International communications

Enseignants

Terzis Georgios;

Langue
d'enseignement

Anglais

Préalables

Le(s) prérequis de cette Unité d’enseignement (UE) sont précisés à la fin de cette fiche, en regard des programmes/formations qui proposent cette UE.

Acquis
d'apprentissage

A la fin de cette unité d’enseignement, l’étudiant est capable de :

1) To distinguish various international media critically and thoughtfully, based on characteristics, audience, users, effects and applicability. 2) To describe and compare theories, concepts, authors and paradigms of the domains within the international communication science. 3) To reflect critically on the role of international media and communication in social, cultural, economic, psychological, technological, political, legal and other contexts. 4) To assess the impact of social, cultural, economic, psychological, technological, political, legal and other factors on the international communication process. 5) To identify the ethical dimensions of an international communication problem and to acknowledge different points of view. 4) To assess the impact of social, cultural, economic, psychological, technological, political, legal and other factors on the international communication process. 5) To identify the ethical dimensions of a international communication problem and to acknowledge different points of view. 4) To assess the impact of social, cultural, economic, psychological, technological, political, legal and other factors on the international communication process 5) To identify the ethical dimensions of an international communication problem and to acknowledge different points of view.

Contenu

The course introduces the historical context and examines different approaches to global communication from the modernization and cultural imperialism theories to cultural studies and critical political economy perspectives. The course also examines the theories and problems related to the international function of the news media, the entertainment industry and the telecommunications sector. Students also gain a clear understanding of the creation of the global media marketplace and how international communication evolves in the Internet age. Furthermore, the course discusses the international governance structures related to media, news, telecommunications and the Internet. With the help of a comprehensive textbook, seminal texts, and videos, the course addresses the main political, economic, social and cultural themes intersecting the debate around the emerging global communication system and its future.

Méthodes d'enseignement

Ex cathedra presentations based on Powerpoint and audiovisual presentations with active students' participation. Attendance and active participation is vital to the student's progress. Students are expected to attend classes on time and take notes. Students who are absent are responsible for finding out what was covered in class.

Modes d'évaluation
des acquis des étudiants

The format of the final exam will be 2 short questions and 2 longer essay questions. They will consist of 2 compare and contrast questions of 0.5-page each (comparing and contrasting concepts and theories), 1 real world application question of 1-page (applying the theories to a real-world example/case) and 1 essay question of 1-page (argument development). The following criteria will be applied in assessing exam responses: Capacity to grasp and convey factual, conceptual and theoretical knowledge; Capacity to synthesize and to apply concepts and theory to concrete cases; Capacity to develop a systematic argument based on theory and practice.

Autres infos

COURSE CALENDAR
WEEK 1 – Feb 6 Introduction to Globalization and International Communication: Key Concepts
Class presentation and syllabus introduction
Textbook Reading: Chapter 1 (pp.1-21)
Reading questions: Is ‘global communication’ the best description of the phenomenon under study? Is it helpful to describe the world as a ‘global village’? Are you ‘cosmopolitan’ or is your local habitat important to your identity?
WEEK 2 – Feb 13 The Study of Global Communication
Textbook Reading: Chapter 2  (pp. 22-53)
Further reading: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Reading questions:  What are the main approaches to study global communication? Is there a theory of global communication? What are the main problems with the theory and method? Could you discuss some of the perspectives that guide the study of global communication?
WEEK 3 – Feb 20 The History and Economy of Global Communication
Textbook Reading: Chapter 3 (pp. 54-65) and Chapter 4 (pp. 66-83)
Reading questions:  Will the risks of the Internet dominate or will its promising possibilities for equality prevail? What is your expectation? Does concentration in the industry promote or hamper a diversity of products and/or service? Can you identify the largest companies in each of the three content sectors? What could be the roles of closed user networks such as Facebook in the global communication services industry? What are the major challenges relating to the economic dimension of global communication?
WEEK 4 – Feb 27 Flows of Global Content
Textbook Reading: Chapter 5 (pp. 84-97)
Reading questions: What would you see as the differences and similarities of global news production between CNN and Al-Jazeera? How have the most popular brands in your country achieved their popularity? Do you have experience with non-Western media contents? How are those compared to the Western ones?
WEEK 5 – March 6 The Politics and Policies of Global Communication
Textbook Reading: Chapter 7 (pp.116-136)
Reading questions: What effects, if any, did the agreements on the global level have for national communication policymaking? Are the recent shifts in global communication politics also reflected in the communication politics of your country?  Are special governance measures and institutions needed for the governance of the Internet?
WEEK 6 – March 13 Inequality and the Global Divide
Textbook Reading: Chapter 8 (pp.137-153)
Further Readings: Padovani
Reading questions: Could education play a role in bridging the gaps in digital divides? How does digital inequality relate to the broader forms of societal inequality as documented in the UNDP Human Development Reports? Should we have the right to be excluded from the Information Society?
WEEK 7 – March 20 Global Communication and Propaganda, Diplomacy and Espionage
Textbook Reading: Chapter 9 (pp.154-169)
Further Readings by McNair and Snow
Video: Adam Curtis, The Power of Nightmares
Reading questions: There exists a tension between parliamentary accountability and secret intelligence gathering. Should parliaments accept, and sanction results obtained in secrecy? Can diplomacy proceed always frankly and in the public view as President Wilson suggested?
WEEK 8 - March 27 Global Communication and Conflict
Textbook reading: Chapter 10 (pp. 170-182)
Reading questions: How do the current trends of globalization, convergence and media concentration affect the media coverage of conflicts? What is the role of global media in national, regional and global conflicts?
WEEK 9 - April 3 Global Communication and Peacebuilding
Further Reading: Ozgunes and Terzis
Video: John Pilger, The War You Don’t See
Reading questions: What is Peace Journalism? Is balanced media coverage of ethno-political conflicts possible at the age of social media and post-truth?
WEEK 10 - April 10 Culture and Global Communication
Textbook Reading: Chapter 11 (pp.183-210)
Reading questions: How do you understand cultural imperialism? Do you feel that the convergence, the divergence or the hybridisation view better represents the current state of global communication of culture? Do you believe that cultural diplomacy could be used as a peace building and conflict resolution confidence building measure?
WEEK 11 – April 17 Global Communication Online
Textbook Reading: Chapter 12 (pp. 211-232)
Further reading by Castells
Reading questions: Do you think we can still live offline? Should there be rules for international cyberwarfare? Discuss whether and how anti-surveillance politics could be organized in a globally effective movement. Read about the Snowden case and argue both for his defense as a human rights lawyer and as a prosecutor on behalf of the US government. Does the monitoring of personal data in your country constitute a contested issue?
WEEK 12 – May 8 Futures of Global Communication
Textbook Reading: Chapter 13 (pp.233-259)
Further readings (see moodle)
Reading questions: What are the main future challenges of Global Communication? How can we overcome them by building positive outcome scenarios? How would a cosmopolitan universalism and a caring relativism help?
WEEK 13 – May 15 Recoup and Final Exam Review
June:            Written Final Exam

Ressources
en ligne

Companion Website: https://study.sagepub.com/hamelink

Support de cours

• Textbook Title: Global Communication Author: Hamelink, Cees. Publisher & Date: Sage, 2014.

Faculté ou entité
en charge

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