Media and Communication Research Methods

Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgments Introduction Round Up the Usual Suspects How I Became a Man Without Quantities Data Man Versus Data-Free Man Conclusions of a Man Without Quantities, Who Is Also a Practicing Theoretician Introduction: Applications and Exercises I. GETTING STARTED 1. What Is Research? We All Do Research, All the Time Scholarly Research Is Different From Everyday Research Nietzsche on Interpretation The Problem of Certainty Diachronic and Synchronic Research On the Way the Human Mind Works Overt and Covert Oppositions On Quantity and Quality in Media Research Media and Communication Why a Book That Teaches Both Methodologies? Considering Research Topics What Is Research? Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 2. Library Searches Why Library Research Is So Important Search Strategies How To Read Analytically Doing a Literature Review Primary and Secondary Research Sources Sources for Library Research in Media and Communication Other Sources of Information Searching on the Internet or The Game of ?Find The Info If You Can!? Analyzing Methodology in Research Articles Library Searches: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading PART II: METHODS OF TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 3. Semiotic Analysis Saussure's Division of Signs Into Signifiers and Signifieds The Semiotics of Blondeness Semiotics and Society Peirce's Trichotomy: Icon, Index, and Symbol Allied Concepts Clotaire Rapaille on Culture Codes Semiotics in Society: A Reprise The Syntagmatic Analysis of Texts The Paradigmatic Analysis of Texts Humpty Dumpty: A Paradigmatic Analysis Applications of Semiotic Theory Paul Ekman on Facial Expression Semiotics: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 4. Rhetorical Analysis Aristotle on Rhetoric Rhetoric and the Mass Media A Brief Note on the Communication Process Michel de Certeau on Subversions by Readers and Viewers Applied Rhetorical Analysis A Miniglossary of Common Rhetorical Devices Other Considerations When Making Rhetorical Analyses A Sample Rhetorical Analysis: A Saturn Advertisement Rhetorical Analysis: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 5. Ideological Criticism Mannheim's Ideology and Utopia Defining Ideology Marxist Criticism Roland Barthes on Mythologies The Problem of Hegemony The Base and the Superstructure and the "Self-Made Man and Woman." Post-Soviet Marxist Criticism Basic Ideas in Marxist Criticism A Marxist Interpretation of the Fidji ?Snake? Advertisement John Berger on Glamour Identity Politics Feminist Criticism of Media and Communication The Social Conception of Knowledge Phallocentric Theory: The Physical Basis of Male Domination Political Cultures, the Media, and Communication Wildavsky's Four Political Cultures Pop Culture and Media Preferences in Four Political Cultures Ideological Criticism: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 6. Psychoanalytic Criticism Freud's Contribution Jungian Theory Psychoanalytic Criticism: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading PART III: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS 7. Interviews What Is an Interview? Four Kinds of Research Interviews Why We Use Interviews How to Interview People Questions Investigative Reporters Ask The Structure of Conversations and Interviews Transcribing Tapes Making Sense of the Information on Transcribed Interviews Coding Problems With Interview Material Interviews: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 8. Historical Analysis What Is History? History as Metadiscipline or Specialized Subject Is History Objective or Subjective or a Combination of the Two? Kinds of Historical Research The Problem of Writing History The Problem of Meaning Historical Periods Baudrillard and Jameson on Postmodernism The Historical and the Comparative Approach History Is an Art, Not a Science Doing Historical Research Historical Analysis: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 9. Ethnomethodological Research Defining Ethnomethodology Garfinkel's Ingenious and Mischievous Research Using Ethnomethodology in Media and Communication Research Love Is a Game Humorists as Code Violators On the Techniques of Humor Ethnomethodology and the Communication Process Ethnomethodological Research: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 10. Participant Observation Defining Participant Observation Significant Considerations to Deal With When Doing Participant Observation A Case Study of Participant Observation: Readers of Romance Novels Problems Connected With Participant Observation Benefits of Participant Observation Studies Making Sense of Your Findings An Ethical Dilemma Ethics and Research Involving Human Beings Participant Observation: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading PART IV: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS 11. Content Analysis Defining Content Analysis Why We Make Content Analyses Methodological Aspects of Content Analysis Aspects of Violence Advantages of Content Analysis as a Research Method Difficulties to Contend With in Making Content Analyses Doing a Content Analysis: A List of Steps to Take Content Analysis: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 12. Surveys Defining Surveys Kinds of Surveys: Descriptive and Analytic The VALS Typology Survey Methods of Data Collection Advantages of Survey Research Problems With Using Surveys A Note on Media Usage Surveys: Shares and Ratings Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Survey Questions Writing Survey Questions Making Pilot Studies to Pretest Surveys Conducting Online Surveys On the Matter of Samples Obtaining Random Samples Evaluating the Accuracy of Surveys Surveys: Applications and Exercises Conclusion Further Reading 13. Experiments Everyday Experimentation Defining Experiments The Structure of an Experiment Advantages of Experiments Disadvantages of Experiments A Checklist on Experimental Design What's an Experiment and What Isn't? Experiments: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading 14. A Primer on Descriptive Statistics with Felianka Kaftandjieva Levels of Measurement Descriptive Statistics Measures of Central Tendency Measures of Dispersion Standard Deviation The Normal or Bell-Shaped Curve The Problems With Ratings A Cautionary Note on Statistics Statistics and Comparisons Data on Media Use in America On the Problem of Interpretation Statistics: Applications and Exercises Conclusions Further Reading PART V: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 15. Nineteen Common Thinking Errors to Avoid Common Fallacies Conclusions Further Reading 16. Writing Research Reports Keeping a Journal A Trick for Organizing Reports Outlines, First Drafts, and Revisions Writing Research Reports The IMRD Structure of Quantitative Research Reports Writing Correctly: Avoiding Some Common Problems More on Academic Writing Styles A Checklist for Planning Research and Writing Reports on Your Research Conclusions Further Reading References Glossary Index About the Author