Institute of Communication and Media Studies

The Institute of Communication and Media Studies is a German research and educational institute and part of the University of Leipzig. It offers a broad range of approaches to media and communication studies in Germany and internationally.

On the initiative of economist Karl Bücher (1847–1930), the Institute for Newspaper Research was founded at the University of Leipzig in 1916. It was widely regarded as the first dedicated institute for newspaper studies in Germany, and its establishment marked the beginning of institutionalized academic study of media and communication in Germany. In addition to examining the history and economics of the press, the institute educated future journalists. There was considerable interest in studying media on an academic level at that time; newspaper studies became a doctoral subject with its own chair at the University of Leipzig.

During the Nazi era, the institute was brought into alignment with Nazi ideology, and leadership structures changed substantially. Erich Everth (1878–1934), the previous chair and an advocate of a free press, was removed from his position and replaced by regime loyalist Hans A. Münster (1901–63). Journalists had been regarded as intermediaries in society since the founding of the institute, but between 1933 and 1945 they were required to support the policies of the Nazi Party.

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After World War II the institute was in the Soviet-occupied zone, which became East Germany (the German Democratic Republic). After several reorganizations, the institute was renamed the Journalism Section in 1969. Until the reunification of Germany in 1990, the institute remained the only one of its kind in East Germany. Thus, roughly two-thirds of all East German journalists studied in Leipzig. They were educated according to Marxist-Leninist theory and were required to conform to the politics of the state. To support this concept of journalism, distance learning courses for further education were introduced. Because of its close connection to the state, the institute was called the Red Monastery (Das Rote Kloster).

Due to organizational and personnel changes after German reunification, the year 1991 marked the reorganization of the institute into its current form. Many staff members associated with the former socialist system were dismissed or not retained during restructuring and were replaced by colleagues, mostly from West Germany. Until that time, journalism was the primary subject taught at this institute, but teaching and research in other fields of media were introduced after 1990.

The institute is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the University of Leipzig. Bachelor’s and master’s degree programs may be pursued at the institute. The degree programs and specializations provide an interdisciplinary view of media and communication studies in Germany and are reflected in the institute’s organizational structure. The Department of Historic and Systematic Communication Research deals with the theory of communication studies, including topics such as communication and media law and communication and media ethics. The Empirical Research on Communication and Media Department focuses on empirical social research concerning media content, use, reception, and effects. The Journalism Department deals with radio, television, and online journalism, providing not only research opportunities but also practical training.

The scientists and practitioners who have taught and researched at the institute since 1990 have contributed to the development of communication and media studies. These individuals include Günter Bentele, one of the scholars who proposed the intereffication model, which describes the relationship of public relations with journalism, and Werner Früh, whose dynamic-transactional approach, developed with Klaus Schönbach, involves how media effects include both influences from communicators on audiences and influences from audiences on communicators.

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The original version of this article was published by SAGE Publications in The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society.