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 and the entertainment industry. Students also gain a clear understanding of the creation of the global media marketplace and how international communication evolves in the digital age. Furthermore, the course discusses the international governance structures related to media, news, telecommunications and the Internet. With the help of a comprehensive Course Reader with seminal texts, updated literature from academic journals, news media reports 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 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 compare and contrast questions of 200-250 words each (comparing and contrasting concepts and theories), and 1 essay question of 350-400 words (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 –Introduction to Globalization and International Communication: Key Concepts
Class presentation and syllabus introduction
Reading: Hamelink 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 –The Study of Global Communication
Reading: Hamelink Chapter 2 (pp. 22-53) and 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 –The History and Economy of Global Communication
Reading: Hamelink 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? What are the major challenges relating to the economic dimension of global communication? 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?
WEEK 4 –Flows of Global Content and Values and Selection of International News
Reading: See papers and articles on Moodle
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 media 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 –The Politics and Policies of Global Communication
Reading: Hamelink 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 –Inequality and the Global Divide 
Reading: Hamelink Chapter 8 (pp.137-153) and 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 –Global Communication and Propaganda, Diplomacy and Espionage 
Reading: 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 - Global Communication and Conflict
Reading: Hamelink 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 - Global Communication and Peacebuilding
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 - Culture and Global Communication
Reading: Hamelink 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 –Global Communication Online
Reading: 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 –Futures of Global Communication - Recoup and Final Exam Review
Reading: Hamelink Chapter 13 (pp.233-259) and several articles and papers on 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?
June:            Written Final Exam

Ressources
en ligne

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

Support de cours

• Course Reader provided on Moodle
• Further Recommended Readings - See weekly modules on Moodle for papers and news items that provide an update of the literature.

Faculté ou entité
en charge

> ESPB