Welcome to the website of the Department of Media Studies at the Paderborn University!

Paderborn University hosts one of the largest media studies departments in Germany. We offer a highly interdisciplinary program with courses ranging from the humanities (media theory and history, film studies, media sociology, media and education, media aesthetics, television studies, digital and mobile media) to media economics and computer science. The focus lies primarily on critical studies of media and popular culture; quantitative methods are taught as well. To complement their research and analysis, students can choose classes in media practice, do internships and work on short and longer-term projects. In a constantly and rapidly changing media landscape we provide students with a solid foundation of enduring criteria for critical analysis as well as relevant expertise to successfully enter all media-related professions.

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Tuesday, June 18, 6-8pm Room E2.339

The event will discuss how and why critical approaches to media and communication studies have, throughout their history, been located mainly on the margins, both theoretically and geographically. Mainstream scholarship has often ignored critical approaches or relegated them to a marginal role, with administrative and celebratory accounts usually reigning supreme. The event will include two talks:

The Strictest Taboo: The Marginalization of Marxism in Mainstream Communication Studies
by Dr. Sašo Slaček, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
The presentation examines the prominence of Marxian concepts and authors in the mainstream of communication studies throughout its history, focusing on the scientific database Web of Science. The analysis shows that Marxian authors and concepts were completely marginalized during the Cold War period. Later, in the 1990s, they gained some ground, but especially after the outbreak of the Great Recession, which even opened the doors to radical critiques of the status quo. In addition to analyzing long-term trends, network analysis is used //to identify groups of paradigmatic appropriations of Marx's ideas and to uncover the different ways in which different schools of thought refer to Marxian concepts.

Unravelling the Moments: Tracing the History of Critical Communication research in Ljubljana
by Dr. Igor Vobič, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
The presentation traces the historical trajectory of critical communication research at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana and its antecedents, employing a narrative that centres around pivotal moments. By adopting an approach that views institutional history as a series of discontinuities, the presentation offers insights into the reconfiguration of communication theories and empirical research contextualised within broader socio-political changes.

Dienstags 18.00 Uhr s.t.

Raum E2.339

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