MGC3/S14/A9b Southern African Media Systems 5 cr

• Fri and Mon 13-16, 29.1.-12.2., University Main Building, lecture room 15 and
• 2.3. seminar 9-14, Unioninkatu 37, seminar room 4.

30 students at the most will be accepted to the course. Preregistration in WebOodi is required: 17.12.2009-29.01.2010.

IMPORTANT! This course is organized in English, all the coursework including the final work will be in English.

Objectives

The aim of this course is to take a critical look at how the media interrelates with society in the southern African context. This broad perspective will be examined against the background notion that the media do not function in a vacuum. Thus, students will examine how dominant philosophies and institutional practices of society mitigate or even dictate the operations of the media. Discussions will also deal with how the media impact on society and affect the manner in which people experience the world around them.

Content

Course Programme

• 1. The media and socio-political transformations in southern Africa
• 2. The relationship of media and democracy
• 3. Freedom of expression
• 4. Journalistic cultures
• 5. New media technologies, access to information and participation through media
• 6. Presentations of case studies

Literature:

• So This is Democracy? 2008, Media Institute of Southern Africa Report on the state of media freedom and freedom of expression in southern Africa http://www.misa.org/researchandpublication/democracy/democracy.html
• Gender and Media Baseline Study 2003, Gender Links http://www.genderlinks.org.za/page.php?p_id=236

Additional literature consists of articles provided by the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

Completion

Active participation is vital as evaluation will depend on the learning diary, which forms 50% of the final grade. In the learning diary the student is supposed to discuss the lectures and show an understanding of southern African media system and the socio-political context in which the media operate. After the series of five lectures students will have further two weeks to complete a case study (in groups of 3-4 students) that forms 50% of the final grade. The case studies will be presented and discussed in a seminar. For the case studies a set of possible topics will be announced at the beginning of the course. The case studies make use of the course literature and additional list of articles and other materials, which will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Grading

Assessment scale: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.