Syllabus for Media and Communication Studies B: European Media Spaces

Decisions and guidelines

The course is open for exchange students and as an elective course in the Master's Programme in Social Science, specializing in Digital Media and Society.

Learning outcomes

Completing the course the student should be able to:

- give an overview of recent changes in the European media landscape;

- give an account of the spatial, cultural, economic and political context of contemporary media spaces;

- critically analyse media spaces as cultural/symbolic phenomena that contribute to the construction of social and national spaces;

- critically analyse media spaces as media and cultural industries, and as locations of consumption and pleasure;

- critically analyse the regulation of media spaces, their connection with political spaces, their societal roles (through the prism of media accountability) and their contestations and critiques;

- independently produce critical texts and reflect on these texts;

- cooperate with other students in a collective project;

- orally present own assignments and give constructive critique on other students assignments.

Content

The course allows students to understand and problematise media in their context, and to study how media are shaped by and are shaping their spatial, cultural, economic and political settings. The course takes the notions of space and media space as starting point, discussing its cultural, economic and political dimensions. In the cultural component, media spaces are discussed as cultural/symbolic phenomena that also contribute to the construction of particular (e.g. local, national and global) spaces. The economic dimension discusses media spaces as locations for capitalist activity but also as spaces of media consumption and pleasure. In the third component, emphasis is placed on the regulation of media spaces (combining media policy with governmentality approaches), and on their societal-ideological roles (through the prism of media accountability). Moreover, also media as spaces of contestations and contested spaces (as object of media critique) will be dealt with.

The course is linked to an optional study tour to a European urban centre. A project is created around this city as a media centre and students choose and design different analytical assignments. Such assignments may cover analogue or digital media, journalism, information and communication technologies (ICT), strategic communication, but also spaces that are less commonly used as objects of study in communication and media studies, such as museums, memorials, shopping malls, squares, or other public spaces.

Instruction

Lectures, seminars, supervision and project work. Participation in study tour is optional.

Assessment

The course is assessed through a group presentation, a group paper and two individual written assignments. To pass the course all assignments must be completed.