The present condition of communication research in Poland
A
study recently published by T. Goban-Klass (1999) precisely describes the
condition of communication studies in Poland, however, it presents only their
sociological aspect. Social communication is of great interest to various
scientific disciplines, not only sociology, but also semiotics, political and
cultural studies, linguistics, psychology, pedagogy. Each of them describe
social communication from a different point of view, that is probably why it is
difficult nowadays to speak of one uniform and fully developed paradigm of
communication research. On the other hand, though, one cannot say that
communication studies are presently at the stage, which should still be called
pre-science. Using T. Kuhnęs terminology, it can be stated that communication
studies start to be developed as a regular scientific discipline. It is its
initial stage of development at present.
Some
institutional arguments as well as some facts concerning development of
scientific synthesis and creation of academic textbooks favour such an approach.
The oldest Polish university ¶ the Jagiellonian University- formed the Faculty
of Management and Social Communication (which includes the Institute of
Journalism and Communication, and Press Research Centre) several years ago. The
Faculty of Journalism and Political Studies had been created earlier at the
Warsaw University, but the name says nothing about social communication. As far
as one can tell, the term <social
communication> is used only in the name of
Jagiellonian University's faculty at present , but in the near future it
will start to be adopted by other universities.
However,
it is not just the matter of naming things, because social communication
researchers start to realise the necessity to create a uniform paradigm. In the
last few years several study works were published which let us assume that a
communicational synthesis based on observations of various scientific
disciplines can be made in the near future. This mainly refers to publications
of: T. Goban-Klas (1999b), S. Grabias (1997), Z. Necki
(1992), J. Bralczyk (1996), K. Pisarkowa (2000), W. Godzic (1999), J.
Antas (1999), A. Pitrus (2000) and W. Pisarek (1998, 1999), as well as to many
articles published in Zeszyty Prasoznawcze, Socjolingwistyka,
or to the book series <Language and
culture> (Jezyk a kultura), ćThe Red Seriesę of UMCS (ŃCzerwona
Seriań UMCS) and Studia Medioznawcze
¶ a new periodical published by the Institute of Journalism at the Warsaw
University.
Phatic
communion
(thoroughly described by K. Pisarkowa) may become the key concept accepted by
experts of all disciplines interested in communication. Moreover, it is a viable
proposition also because the term was introduced by a Polish anthropologist
Bronislaw Malinowski, who is a kind of symbolic person for many scientists (of
different disciplines). K. Pisarkowa has given this term a new interdisciplinary
and multidimensional meaning, which is her great contribution.
The studies conducted so far by
scientists of different disciplines seem to be insufficient for social
communication experts. These studies focus on aspects (in reference to mass
communication) which are significant only for scientists of a given discipline,
whereas other aspects are either omitted or vaguely presented. Nevertheless, it
is worth mentioning that despite this feeling of insufficiency, it was possible
to establish the compulsory/canon education programme for students of journalism
and mass communication.
Footnotes
Ryszard
Filas (1999) Press Research Centre and beginnings media reception research, Kultura
i Spoleczenstwo, nr 4 1999, Warszawa.
Antas,
J. (1999) O klamstwie i klamaniu, Krakow.
Bralczyk,
J. (1996) Jezyk na sprzedaz, Warszawa.
Goban-Klas,
T. (1999a) Komunikowanie i media spoleczne, Globalne kierunki badan na swiecie w
zakresie komunikowania i mediow spolecznych, [in:] M. Kocojowa (red.), Zarzadzanie i komunikowanie. Tendencje
rozwoju badan naukowych u progu XXI wieku, Krakow.
Goban-Klas,
T. (1999b), Media i komunikowanie masowe. Teoria i analizy prasy, radia,
telewizji i Internetu, Warszawa,
Godzic,
W. (1999), Telewizja jako kultura, Krakow.
S.
Grabias (1997) Jezyk w zachowaniach spolecznych, Lublin.
Z.
Necki, Komunikowanie interpersonalne, Wroclaw.
W.
Pisarek (1998) Nauka o dziennikarstwie czy o komunikowaniu masowym, [in:] J.
Adamowski, red., Media i dziennikarstwo na przelomie wiekow, Warszawa, DW
Elipsa, pp. 25-30.
M.
Kocojowa (1999) Zarzadzanie i komunikowanie. Tendencje rozwoju badan naukowych u progu XXI wieku (Management &
Communication. Trends in research at the end of the third millenium). Krakow.
W.
Pisarek (1999) Osrodek Badan Prasoznawczych w nauce o komunikacji spolecznej u
progu trzeciego tysiaclecia, [in:] M. Kocojowa (red.) Zarzadzanie i
komunikowanie. Tendencje rozwoju badan naukowych u progu XXI wieku, Krakow.