General information
| Course type | AMUPIE |
| Module title | Media Content Analysis |
| Language | English |
| Module lecturer | dr Jacek Wyszyński |
| Lecturer's email | jacekw@amu.edu.pl |
| Lecturer position | assistant professor |
| Faculty | Faculty of Political Science and Journalism |
| Semester | 2026/2027 (summer) |
| Duration | 30 |
| ECTS | 3 |
| USOS code | 14-XMDCA |
Timetable
Summer semester 2027. Faculty of Political Science and Journalism
Module aim (aims)
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
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Explain the foundations of media content analysis.
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Describe major methods and techniques used in content analysis across media types.
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Design a content analysis study (problem, sample, units, variables, questions/hypotheses).
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Plan and conduct an original content analysis project.
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Critically interpret findings and communicate them effectively.
Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)
Interest in contemporary media in general.
Desire of overcoming excel phobia or lack thereof.
Competence in statistics is welcomed but not strictly necessary.
Syllabus
Course Description
This course introduces media content analysis as a research method, including its theoretical foundations, key concepts, strengths and limitations, and the practical workflow of designing and executing a content analysis study. Students develop the ability to build coding instruments, collect and analyze data, interpret and present results.
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Foundations of content analysis
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What content analysis is and when to use it
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Key terms (manifest/latent content, categories, variables)
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Main steps of the method, typical limits and pitfalls
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Research design
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Turning a topic into a research problem and aims
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Writing research questions/hypotheses
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Sampling media material
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Choosing units of analysis and defining variables
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Coding instrument (codebook)
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Building categories and coding rules
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Creating a coding sheet/form
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Pilot test and revisions
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Basics of reliability
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Running the study
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Collecting and organizing materials
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Coding procedures and quality control
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Entering data and preparing it for analysis
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Results and reporting
- Data cleaning and processing
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Basic analysis
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Interpreting results
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Presenting findings (report/multimedia presentation)
Students will form teams, each conducting an individual research project using media conent analysis techniques.
Reading list
Krippendorff, K. (2019). Content analysis. SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071878781
Neuendorf, K. (2017). The content analysis guidebook. SAGE Publications, Inc, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071802878