and led to a belief in direct and uniform effects. [br]The audience was seen as passive and

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defenseless against mass communication as a [br]hypodermic needle or a magic bullet.

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Later this belief in the power of the media [br]became more nuanced.

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When scientific studies failed to prove the all [br]powerful media hypothesis,

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this led to the more skeptical minimal effects [br]hypothesis.

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But World War Two and the rise of television [br]clearly showed that mass communication

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indeed could have huge effects under some [br]circumstances.

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It was now appreciated that effects were not [br]always direct, uniform, and short term,

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but quite often non-immediate, long term, [br]indirect, and different from person to person.

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Eventually the negotiated effects paradigm [br]balanced a belief

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in powerful effects with the notion that the [br]audience was actually capable of selecting

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and blocking messages and using them for their [br]own ends. This line of thought was also very

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apparent in the reception and signification [br]approach

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that had gradually developed since the sixties.

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We'll further discuss this approach this week.