Global Media - Electives

This course will take you on a global journey through the law of digital communications, including but not limited to free speech v. hate speech, intellectual property, defamation, privacy, the right to be forgotten, access to information, media regulatory mechanisms and frameworks promulgated by governmental bodies, as well as those regulatory mechanisms and frameworks used by non-governmental bodies (such as the platform “law” concept used by Facebook and Twitter.) You will learn about comparative historical and theoretical legal concepts important to media professionals and responsible digital citizen-scholars.

In this course we will explore science disinformation, misinformation, the media, and the public. We will begin by examining the hallmarks of science (as compared to pseudoscience and non-science) including the concept of falsifiability. Next, we will discuss the “public understanding of science” and why it is important. We will also study historical examples of science mis/disinformation including the ill-informed 19th century theory of climatology called “rain follows the plow,” the early twentieth century eugenics movement, the Andrew Wakefield autism/vaccine controversy, and other instances of pseudoscience or non-science masking as real science. You will learn about the science of science communication and why people are vulnerable to science mis/disinformation. You will read about and discuss modern problems that impact our understanding of science including the use of pre-print servers where scientific information that has not yet been peer-reviewed is published. We will discuss why some members of the public do not trust experts and expertise and you will learn for yourself hallmarks to look for in distinguishing scientific experts from non-experts. You will also learn how to speak to science deniers and others who question the reliability and accuracy of scientific information. You will cultivate scientific habits of mind and develop a toolbox of tips, tools, and skills with which you can arm yourself against science dis/misinformation.

From human health to vanishing species, climate change is one of the major challenges facing people around the world. A vast majority of scientists agree that human-made climate change is a major factor threatening the planet’s future, but they worry that measures to stop or modify climate change are not taken seriously enough. What role do media play in this respect, and what role can they play in the future to communicate climate science and alert people of the challenges? How can media connect people’s everyday experiences to the global climate processes? Our exploration of different types of media will take us on a global odyssey into how media portray the problem, its causes and effects, what the future holds and what can be done.

In today’s world, it is difficult to imagine media separate from technology, given how intertwined the two are. This course examines this intersection and influence of media over technology, and vice versa, in a little more detail. Specifically, this course delves into the various facets of this intersection and relationship and what that means in terms of the media people use, the technology they use and the kind of discourse and society they create as a result of digital affordances and advances. Students explore topics such as media and technology as democratic tools and/or instruments of power, theories related to media technology and learning about different media systems and emerging technological systems prevalent in the global North and South. Students will delve into the importance and influence of social networks at a deeper level than what they may already be familiar with, how WhatsApp is increasing in influence and almost representing the digital global divide, the issue of disinformation and fake news and how advances in artificial intelligence may well influence the future of media.

The documentary genre has long focused on social, cultural, political, economic and environmental issues. This course begins with a selective overview of the history of documentary journalism beginning in the 1920s, then takes a multicultural global perspective of documentary work by comparing and contrasting efforts from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the United States.

Students explore ethics questions related to cultural bias, political and economic pressure, diverse representation, accuracy, privacy, national security and other pressures on news media. This course provides students with a framework to think critically about media’s obligations to the public. Analyses examine ethical philosophies as they relate to both citizen-driven media and journalists’ roles and responsibilities in various societies and governmental systems around the world.