Course

Unit I

Research Framework and Literature Study

Meaning and Concept of research – Motivation and Objectives – Research Methods Vs Methodology – Types of Research – Defining and formulating research Problem – research questions- Importance of Literature Review. Qualities of a researcher. Ethical Issues – Ethical Committees – Reproduction of published material – Acknowledgement –Reproducibility and accountability.

Unit II

Research Design & Statistics Tools:

Research Design – Execution of the research – Problem, Formation- Observation and data collection. Methods of Qualitative – Methods of quantitative research in media studies. Sampling – Types of Sampling – Validity – Measurement – construct validity – Reliability- Levels of Measurement – Types of Data – Scaling – Qualitative – Quantitative measures.

Unit III

Hypothesis – testing

Hypothesis – testing – Generalization – Variables – Types of Data – Unit of analysis – Statistical Analysis- Tabulation of data – interpretation – Graphical representation of data – Presenting statistical Data– content analysis–Case Study – non –parametric statistics –chi- square – contingency table analysis – parametric statistics – Mean, Proportion, ‘t’ test – analysis of variance (ANOVA) – Regression and Correlation.

Unit IV

Theoretical Framework for Research

Media theories – Philosophy of Research – Structurization of Research – Deduction – Induction- Communication theories – Aesthetics theory of visual communication – character and visual aesthetics – Perception theory – audience research – Semiotics – motion and frame semiotics – Cognitive theory – film theory – narrative theory – cultural aesthetic theories – behavioral theories – Social – New media.

Unit V

Art of Research Writing and Research Aids

Writing research paper – reviews – presentation of research – Bibliography – APA Style – In text- Citation- plagiarism-Utility of the study – Different steps in the preparation – Layout, structure and Language of typical reports – Illustrations and tables – referencing and footnotes. Use of visual aids – Preparing Research papers for journals, Seminars and Conferences –Calculations of Impact factor of a journal, citation.

Course Objectives:

1. To introduce students to basic principles associated with conducting Post graduate-level research, including identifying a research topic; accessing and critiquing scholarly research; writing a literature review; and research ethics.
2. Students are also introduced to research design and to qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches to collecting and analyzing data.
3. Given the nature of the discipline, the course provides some emphasis on participatory research
4. To develop new scientific tools, concepts and theories to solve and understand scientific and non scientific problems.
5. To enrich the innovative framework towards communication research with a multidisciplinary

Course Outcomes (COs):

After completing the course, learners should be able to:

1. Understand the concepts of research and its application to media and
2. Appreciate the various elements and tools of media
3. Understand the need and methods for hypothesis testing with statistical
4. Develop a critical understanding of the different theories of media & communication that form the base for research proceedings.
5. Comprehend the relevance and need for writing various research reports, thesis, dissertation, research papers, articles, essays.

CO – PO Mapping:

References:

1. Mass Communication Theory – McQuail Denis (Sage Publication)
2. Audience Analysis – McQuail Denis (Sage Publication)
3. Mass Media Research – Roger Wimmer& Joseph Dominick
4. Methods in Social Research – Kothari R
5. Basics of Qualitative Research – Strauss Anselm, Corbin Juliet
6. Berger, Arthur, (2000), Media and Communication Research Methods: An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Sage Publications.
7. Visual Communication Theory and Research A Mass Communication Perspective SHAHIRA FAHMY, MARY ANGELA BOCK, AND WAYNE WANTA
8. Visual Communication- Research Designs by Keith Kenney
9. Social Media, Sociality, and Survey Research Edited by Craig Hill, Elizabeth Dean, Joe Murph
10. Research Design- Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, Fifth Edition- John W. Creswell, J. David Creswell