What we stand for:
The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Salzburg pursues a broad, critically oriented, interdisciplinary approach. Our research and teaching in German and English is theory-based, longitudinal and internationally comparative. With our work, we make an essential contribution to the analysis, explanation and critical accompaniment of a society shaped by communication and digital networking. Our research consists of basic, proposal and contract research. In teaching, we offer on the one hand a broad basic education (Bachelor), on the other hand a topic-centered postgraduate study (Master) as well as a specialized doctoral study. Our publications appear in peer-reviewed journals for academia, as monographs, in edited volumes and handbooks for the professional public, and in textbooks for students. We publish in academic peer-reviewed journals, monographs, edited volumes and handbooks as well as in textbooks for students. Through lectures, conferences, and workshops, we contribute to the development of the discipline and engage in current debates on social, cultural, and media policy. Main topics or subject areas at the department are: Journalism, Digitization and Society, Communication Theories, Organizational Communication, Media Use and Consumption, Media Economics, Communication Policy, Public Sphere and Inequality, Gender Media Studies, Inter/Transcultural Communication, Interpersonal Communication, as well as pre-professional training in our media labs.
How we work together:
We collaborate in flat hierarchies. Within the Faculty of Social Sciences, a departmental structure enables internal specialization as well as cross-departmental cooperation in research and teaching.
Our collaborative approach supports and promotes different academic career models: each Division in our Department has positions for postdoc- and/or prae-doc students. We enable students to participate in research and teaching based on assistant- and tutorships. We promote and support the academic career goals of our academic staff, such as a doctorate or habilitation.
Who we address:
Stakeholders of the Department of Communication Studies are students, the national and international academic community, the community of communication professionals, the general public, decision makers in the domains of business, politics and culture, and civil society writ large.
What we want to achieve: .
The Department of Communication Studies aims at comprehensive basic education and solid academic qualifications. We want to equip students with all the necessary skills for various professions in communication studies and communication practice.
In our research, we strive for social, political, cultural and academic relevance addressing a variety of publics. With our critical research approach and empirical findings, we seek to contribute to and complement disciplinary development as well as current socio-political debates.
On a global scale, we want to contribute responsibly to international cooperations, initiate such collaborations ourselves and receive international appreciation due to our valued research practices and our teaching, strengthening the reputation of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Salzburg.
How we want to achieve our goals:
We seek to achieve our goals through outstanding scientific research on pressing social topics, and through high-quality and research-led teaching in our study programs on the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral level.
