School of Communications

Research

Research Opportunities in the School of Communications.

Producing and spreading new knowledge is the lifeblood of a department like the School of Communications. Our staff does this in a wide variety of ways, through books, research papers, conferences, membership of commissions and advisory bodies, and through journalism and creative work.

Among the staff in the School are individuals with a high reputation nationally in media analysis and media policy, and with significant involvement in international networks and projects.

Our research interests are wide-ranging, but are concentrated in: media content analysis, media policy and history, social aspects of digital media, journalism practice, cultural change and cross-cultural communication.

2009: Books, Major Publications and Productions by School Staff

Chi-Sui Wang; C. Hs. Chen and J.O. Clark (2009) Detached Reality. Taipei: Jia Art Gallery. Book length publication and catalogue related to Dr. Wang’s solo exhibition of the same title.

Debbie Ging; Michael Cronin and Peadar Kirby (Eds) (2009) Transforming Ireland: Challenges, Critiques and Resources. Manchester University Press. ISBN: 978-0-7190-7893-4, ISBN10: 0-7190-7893-8, This is the first sustained and broad-ranging critique of the legacies of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger boom. Contributors identify the damaging impact that the free market has had on a wide range of areas of public life such as the media and the pharmaceutical industry and also examine its influence on health, education, state surveillance, immigrants, the welfare state, consumerism and the Irish language. Challenging the notion that there is no alternative for Ireland but the present economic and political dispensation, experts map out an alternative politics that could create spaces for hope and renewal in contemporary Ireland.

Karl Grimes (2009) Stigmatised. Installation at Infectious – Stay Away exhibition. Science Gallery, Dublin. Stigmatised comprised an installation of seventeen drawings on duratrans in light boxes and exhibition entrance portal design. Science Gallery: 17 April – 17 July, 2009.

Karl Grimes (2009-10) The Dead Zoo At Large: Treasures from The Natural History Museum. National Museum of Ireland. Ongoing exhibition of works from the Taxum Totem series in collaboration with NMI. Collins Barracks. Dublin. 30 April, 2009 – 11 April, 2010.

Paschal Preston (2009) Making the News: Journalism and News Culture in Contemporary Europe. London and New York : Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-46189-4 Making the News by Paschal Preston provides a cross-national perspective on key features of journalism and news-making cultures and the changing media landscape in contemporary Europe. Focusing on the key trends, practices and issues in contemporary journalism and news cultures, Paschal Preston maps the major contours of change as well as the broader industrial, organizational, institutional and cultural factors shaping journalism practices over the past two decades. For more details, see < http://www.comms.dcu.ie/prestonp/MakingTheNews/index.html

Steven Knowlton and Bill Reader (2009) Moral Reasoning for Journalists, 2nd Edition. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN: 9780313345487. Despite the fact that the public's trust in the news media is at historic lows, despite the fact that hardly a day goes by without another report of unethical behavior by news professionals, journalists and teachers remain dedicated to ethical issues—perhaps more so now than at any other time in history. News companies are developing rigorous codes of conduct; journalists and editors are vigorously reporting on ethical lapses by their peers, and many journalism schools are creating standalone courses in journalism ethics and hiring faculty members who are devoted to ethics research and instruction. Using more than two-dozen actual cases from around the world to examine and apply those principles of ethical journalism, Knowlton and Reader suggest an easy-to-follow, commonsense approach to making ethical decisions in the newsroom as deadlines loom. Moral Reasoning for Journalists serves as an introduction to the underpinnings of journalism ethics, and as a guide for journalists and journalism teachers looking for ways to make ethical choices beyond going with your gut.

Tom Lawrence (2009) Score for The Ottoman Empire (Nemeton Films). Tom Lawrence composed the score for this film for RTE. Written and directed by 2010 IFTA nominated director James Phelan. Tx to be announced 2010.

Tom Lawrence (2009) Composer of the music for Car Park. RTE (BCI) Tom Lawrence composed the music for Car Park, a film for RTE (BCI) by Diarmuid Goggins and Kevin Lavelle. Director: Diarmuid Goggins. Music by Tom Lawrence. Tx to be announced 2010.

Chi-Sui Wang (2009) Art Taipei 2009 – International Art Exposition, Group Exhibition, Taiwan National World Trade Centre, Taipei, TAIWAN Dr. Chi-Sui Wang was invited to submit work for the prestigious “Art Taipei 2009 – International Art Exposition”, Taipei, Taiwan.

Bill Dorris (2009) The Arrival of The Fittest: How The Great Become Great. Lulu Publishing e-Book. Available at U.R.L http://www.lulu.com/index.php Bill Dorris' book, The Arrival of The Fittest: How The Great Become Great (2009), attempts to address a number of issues which remain unanswered in the work discussed so far. These include the role of chance over the course of development, the importance of the development of unique personal characteristics to achieving greatness, and the influence of changes in the wider worlds surrounding the person - from interpersonal to societal - on the course of an individual's development.

Colum Kenny ; P. Sreenan, et al. (2009) Media Mergers Advisory Group Report. Dublin: Government Publications. Prof. Colum Kenny was appointed as a member of the government’s Advisory Group on Media Mergers, to address this increasingly important area of media policy in Ireland as elsewhere. Prof. Kenny was a leading author of the report and recommendations produced by the Advisory Group.

Roderick Flynn and Debbie Ging (2009) The Representation and Portrayal of People with Disabilities in Irish Broadcasting. Dublin: Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. This major report is based on research which adopted two parallel approaches to examine the representation of people with disabilities in Irish broadcast media. The study analysed 408 hours of programming (804 programmes) broadcast by Irish television and radio stations from February to July 2007. The sample was drawn from prime-time television broadcasting (6-10pm), and from weekday and Sunday radio broadcasting, including national and local radio. The programming was categorised in terms of the extent and nature of the representation of people with disabilities. The data results were based mainly on clearly observable content, such as the presence or absence of individuals with disabilities in radio or television programmes. In this context, "clearly observable" presented an obvious difficulty on radio since physical disabilities are inaudible. Therefore, the examination of radio material included only spoken references to disabilities or comments that identified an individual as having a disability. However, the study also addressed less overt content, such as whether the representation of people with disabilities in any programme was stereotypical, prejudicial or discriminatory.

2008: Books, Major Publications and Productions by School Staff

Brian Trench and M. Bucchi (Eds.) (2008) Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology. Routledge 'This work provides a useful introduction to the study of research trends in the public communication of science and technology. It is particularly strong in showing the changes in this field, ranging from the ideas of popularization and a general understanding of science to an active, engaging dialogue between scientists and the broader society. With editors and contributors from various parts of the world, the book is particularly sensitive to international issues...Highly recommended.' -- Choice, March 2009

2007: Books, Major Publications and Productions by School Staff include:

John Horgan; Barbara O'Connor, and Helena Sheehan (Eds.) (2007) Mapping Irish Media: Critical Explorations (co-edited with John Horgan and Helena Sheehan), University College Dublin Press., 2007. ISBN-10: 1904558836

"Mapping Irish Media" offers up-to-date research and analysis of the Irish media by Ireland's leading experts in the field. The book is sponsored by the School of Communications at Dublin City University and is specially intended as a much-needed textbook for the fast growing numbers of media studies students in Ireland. It is highly readable and also suitable for those with a general interest in the subject. The book focuses on a wide range of media including the more traditional broadcast and print media (newspapers, radio, and television and film), and also engages with newer media such as the internet and DVD, and newer media genres such as reality TV. Although the book is traditionally structured in sections on production, texts and audiences, the editors' intention has been to raise issues which cross-cut these different aspects. The contributors present a range of theoretical approaches, provide comparisons with the media in other countries, and consider in particular the effect of globalisation and increasing consumer choice.

Roddy Flynn, and Pat Brereton (2007) Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema, Scarecrow Press. This comprehensive overview of Irish cinema from the beginning of the 20th Century to recent classics including Adam and Paul which incidentally graces the cover, captures the full gamut of film history, alongside individual entries for films and creative personnel who have worked in Irish film over the years. It is a valuable resource for researchers who need a summary of the main themes and trends within the Irish film industry.

Recent books by members of staff include:

Pat Brereton: Hollywood Utopia - ecology in contemporary American cinema (Intellect Books, 2005)
Colum Kenny: Moments that changed us (Gill and Macmillan, 2005)
John Horgan: Broadcasting and Public Life – RTE News and Current Affairs, 1926-1997 (Four Courts Press, 2004)
Farrel Corcoran: RTÉ and the Globalisation of Irish Television (Intellect Books, 2004)
Helena Sheehan: The Continuing Story of Irish Television Drama: tracking the tiger (Four Courts Press, 2004)
Colum Kenny: Fearing Sellafield (Gill and Macmillan, 2003)
Barbara O'Connor (co-editor): Irish tourism - image, culture and identity (Channel View Press, 2003)
Paschal Preston: Reshaping communications: technology, information and social change (Sage, 2001)
John Horgan: Irish media - a critical history since 1922 (Routledge, 2001
Pat Brereton: Continuum Guide to Media Education (Continuum, 2001)

Research Grants and Fellowships

School staff have been very successful in securing research grants and fellowships from national and international sources such as the European Commission, Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Education, Higher Education Authority, European Journalism Centre, National Council for Technology in Education, and from DCU's Research Advisory Panel and Teaching and Learning Committee.