Inaugural session: PhDs in Communication Sciences and Cultural Studies

On October 7, at 2.30 p.m., the ICS Hall of Acts will host the PhDs in Communication Sciences and Cultural Studies’ inaugural session with the title “«Why listen? Isn’t hearing enough?” New and old communication issues to manage to survive/living”. The event, which marks the beginning of the academic year 2022/2023, will be hosted by Manuel Pinto.

Among the euphoric and dysphoric speeches about the digital era, it is essential not to lose sight — and to distinguish — what is essential and what is an accessory. A problem that seems essential, particularly for communication sciences scholars, is to determine whether the possibilities provided, unequally though, by networks, platforms, applications, and digital devices have contributed to better and more effective communication between people, in communities and in broader relationships.

Where I stand now, I have partially devoted myself to that task. Rather: drawing maps and observing trajectories and experiences, exploring topics that seem less regarded and debated by those who have studied communication.

In this talk, I seek to particularise and address the dimension of listening and its interplay with speech as cornerstones of communication. In a preliminary approach, I will present mainly reflections of phenomenological nature, seeking to expand horizons on previous research, particularly on listening. I will also discuss the theoretical and empirical challenges inherent in the current context conditions around this communicational dimension.

Manuel Pinto has a PhD in Communication Sciences since 1996, is a Full Professor (retired) from the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho and a researcher at the Communication and Society Research Centre. He works in Journalism Studies, Sociology of Communication and Media, and Media Literacy and focuses on studies of traditional popular cultures. He is co-director of the Media, Information, and Literacy Observatory (MILObs). Furthermore, he was a member of the Directive Board and Director of the PhD Programme in Communication Sciences at UM and chaired the Institute of Social Sciences Council. He was also the Director of the CECS. At the University, he has served on several bodies, including the faculty representative on the General Council, for the Citizen University movement. He was a journalist at the Jornal de Notícias (1980-1988) and resumed his journalism career as a volunteer at the digital newspaper SeteMargens.com. He was a founder and lecturer at the Oporto School of Journalism (1985), founder and coordinator of the project Público na Escola (1989), and an elected member of the first team of the Independent General Council of the RTP.

[Posted: 03-10-2022]