Media and Communication Studies C: Theory in Journalism Studies

The course explores the main theories in, and relevant to, journalism studies. It offers an in-depth exposé of the key academic debates in the field, examining, also, how these debates are re-articulated in the digital era. The starting point of this exploration consists of thinking through and re-thinking, the very foundations of journalism, through a philosophical, ontological and ethical reflection, focusing on, among others, truth, objectivity, fairness and (social) responsibility. The course then moves on to theoretically examine issues and phenomena of news production, content and context, with a special focus on four social spheres (cultural, political, economic, and technological), along three broad fields (critical theory and cultural studies, discourse studies, audience studies). This theoretical toolbox will allow students to critically reflect on, and analyse, issues of gender, ethnicity, class, identity, democracy, power, ideology, participation, conflict, in-/tolerance and inclusion, in journalism and the news.