Abstract: This study explores the reality of teaching mass communication theories courses in media and communication programmes at Arab universities, given the significant changes in the communication environment. It focuses on the course's role in the curricula, the approaches and theories taught to students, the teaching methods used, and the educational resources employed, as well as how these theories are connected to the media and communication context in the Arab region. The research involved a content analysis of 25 descriptions of mass communication theories courses from various media and communication programmes across different Arab universities, both public and private. The study revealed several noteworthy findings: All the universities included in the sample recognised the importance of teaching media and communication theories, incorporating them into mandatory courses. Most of these courses are allocated three hours per week, similar to many media programmes at foreign universities, with 60 % of them having no prerequisites. The majority of course descriptions emphasise theories related to media impact from a functional perspective, while marginalising theories from the critical and interpretive perspectives. In addition, the study finds that 96 % of the course descriptions did not reference the Arab media context or the cultural and social context of the Arab audience consuming or using media content. Keywords: Communication Theories, Course Description, Content Analysis, Arab Universities, Media Course.
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter