Courses

Course content

Communication and Media Science concerns itself with mediated, public and interpersonal Communication. It researches the conditions, consequences and meanings of said communication for the individual and society at large.

This seminar aims to mediate the understanding of basic knowledge through classic theories, which are discussed in light of recent phenomenons. Emphasis lies on production of meaning through communication, the link between communication and society, as well as theories of public communication and contemporary media changes.

Educational objective

The Seminar mediates theory-building basics of Communication Science and central issues. It also explores boundaries and links to other academic disciplines. It aims to convey what communication means for larger societal and cultural processes, but also teaches one to critically question prior assumptions about the topic.

Additional info

You will complete the seminar with a theory expertise that will be provided in form of a take-home exam. More on the content of the exam can be found in the syllabus.

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Course content

Because of their focus on entertainment rather than serious discussion, Satire Parties are a disruptive factor in the european political landscape. Despite this, several Candidates of such parties are being voted into office and face real issues now. Martin Sonneborn and Nico Semsrott for example hold two seats in the european parliament because of their involvement in "Die Partei". On a european scale, several more parties can be found that caricature the democratic process and in turn gain popularity.

Political Communication Science still only has marginal understanding of this form of political party politics. Consequently, this seminar is acting as a research endeavour and analyses communicators, the organisation, and the candidates of Satire Parties.

Educational objective

This seminar aims two achieve two things: Firstly, it tries to convey advanced expertise in the academic fields of politics and entertainment, political party communication and political culture. Secondly, it will provide an in-depth look at the scientific research process from start to finish. Small groups of three will be formed and will manage their own scientific projects.

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Course content

The Seminar attends to the role and position of Mass Media in the development of modern society and culture. It is a structured introduction into main issues of Mass Media Communication Science, in which sociological aspects concerning the role and function of Mass media for the emergence of post-war societies in Europe and North America serve as starting points.

The Main question to be tackled will be why and how reality is more and more closely aligning itself with the medias persceptions of said reality - in other words - why media reality is becoming not only our own reality but also a presupposition for our culture and our thinking and acting. We will approach these topics in an exemplary and case-focused fashion.

Educational objective

Participants of this seminar will learn theoretical basics, as well as conceptional and methodical connections for their own toolset of scientific approaches concerning Media Communication Change and society and culture in general.

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Course content

Mediatization describes, problematizes and critiques the process of increasing saturation of media influences in our everyday lives. Aside a normalization of digitally mediated interpersonal communication, the orientational function Media Communication for our contemporary culture becomes increasingly clear.

Almost every area of our lives, may it be friends, family, school or university, is not imaginable without media any longer. This rings true also for the participation in cultural events, sports, politics or other movements.

In this seminar, we will describe this saturation of media related contents in our everyday lives in case-specific contexts, which will then be analysed further. Possible consequences for our culture and society, as well as individuals and their communicative practices will also be thematized.

Educational objective

The seminar aims to convey basic methodical, theoretical and conceptional contexts of Mediatization Research and Media Culture Analysis.

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Course content
The course introduces aspects of digitalisation in the public sector and deepens them through seminar papers. The application-oriented use of modern information and communication technologies in the public sector will be the focus: Electronic Government, Open Government, Smart Government and Realtime Government. The multitude of tools and system solutions under consideration, the ubiquitous possibilities of the Internet and the complexity of the public sector open up a wide range of possible applications, from which selected current trends are presented and discussed in exemplary fashion.

Educational objective:

The students will gain insights into current concepts, models and tools in public sector informatics and politics informatics, analyse the relevant actors, learn about possible applications in government and administration, in public authorities and public enterprises, and get used in familiarizing oneself with technologies not known yet.

• Methods and models of Public Sector Informatics and Politics Informatics
  
• Actor analysis for the digitalisation of state and administration
  
• Electronic Government – Information, Services and Process Management
  
• Open Government – Transparency, Open Data, Participation and Collaboration
  
• Smart Government – Smart Objects and Cyber-physical Systems
  
• Realtime Government – Governmental Activities in real time
  
• Digitization strategies: digital.fn, Digital@BW & the coalition agreement
  
• Cooperation across administrative levels with the IT Planning Council & FITKO
  
• Online Access Law, Portal Federation and the Digitalisation Programme
  
• Germany's 2nd National Action Plan 2019-21 for the Open Government Partnership
  
• Open societal innovation for state modernisation
  
• Business models around geodata from the state's point of view
  
• Zukunftsstadt Ulm 2030 and future municipality Ulm @ bw
  
• Activities of the Smart Government Academy Bodensee and its partners
  
• Foreign Policy in Times of Wikileaks, NSA Surveillance and Russian Troll Factories
  
• Open Aid in development cooperation
  
• The challenge of digitalisation for public service broadcasting
  
• The cyber security challenge for government and administration

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Course content
The disciplinary border separating economy, politics, management and culture in former times becomes blurred, multidisciplinarity wins increasingly in meaning. Information and communication technologies as drivers of these changes possess a large relevance for social sciences as well as management oriented politics and administrative sciences. In order to understand and to master the challenges resulting from this development, the students receive a deepened knowledge of business informatics and media informatics and based on selected cases where information and communication technologies are used.

With this module, the existing knowledge should be deepened and the understanding of new technologies should be strengthened. The aim is that students will learn the relevance and the possible uses of information technologies in media for government modernization, organization and process.

The course focuses on current trends in media informatics. The application-oriented use of social media and modern information and communication technologies in the media industry is in the foreground, whereby current technology trends, the public broadcasting agencies and projects relevant for the public sector at the federal, state and municipal level are also considered. With a view to current developments, the thematic focus shifts from year to year.

Educational objective
The students gain insight into current trends, new concepts, models and tools of media informatics, get to know application possibilities and should be enabled to prepare and make strategic decisions for the use of new technologies.

• Media Informatics and Digital Communication
  
• Simulation and Virtuality
  
• Public Broadcasting Agencies in Germany
  
• Transformation in the Media Economy
  
• The Disruptive Transformation Power of Social Media
  
• The Future for Newspapers and Publishing Houses in the Digital Age
  
• The Future for Radio Stations in the Digital Age
  
• The Future for TV Stations in the Digital Age
  
• The Future for Movie Production in the Digital Age
  
• The Future for Musicians and Music Production in the Digital Age
  
• The Future for Imagination Arts in the Digital Age
  
• The Future for Performing Arts in the Digital Age
  
• Open Culture
  
• Data Journalism
  

Course content
The course is the introduction to public sector informatics. It focuses on Electronic Government and the application-oriented use of modern information and communication technologies in political boards and administration to the fulfilment of public tasks. The number of tools and system solutions under consideration opens up a wide range of possible applications, from which particularly relevant approaches can be prepared in exemplary fashion and discussed together.

Educational objective
The students receive an insight into essential concepts, models and tools of public sector informatics, get known to the application spectrum in governmental agencies, offices and public enterprises and should be enabled to get used to the work in the future independently with new technologies foreseeable not yet.

• Public Sector Informatics, Electronic Government and Electronic Governance
• Players of E-Government in the Federal Republic of Germany
• Secure Documents: Files, Certificates, Data Privacy and Data Security
• Secure Communication: Identification, Signatures, Delivery, Trust
• One Stop Government and Portals for the Public Sector
• Open Government: Opening of State and Administration
• Transparency, Participation, Collaboration and Open Innovation in the Public Sector
• Smart Government: Internet of Things and Internet of Services
• Digitalisation in the Civil Service, in Justice and in Tax Administration
• E-Health: Digitalisation in the Health Administration

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