About This Course
Course Description
Established historical and sociological studies of journalism tend to approach their subject in either a nationally bounded space or in terms of abstract institutional models.The course aims to remedy the limitations of these approaches by offering a comparative perspective on journalistic professional practices and values, which, based on the concept of ‘journalistic cultures’, prioritizes questions of socio-cultural and political context. Focusing particularly on Europe, the course investigates the diverse journalistic traditions that continue to exert a shaping influence on news reporting in different countries and regions, as well as on the self perceptions, audience evaluations, public role and professional code of journalists.
Course Objectives
- Understand the core concepts of ‘journalistic culture’ and ‘journalistic field’, and their usefulness in the cross-national study of journalism
- Understand the significance of socio-cultural and political context in the formation of news and journalistic cultures
- Awarness of the impact that diverse journalistic cultures have in the making and framing of news, and, more specifically, of European Union related news
- Appreciation of the heterogeneity of the european journalistic cultures and its repercussions in the workings of the European public sphere
Learning Outcomes
- Define core concepts and approaches in the comparative study of journalism
- Explain the dependency of journalistic professional roles and practices on socio-cultural and political context
- Identify the ways that journalistic cultures shape news agendas and the framing of news
- Analyze processes of convergence and divergence in contemporary European and global journalism
Class/Learning activities
Lectures, in-class presentations, independent study, written assignments.
Workload
Type of work | Description | Hours |
Lectures | Thirteen 3-hours lectures | 39 |
Independent study | Study of class materials and readings | 50-60 |
Readings presentation | Presenting & leading a discussion on a given topic | 25-30 |
In-class presentation | Conference type presentation of final paper | 15-20 |
Final paper | Conference type presentation of final paper | 110-120 |
Total workload | 239-269 |
Assessment
Type of assessment | Learning outcome | Impact on final grade | Date of assessment |
Participation in group discussion | 1-4 | 10% | On a regular basis |
Reading presentation | 1-3 | 20% | On a regular basis |
Presentation | 1-4 | 10% | 13th week |
Written assignment (final paper) | 2-4 | 60% | 14th week |
Required Reading
- De Burgh, H. (ed.) (2005). Making Journalists. Diverse Models, Global Issues. London: Routledge
- Bourdieu, P (1999). On Television. New Press
- Weaver, D. & L. Willnat (eds.) (2013) The Global Journalist in the 21st Century. London: Routledge
Suggested Reading
- Archetti, Ch. (2010). Explaining News. National Politics and Journalistic Cultures in Global Context. Palgrave Macmillan
- Aumente, J. & P. Gross (1999). Eastern European Journalism: Before, During and After Communism. Hampton Press
- Freedman, E. & R. Scafer (eds.) (2011). After the Czars and Commissars: Journalism in Authoritarian Post-Soviet Central Asia. Michigan State University Press
- Glowacki, M., E.Lauk & A. Balcytiene (eds.) (2014). Journalism that Matters: Views form Central and Eastern Europe. Peter Lang
- Grieves, K. (2012). Journalism across Boundaries: The Promises and Challenges of Transnational and Transborder Journalism. Palgrave Macmillan
- Hallin, D.C. & P. Mancini (2004). Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics. Cambridge University Press
- Kuhn, R. & R. Nielsen (2013). Political Journalism in Transition: Western Europe in a Comparative Perspective. I.B.Tauris
- Loffelholz, M. & D.H Weaver (eds.) (2008). Global Journalism Research. Oxford: Blackwell
- Shoemaker, P. & A. Cohen (eds.) (2006) News around the World: content, practitioners, and the public. New York: Routledge
- Stephens, M. (2006). A History of News. Oxford University Press, 3rd ed.
- MacNair, B. (1998). The Sociology of Journalism. Bloomsbury Academic
- Waisbord, S. (2013) Reinventing Professionalism: Journalism and News in Global Perspective. Polity