C & J 562A
Topics in Mass Communication:
International & Intercultural Perspectives
Fall 2006: Thursday 7-9:30 p.m.
Office
Hours: 5-6 p.m. W (DSH Commons
Area); 3-5 p.m. 2138A Mesa Vista; and otherwise by appointment (Please let me
know in advance if you would like to see me during these times. Since we are currently ÒhomelessÓ due
to our building renovation, my office is at home. IÕll be working there, unless students ask that I meet with
them on campus.)
Phone: 897-6732
(home office; please, no calls after 9 p.m.)
Email:
gbalas@unm.edu
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
This
course is designed to introduce students to international media systems, textual
practices, and audience reception throughout the world, with special emphasis
on the Texas-Mexico border and Central Europe. We will review several theories of global media and examine
a variety of issues that transcend national boundaries, such as information and
entertainment flow among nations, media ownership, internationalization of the
culture industries, the role of media in war and peace, and the issue of
commercial versus noncommercial broadcasting. We will also assess ideological agendas about media systems
and international communication policy.
Of paramount concern will be the study of culture and its role in the
media production and reception processes.
The
course includes possibilities for several hands-on, experiential components, as
listed below. Some of these
activities may occur outside scheduled class time. Students who are unable to attend these sessions due to
other work and school-related commitments will be excused from the events and
allowed to complete alternative assignments.
**On-site
visit to Texas-Mexico border
to meet media owners and journalists, discuss border issues, and visit social
service providers (Hands of Luke Medical Clinic and Orphanage, Tierra de Madre
Housing Project, Annunciation House, and XHIJ-TV/Juarez, an independent TV
station sponsoring daily social justice program). An objective of this border experience will be a greater
understanding of how complex topics such as maquiladora expansion, industrialization,
immigration, bilingualism, trade, and racism are covered (similarly and
differently) in the El Paso and Juarez media.
**Web-based
conversation with professors at Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic to investigate the development of media
institutions and practices in Central Europe since the fall of communism. Of special interest will be the impacts
of the European UnionÕs Audio-Visual policies on media practice in the Czech
Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
** Teleconference with Dr. Peter Gross, author of course text and Director of School of Journalism and Electronic Media at University of Tennessee, to discuss current media developments in Eastern Europe. Topics of interest may include journalist training in post- communist countries, political reporting, and the tension between private and state-operated media outlets.
**Web-based conversation with directors of environmental coalition based in Poland to explore role of regional media in environmental change in Central Europe. Diffusion of innovation, especially in the grassroots setting, seems of special interest.
1. To increase understanding of
* media systems around the world and the societies, economies, and
cultures in which they function
* the influence of American media on a world-wide scale
* the role of mass media in transmission of or effect on culture
* the international flow of information and entertainment
*
the development of media conglomerates
*
the role of media technology in a range of political and economic contexts
2. To provide information about various
cultures and societies and to investigate the racial, ethnic, gendered, and
cultural stereotypes associated with them
3. To compare similarities and differences
of international media systems and to learn of media systems that diverge from
western forms
4. To develop a working competency with
the terminology and theoretical frameworks associated with study of
international media
Primary Text:
Aumente, Jerome; Gross, Peter; Hiebert, Ray; Johnson, Owen; and Mills, Dean. Eastern European Journalism: Before, During, and After Communism. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 1999. (Available through UNM Bookstore and online through Amazon.com.)
E-reserve Readings:
All other readings for this class have been posted on the Zimmerman Library E-reserves. The course password is ÒCJ562A.Ó
Experiential Activity De-briefing. You will write a short reflection essay about each of the experiential activities of the course, summarizing the feelings, reactions, and new areas of knowledge of expertise you gained as a result of these course components. (A guide for this activity will be provided.)
Poster Session. You will develop a Òposter sessionÓ on 1) a topic of interest and importance to the field of international media or 2) your final project. This poster session will be presented orally to other members of the class, as well as to visitors from the department. This assignment, which is visually illustrated and includes a concise handout, will allow you to articulate the central question and claims of your paper or your assessment of the international media topic you choose. At the same time, you will learn about other research projects and global media issues from members of the class. A guide for the handout will be provided.
Research Project.
*Topic Paper. You will write a 1,000-word paper that details your topic of study, background information on other studies in t his area, and your own research plan. What are your questions? What are you drawn to this project? Why is the study of significance? (A guide for this assignment will be provided.)
*Final Paper. You will develop a project that demonstrates your ability to complete an original research project and shows your general understanding of a topic area, some of the associated literature, and an appropriate theoretical frame for studying it. All topics must be cleared with the instructor and will be presented to your colleagues in class. This paper will be 20-30 pages in length. It must be adequately documented, and you must produce and defend an original critical claim. Efforts should be made to produce a paper that can be presented at conference and/or developed into a publication.
*Project Presentation. Each student will present his/her project to the class. The oral presentation may include short video clips, handouts, live performance, audience participation, and selected readings from the paper. Of primary concern, however, is a clear articulation of the projectÕs central questions and critical claims. The presentation should be approximately 30 minutes long and should include time for questions from the audience.
Class Participation. This is a discussion class, and your participation is critical to the success of the course. You will be expected to complete all readings and to engage with them in class. You will be evaluated based on evidence of your having read the article and on how well you listen, question, and discuss. Your contributions to class discussion should include such components as showing understanding, adding fresh information, making connections, asking useful questions, and showing applications. To be adequately prepared, you should not only carefully read the assignments before class, but also make notes about several questions to bring to class each time. You may also be asked to write short response papers and to lead discussion of the assigned articles, from time to time. These activities will be considered as part of your participation grade.
Please do not come to class late or leave early. If you must miss class, you should get the notes or assignments from another student. I will be happy to discuss the notes and assignments if you have questions.
All work must be turned in on the specified deadline. Attendance is required; missed sessions will result in a reduction of your final grade. No assignments are to be submitted electronically.
Book Report 10%
De-briefing #1 5%
De-briefing #1 5%
De-briefing #1 5%
Poster Presentation 15%
Research Project
Topic Paper 10%
Final Paper 25%
Project Presentation 15%
Participation (includes listening, questioning, and discussing) 10%
Readings:
Demers, David, ÒThe World Is ShrinkingÓ and ÒThe Global Media Playing Field.Ó In Global Media: Menace or Messiah? Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2002.
Sparks, Colin, ÒPost-Communist Media in Transition.Ó In International Media Research: A Critical Survey. John Corner, Philip Schlesinger, and Roger Silverstone, Eds. London: Routledge, 1997.
Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle, ÒGlobalization, Communication and Transnational Civil Society: An Introduction.Ó In Globalization, Communication and Transnational Civil Society, Sandra Braman, Ed. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 1996.
Readings:
Chan, Joseph Man, ÒNational Responses and Accessibility to STAR TV in Asia.Ó In Media in Global Context: A Reader, Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi, Dwayne Winseck, Jim McKenna, and Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Eds. London: Arnold, 1997.
Godzic, Wielslaw, ÒAdvertising Poland: Constructing Identity Through Advertising. Ò In Mapping the Margins: Identity, Politics and the Media, Karen Ross and Deniz Derman, Eds. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2003.
James, Beverly, ÒLearning to Consume: An Ethnographic Study of Cultural Change in Hungary,Ó Critical Studies in Media Communication, September 1995, pp287-305.
Singer, Jane B. ÒStrange Bedfellows: The Diffusion of Convergence in Four News Organizations,Ó Journalism Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2004, pp. 3-18.
Readings:
Durham, Meenakshi Gigi, ÒConstructing the ÔNew EthnicitiesÕ: Media, Sexuality, and Diaspora Identity in the Lives of South Asian Immigrant Girls,Ó Critical Studies in Media Communication, Vol. 21, No. 2, June 2004, pp. 140-161.
Huesca, Robert, ÒSubject-Authored Theories of Media Practice: The Case of Bolivian Tin MinersÕ Radio,Ó Communication Studies, Vol. 46, Fall-Winter 1995, pp. 149-168.
Law, Sweety, ÒAudience Letters and Letter-Writers: Constituting the Audience for Radio in Transnational Contexts.Ó In Global Media Studies: Ethnographic Perspectives, Patrick D. Murphy and Marwan M. Kraidy, Eds. NY: Routledge, 2003.
Renckstorf, Karsten and Paul Hendriks Vettehen, ÒNon-viewers in the Netherlands.Ó In Media Use as Social Action: A European Approach to Audience Studies, Karsten Renckstorf, Denis McQuail, and Nicholas Jankowski, Eds. London: John Libbey, 1996.
Schlesinger, Philip, ÒWishful Thinking: Cultural Politics, Media, and Collective Identities in Europe,Ó Journal of Communication, Spring 1993, pp. 6-17.
Readings:
Lull, James. Media, Communication, Culture: A Global Perspective (2nd Edition), Columbia University Press, 2000ÑCh. 6/ÓCultureÓ
Lindsley, Sheryl L., ÒCommunication and ÔThe Mexican WayÕ: Stability and Trust as Core Symbols in Maquiladoras, Western Journal of Communication, Winter 1999, pp. 1-31.
Tusa, John, ÒRadio and the Fall of Communism. Did BBC Broadcasts Make a Difference?Ó In Reporting the Post-Communist Revolution, Robert Giles, Robert Snyder, and Lisa Delisle, Eds. New Brunswick, Transaction Press, 2001.
Wasko, Janet, ÒHollywood Meets Madison Avenue: The Commercialization of U.S. Films.Ó In Media in Global Context: A Reader, Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi, Dwayne Winseck, Jim McKenna, and Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Eds. London: Arnold, 1997.
Readings:
Bresnahan, Rosalind, ÒRadio and the Democratic Movement in Chile 1973-1990: Independent and Grass Roots Voices During the Pinochet Dictatorship,Ó Journal of Radio Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2002, pp. 161-181.
Olorunnisola, Anthony, ÒCommunity Radio: Participatory Communication in Postapartheid South Africa,Ó Journal of Radio Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2002, pp. 126-145.
Riggins, Stephen Harold, ÒInadvertent Assimilationism in the Canadian Native Press.Ó In Ethnic Minority Media, Stephen Harold Riggins, Ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1992.
Siew-peng, Lee, ÒSatellite Television and Chinese Migrants in Britain.Ó In Media and Migration: Constructions of Mobility and Difference, Russell King and Nancy Wood, Eds. London: Routledge, 2001.
Readings:
Pitts, Greg, ÒRadio Listening and News Prominence in Zambia,Ó Journal of Radio Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2002, pp. 146-160.
Saukko, Paul, ÒA Little Village in a Big World: Young Squatters and the Limits of News.Ó In Globalization, Communication and Transnational Civil Society, Sandra Braman and Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi, Eds. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
October 28-29ÑField Trip to Texas-Mexico Border
(Tentative, based on decisions of class regarding experiential activities)
November 2ÑDiscussion of Texas-Mexico Trip (Tentative,
based on decisions of class regarding experiential activities)
Reading:
Aumente, Jerome; Gross, Peter; Hiebert, Ray; Johnson, Owen; and Mills, Dean. Eastern European Journalism: Before, During, and After Communism. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 1999.
Readings:
Atkinson, Joshua, ÒConceptualizing Global Justice Audiences of Alternative Media: The Need for Power and Ideology in Performance Paradigms of Audience Research, Ò The Communication Review, Vol. 8, pp. 137-157, 2005.
Khiabany, Gholam, ÒGlobalization and the Internet: Myths and Realities,Ó Trends in Communication, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2003, pp. 137-153.
Thornton, William H., ÒMapping the ÔGlocalÕ Village: The Political Limits of ÔGlocalization,ÕÓ Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2000, pp.79-89.
5 p.m. December 11ÑFinal Paper Due