Centre for Studies of Political Science, Communication and Media

Here research is carried out by political scientists and media specialists into areas such as political communication, media, document product, questions of identity and integration, globalization and democracy.

The overarching purpose of the research profile is to extend and further develop a multi-disciplinary research area specialising in communication and communication processes in society. The profile was set up in 2005 through the fusion of the research groups of Political Communication (taking its point of departure in the subject of Political Science) and Media and Communication Science.

Research group: Media and Communication Science

The research group has the overarching specialism directed towards questions involving power, official openness and democracy. The following problem areas are the focus of ongoing research:

Journalistic and documentary productions:
Research is directed towards examining journalistic and documentary representations of the academic world from the perspective of power and authority together with examining the conditions for such productions. Theoretical basis is derived from ideological and discourse analysis together with political economics.

Globalization, media and young people:
The research is directed towards young people and their media internships together with the images of young people in the media in questions such as political participation and opinion-making in relation to the new media such as the internet. The theoretical basis is derived from cultural theory relating to migration and diaspora cultures as well as research on political participation and citizenship.

Strategic communication:
This research area includes opinion-making, crisis communication, social marketing, organisational communication, trademark development, network building and dissemination of innovations through social media.

Sustainable development and communication:
Studies of the relationship between research, politics, economics, communication and civil society with a focus on climate change and sustainable development.

Research group: Political communication

Research directed towards political communication has its foundations in the subject of political science and focuses on questions relating for example to the participation of women in politics, the role of mass media and the personal conversation / individual voice in political opinion-making. Political communication has developed into a broad and multi-disciplinary research field at Halmstad University. Research in this area does not solely consist of focusing on media and political opinion making but also includes areas such as political culture, political participation in a gender perspective, negotiation and conflict theory on various levels, regional development and political rhetoric.