The Dark Ages of Communication

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Из курса от партнера University of Amsterdam

Introduction to Communication Science

766 оценки

University of Amsterdam

Introduction to Communication Science

766 оценки

Since Antiquity, scholars have appreciated the importance of communication: as social beings, we cannot exist without communication. We need to interact with people around us, to make sense of the world and to position ourselves in a wider social and cultural reality. In this course, we look at how and why communication evolved as a science and reflect on today’s dominant paradigms. The course also extends beyond the boundaries of communication science itself, exploring dimensions of history, sociology and psychology. Join our class, together with people all over the world. Introduction to Communication Science explores some of the basic theories, models and concepts from the fields of mass, interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. The course begins with a consideration of several basic models, subsequently progressing to the history of communication theory, linear effect-oriented theories, the reception approach and, finally, exploring theories on the production and reinforcement of culture through communication. Upon completion of this course, students should: • have knowledge of the history and development of communication science; • have knowledge of the dominant theoretical approaches within communication science; • have knowledge and understanding of the most important models and concepts in this field. Beginning the week of February 16, 2015, you will be able to join Signature Track, a system that verifies your identity when you take an exam. This option will allow you to earn a Verified Certificate, which provides formal recognition of your achievements in the course and includes the University of Amsterdam logo. Before then, you can complete a “test run” of the exam. You can then re-take the exam after the Verified Certificate becomes available. For information regarding Verified Certificates, see https://courserahelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201212399-Verified-Certificates"

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The Beginnings of Communication Science

In this introduction to the course I will briefly introduce the field of communication science and discuss some basic models that will serve as guidelines to the rest of the course. Also, they explore the historical roots of the science of communication. I will discuss the development of communication theory and the evolution of the media landscape in Antiquity, Medieval and Early Modern times.

A Short History of Communication Science2:22

Greek and Roman Rhetorica3:19

Two Schools of Classical Communication Science3:30

Rhetorical Theory5:03

The Dark Ages of Communication4:28

A Renaissance of our Field3:29

The Printing Press as an Agent of Change3:09

Towards a Modern Communication Science7:03

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Rutger de Graaf
PhD
Graduate School of Communication Science

In the Middles Ages the importance of public speaking grew less.

The political system was completely different of course so citizens were

basically left out of the political decision making process.

They couldn’t vote and held little political power, beyond the power to rebel.

But seeing that the ruler elite were practiced warriors who wielded deadly weaponry

and impressive armour, both extremely expensive,

even this was usually not much of a choice.

Although rhetorica was taught in Medieval universities to a small elite,

it had by no means the importance of classical times.

Not only was there little to no communication science in the Dark Ages,

the communication landscape had also changed drastically

since Roman times. Alfabecy numbers had dropped rapidly since the decline of Rome.

Almost none could write or read with perhaps some exceptions

among the ruler and religious elite.

But even among them evidence suggests readership was not high

and probably very limited to those of very high stations

or devoted to academic life in a monastery. It makes sense that written media

became less and less widespread. Important mass communication channels were

instead oral or figurative in nature. Town criers, architecture, statues and religious art

were still used to reach a large audience. Coins were other examples of visual media

that communicated something, typically who was in charge at a certain time.

The channels of choice were well suited for communicating who was in power and

and how citizens should behave.

We know the church played an important part in this and worked hand in hand

with worldly leaders to get this message through.

Often there were agreements between rulers and clergymen that at the end

or start of the Sunday mass more worldly news on taxes, wars

and basically everything citizens should know, was communicated to the assembled people.

Since most people went to church, this was for centuries a very effective method

to get a message out amongst the people

if the need arose. Other media also focused on visual and oral communication.

Plays and theatre still existed but theatres did not hold the audiences

of thousands as they did in Classical times.

Although written media had almost disappeared as a means of mass communication,

printed pamphlets with etchings or other figurative depictions were sometimes used.

Some people might think: they printed pamphlets? Haven’t we learned

that the printing press was invented in the fifteenth century by Johannes Gutenberg?

Well, actually, the printing press already existed long before this time.

However, it was quite expensive to print something because

basically every page had to be carved out in wood, stone or metal.

Because the potential audience that was able to read and pay was small,

it was usually simply not worth it. So what was this printing innovation of Gutenberg

that everyone always puts so much emphasis on? It was actually the very cunning

introduction of the cliché, a small letter that could be put in a box

to make words and sentences.

When the printing was done, the box was emptied

and new words and pages could be formed.

This innovation made it much quicker and cheaper to print texts

and is therefore rightly credited as a turning point in European history

and a huge catalyst for the Renaissance. Of course this technical revolution would probably

never have had a huge impact if there hadn’t been an audience to read and buy books at the

same time, which was the result of several long and complicated historical trends

towards a higher alfabecy level and the rise of a potential audience with buying power.

Not coincidentally while the mass communication landscape

started to flourish again with the rise of print media,

scholars again started to discuss the topic of communication on a meta level.

So started the Renaissance, not only of art, science and literature,

but also of our scientific discipline.

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