Welcome to Media and Communication Studies!

The Media and Communication Studies at the Department of Social Research offers a full academic programme from undergraduate to post graduate level. The Graduate School is organized in co-operation with the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Tampere, the Department of Communication Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, and the University of Arts and Design Helsinki.

The Department of Media and Communication Studies takes in 50 new students each year. As a result of the popularity of the communication studies, competition for entrance to the department is very high. The Department has a large number of minor students from the Faculty of Social Sciences. Moreover, students from other faculties of the University of Helsinki are allowed to study communication as their minor subject, as well.

Research and teaching of Communication are divided into the following fields:

• The general theory of communication,
• The study of mass communication,
• Organizational and interpersonal communication,
• Communication policies and technologies,
• Information society and webbased communication,
• Intercultural communication
• and the media.

The teaching of communication is mainly focused on the general theory of communication but also provides sufficient knowledge of other areas.

Professional aspects of the study of the media are taught to the extent that they provide a necessary understanding of the functioning and the role of the media in society. However, the Department does not provide full professional training. Studies in communication provide knowledge and experience useful, for example, for the following fields: communication, media education, journalism, planning and administration of media, public relations and communication research.

The Media and Communication Studies at the University of Helsinki was founded in 1978 and it is one of the seven disciplines of theDepartment of Social Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences, founded in 1945. First courses of Journalism were offered at the faculty of Social Sciences as a part of the study program of the Department of Political Science in early 1960's. The Political Science Department got a lectureship of mass communication (especially press) in 1966, and an associate professorship in 1971. The Chair of Communication was founded in 1978.

News and events

Guest lecture: Professor Aeron Davis (Goldsmiths College, London) "The Cultural and Communicative Disembedding of Political and Financial Elites", on Friday May 11 at 14.15-15.45 (Unioninkatu 37, seminar room 2).

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Public conference: Conflict of public values and private interests? European media in 2012

Friday 27th of April, 2012, 09.30 - 16.45 Lecture hall , University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 35

 

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Public event: Crisis, Trauma and Journalism

Friday 27th of January, 2012, 09.00 - 12.00 Small assembly hall, University of Helsinki, Main building, Fabianinkatu 33, 4th floor

This seminar will bring together students, academics, journalists and communications specialists engaged in research and practice about crisis and trauma news.

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Public event: The Future of Journalism and its Value for Democracy

Thursday, 13 October 2011, 13.15-16.30University of Helsinki Main Building, Fabianinkatu 33, Helsinki

Keynote speakers: Jay Hamilton, Daya Thussu, Robert Picard and Michael Schudson

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