Research

The research pursued at the Department of Communication ranges from Digital and Strategic Communication, Journalism Studies, Science Communication, to Political Communication (with a focus on Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet region). For details on research activities, please consult the webpages of the five chairs and professorships that comprise the Department of Communication.

Chair of Communication Science

Prof. Dr. Ralf Hohlfeld

Thematic Focus

Communicator research
Crossmediality
Mobile communication
Mass media and opinion formation
Journalistic quality

Chair of Digital and Strategic Communication

Prof. Dr. Thomas Knieper

Thematic Focus

Strategic communication (public relations, corporate communication, lobbying and marketing)
Net policy and politics on the net
Participation on the net
HCI and digital learning support
Mobile Computing

Professorship of Journalism

Prof. Dr. Oliver Hahn

Thematic Focus

Journalism Cultures and Media Systems in International Comparison
Europe-Communication
Media in the Arab World
Public/Media Diplomacy
International protest communication of civil movements via conventional and social media

Chair of Science Communication

Prof. Dr. Hannah Schmid-Petri

Thematic Focus

Network-oriented research perspective
Climate change in public debate
Political Communication
Testing and further development of automated methods for science communication

Chair of Political Communication with a Focus on Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet Region

Prof. Dr. Florian Töpfl

Thematic Focus

Political Communication
User Comments, Audience Participation and Participatory Journalism
Media and Politics in the Post-Soviet Region
Public Sphere Theory
Foreign communication of authoritarian states (especially Russia)
Propaganda and Disinformation