About the course

This course is an introduction to the theoretical paradigms and research methods of media and society. The course does not cover every theory that could fall within this category. We will cover the main paradigms and some research techniques in different sections. This semester we will also consider quantitative and qualitative software and etc. Students will have an opportunity to get brief hands-on experience with various methods in a set of exercises and do a research proposal similar to one for a thesis or dissertation. In addition to talking about these theories and methods, we will read research articles that adopt these paradigms and methods in practice. We will evaluate these articles in terms of their use of theories and methods and also their overall integration of these within the larger theoretical and intellectual frameworks employed in the publications.

Learning outcomes include:

--  Formulating research questions and selecting the appropriate method for answering them;

--  Learning how to write a literature review in relation to research questions;

--  Learning how to critically evaluate methods in research;

--  Appreciating the ethical and other considerations of using each technique;

--  The analyzing and writing up for data, once collection is complete.

About the teacher

Zhuang Xi, PhD., is Professor and Deputy Dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing Normal University. She has been awarded the titles as "Excellent Youths in Social Sciences of Jiangsu Province", "Outstanding Young Colleges Teachers of Qinglan Project in Jiangsu Province", "Top-notch Young Talents of Nanjing Normal University" and "Top Ten Young Teachers of Nanjing Normal University". In 2010, Prof. Zhuang graduated with a doctor's degree in communication from School of Journalism and Communication, Wuhan University. She worked at City University of Hong Kong as a visiting scholar in 2014 and at University of Wisconsin-Madison (US) as a visiting scholar in 2017.

All materials are contributed by Nanjing Normal University.