Description

International media study invites many approaches, from the theoretical to the analytical to the practical. We shall practice all three: theorizing, analyzing and practicing international journalism in this intensive course. Because we need to limit such a broad subject, we shall mostly focus on media history, current national media systems and new media, press freedom issues, and war and human rights coverage in Europe – which immediately raises an interesting problem. What is Europe? The continent we learned about in school, or the big new Europe that includes Russia and Turkey and even perhaps the Caucasus republics, not to mention millions of immigrants from outside Europe? We shall transcend geographical definitions of Europe (which have been fluid throughout history, anyway) and consider media throughout this more broadly defined contemporary region.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
– Comprehend and have a clear understanding of individual country media systems as well as regional and global networks and their history;
– Understand and analyze key international media issues such as: press freedom and government controls, ownership concentration, social media horizons;
– Contextualize international stories like wars through a deeper understanding of media systems that cover them.

*Course content subject to change