FSS:ZURb1219 Media and (crisis of) democrac - Course Information

ZURb1219 Media and (crisis of) democracy

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

Mgr. et Mgr. Michal Tkaczyk, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. et Mgr. Michal Tkaczyk, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Boris Rafailov, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies

Timetable

Wed 14:00–15:40 AVC

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 33/30, only registered: 14/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 13/30

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 35 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The American media scholar James Carey believes that where there is no journalism, there is no democracy, but at the same time where there is no democracy, there is no journalism - this course introduces students to selected concepts, models and theories that can be used to understand the relationship between the media and democracy.
The course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the role of the media in democratic societies. In doing so, this issue will be viewed through the lens of a specific diagnosis of the current state of Western-style liberal democracies - the starting point of the course will be a thesis about the crisis of this type of political governance and the related crisis of the role of the media in democratic societies. The conceptual and theoretical grasp of the issue will be complemented by elements of application of theoretical concepts and models to concrete cases and examples. The first part of the course will focus on the relationship between media and democracy through the lens of several theoretical approaches and with emphasis on selected dimensions. The second part is devoted to selected manifestations of the crisis in the role of the media in democratic societies and their context.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- explain the relationship between media and democracy and its importance for the functioning of liberal democratic societies;
- name the different functions and roles of the media in democratic societies and illustrate them with concrete examples from media practice
- discuss the risks to the functioning of the media in democratic societies, using specialist terminology and referring to concrete examples;

Syllabus

• Course outline
• 1. Orientation class. Introduction to the course.
• 2. The democratic system and its communication infrastructure.
• 3. The crisis of democracy? An attempt at diagnosis
• 4. Media and journalism through the lens of theories of democracy. The role of media in democracy.
• 5. Representation of politics in journalism: information value, bias, diversity, media framing of politics.
• 6. Public service media and democracy: identity crisis and current challenges.
• 8. Journalism, democracy and the market: the commodification and precarization of journalism.
• 9. Journalism, democracy and the market: the oligarchisation of media ownership
• 10. Political pressure on the media: limiting the professional autonomy of journalists
• 11. Journalism in the digital age: audience capture, the rise of partisan journalism, the hybridisation of journalistic products
• 12. Digital "public sphere"?: Algorithmic gatekeeping, private censorship, the rise of techno-feudals
• 13. Ways out of the crisis: Solutions for the communications infrastructure of democracy Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Literature

required literature
• JAKUBOWICZ, Karol. Média a demokracie v 21. století : hledání nových modelů. Translated by Svatava Navrátilová. I. vydání. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2017, 287 stran. ISBN 9788021084490. info
• STREET, John. Mass media, politics and democracy. 1st pub. New York: Palgrave, 2001, ix, 297 s. ISBN 0-333-69304-3. info
• MCNAIR, Brian. An introduction to political communication. Sixth edition. London: Routledge, 2018, xiv, 251. ISBN 9780415739429. info
• Mediální zákony : komentář. Edited by Aleš Rozehnal. Vyd. 1. Praha: ASPI, 2007, ix, 272. ISBN 9788073573041. info

recommended literature
• MCQUAIL, Denis. Žurnalistika a společnost. Translated by Alice Němcová Tejkalová - Roman Hájek - Marta Chromá. První české vydání. V Praze: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2016, 254 stran. ISBN 9788024630939. info
• DAHLGREN, Peter. Media and political engagement : citizens, communication, and democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xi, 232. ISBN 9780521527897. info
• HALLIN, Daniel C. and Paolo MANCINI. Systémy médií v postmoderním světě : tři modely médií a politiky. Translated by Tomáš Trampota. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2008, 367 s. ISBN 9788073673772. info
• Habermas and the public sphere. Edited by Craig J. Calhoun. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, x, 498. ISBN 0262531143. info

Teaching methods

Lecture, seminar, teams presentations, work in small groups.

Assessment methods

Students will receive credit for completion of team assignments, and attendance.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further Comments

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  
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