Methods of digital content and discourse analysis

Anno accademico 2021/2022
Docente Hans-Jörg Trenz

Didattica integrativa

Da Definire

Esercitazioni

Modalità d'esame

Relazione di seminario

Prerequisiti

Optional for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students of the PhD Programme in "Political Science and Sociology"

Optional for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students of the PhD Programme in "Transnational Governance"

Optional for the 4th and 5th year students of the MA Programme in "Political and Social Sciences"

Programma del corso

This course introduces into various methods of text, content and discourse analysis applied to digital media. We will discuss how traditional analytical tools, such as standardized content analysis, claims-making analysis, critical discourse analysis or narrative analysis can be used for the study of online and digital communication. Through selected readings the course will exemplify uses, benefits and best practices of single methods as applied in case studies and comparative research designs in the fields of political mobilization, representation and legitimacy research. The focus is on strategies of case selection, sampling, and standardized coding through multiple variables that apply to both quantitative and qualitative analysis. This includes a discussion of new opportunities for the analysis of social media generated content (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) through the inclusion of multiple content generators, such as journalists, political representatives, users and their various forms of mediated interactions. Participants who plan to conduct own analysis will have the opportunity to discuss research strategies, problems of sampling, coding and analysis in a workshop.  

Schedule of Classes and Readings

 

1. The Digital Social Research Agenda

April 4 (14:00-17:00)

  •        Jones, Rodney, Chick, ALice and Hafner, Christoph. Discourse and Digital Practices: Doing Discourse Analysis in the Digital Age. Taylor and Francis, 2015, chapter 1.
  •        Herring, S. C. (2010). Web Content Analysis: Expanding the Paradigm. International Handbook of Internet Research
  •        Flick, Uwe. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. Sixth edition. Los Angeles: Sage, 2019, chapter 22.

Additional readings:

  •        Punch, K.F. (2013) Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, London: SAGE Publications. chapter 13

2. Standardised content analysis: what is it and how does it apply?

April 11 (14:00-17:00)

  •        Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Watson, B.R., & Fico, F. (2019). Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.ep.fjernadgang.kb.dk/10.4324/9780429464287 , ch. 2
  •        Neuendorf, K.A. (2017) The Content Analysis Guidebook, Thousand Oaks, California.. (ch. 4)
  •        Cinalli, M., Trenz, H.J., Brändle, V.K., Eisele, O. and Lahusen, C. (2021) 'Chapter 3: Claims-making analysis and its applications in media and communication studies', in Solidarity in the Media and Public Contention over Refugees in Europe, London: Routledge., London: Routledge, pp. 32-60.

available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9780367817169/solidarity-media-public-contention-refugees-europe-manlio-cinalli-hans-j%C3%B6rg-trenz-verena-br%C3%A4ndle-olga-eisele-christian-lahusen

 

3. Standardised content analysis: How is it implemented?

April 21 (10:00-13:00)

  •        Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Watson, B.R., & Fico, F. (2019). Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.ep.fjernadgang.kb.dk/10.4324/9780429464287 ch. 4+5.
  •        Neuendorf, K.A. (2017) The Content Analysis Guidebook, Thousand Oaks, California. (ch. 5, 7)
  •        Cinalli, M., Trenz, H.J., Brändle, V.K., Eisele, O. and Lahusen, C. (2021) 'Chapter 3: Claims-making analysis and its applications in media and communication studies', in Solidarity in the Media and Public Contention over Refugees in Europe, London: Routledge., London: Routledge, pp. 32-60.

available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9780367817169/solidarity-media-public-contention-refugees-europe-manlio-cinalli-hans-j%C3%B6rg-trenz-verena-br%C3%A4ndle-olga-eisele-christian-lahusen

4. Standardised content analysis: Questions of reliability: How is content analysis interpreted?

April 26 (10:00-13:00)

  •        O’Connor, C. and Joffe, H. (2020) 'Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research: Debates and Practical Guidelines', International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19 1609406919899220.
  •        Neuendorf, K.A. (2017) The Content Analysis Guidebook, Thousand Oaks, California. (ch. 6+8)
  •        Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Watson, B.R., & Fico, F. (2019). Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.ep.fjernadgang.kb.dk/10.4324/9780429464287 ch. 5+6.
  •        Cinalli, M., Trenz, H.J., Brändle, V.K., Eisele, O. and Lahusen, C. (2021) 'Chapter 3: Claims-making analysis and its applications in media and communication studies', in Solidarity in the Media and Public Contention over Refugees in Europe, London: Routledge., London: Routledge, pp. 32-60.

available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9780367817169/solidarity-media-public-contention-refugees-europe-manlio-cinalli-hans-j%C3%B6rg-trenz-verena-br%C3%A4ndle-olga-eisele-christian-lahusen

 

5. Digital qualitative content analysis

May 2 (14:00-17:00)

  •        Unger J, Wodak R, Khosravi, N. M. Critical Discourse Studies and Social Media Data. In: David Silverman, ed. Qualitative Research (4th edition). London: SAGE, 2016. 277-293
  •        Baya-Laffite, N. and Cointet, J.-P. (2016) 'Mapping Topics in International Climate Negotiations: A Computer-Assisted Semantic Network Approach', in S. Kubitschko (ed.), Innovative Methods in Media and Communication Research, Basingstoke: Palgrave, pp. 273-292.
  •        Greussing, E. and Boomgaarden, H.G. (2017) 'Shifting the refugee narrative? An automated frame analysis of Europe’s 2015 refugee crisis', Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43(11): 1749-1774.

Additional Readings:

  •        Bouvier, G. (2015). "What is a discourse approach to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media: connecting with other academic fields?" Journal of Multicultural Discourses 10(2): 149-162.
  •        Bouvier, G. and D. Machin (2018). "Critical Discourse Analysis and the challenges and opportunities of social media." Review of Communication 18(3): 178-192.
  •        Rheindorf, M. (2019) 'Working with Different Types of Data: Methodological Plurality Within and Beyond the Linguistic', in Revisiting the Toolbox of Discourse Studies: New Trajectories in Methodology, Open Data, and Visualization, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 87-128.

6. Studying visuals on social media

May 09 (14:00-17:00)

  •        Pearce, W., Özkula, S.M., Greene, A.K., Teeling, L., Bansard, J.S., Omena, J.J. and Rabello, E.T. (2020) 'Visual cross-platform analysis: digital methods to research social media images', Information, Communication & Society, 23(2): 161-180.
  •        Parry, K. (2020) 'Quantitative Analysis of the Visual', in L. Pauwels and D. Mannay (eds) The SAGE Handbook of Visual Research Methods, Second, 55 City Road, London: SAGE Publications, Inc., pp. 352-366.
  •        Highfield, T., & Leaver, T. (2016). Instagrammatics and digital methods: studying visual social media, from selfies and GIFs to memes and emoji. Communication Research and Practice, 2(1), 47–62.
  •        Neumayer, C. and L. Rossi (2018). "Images of protest in social media: Struggle over visibility and visual narratives." New Media & Society 20(11): 4293-4310..

 

7. Collecting Data from Social Media

May 16 (14:00-16:00)

 

 

 

Riferimenti bibliografici