British Media: Historical and Contemporary Issues

Studienorganisation

Studiensemester:  1

Modultyp:  Wahlpflichtveranstaltung

Lehrform:  Seminar

Art der Präsenzveranstaltung:  Regular attendance, completion of the accompanying exercises and the presentation of a Referat are the requirements to pass the elective course.

Sprache:  Englisch

Kompetenzen/Lernziele 

The focus of this elective course is on exploring the origins of public media in Britain from the time of the invention of print in the mid-15th century to the tumultuous effects social-media use is having on political events in Britain and beyond today. Participants will follow this course of events, which will detail key occurrences such as the popularity of pamphlets that largely exaggerated events in Ireland in the 17th century, which contributed to the growth and enduring intensity of anti-Catholic sentiment in Britain. The events of the 18th-century American Revolution and its reflection in the British press will also be considered. The 19th-century Education Acts that brought about improved literacy had as their corollary an ensuing demand among “the masses” for newspapers aimed at a less literate populace. This led to the question in the 19th century of whether the press should provide the people with what they want – sensationalism and gossip in the main – or with what they should want: a selection of serious, variegated papers from which the reader could form his own informed opinion. This would become the “educational vs the representative ideal”, a binary policy choice for media owners and directors in the 20th century with the arrival of radio and TV, where advertising and the financial interests of sponsors would play a key role. The BBC had a special role to play under the directorship of Lord Reith, who would make his “educational” mark on the Corporation, which in turn would become the model for public-service broadcasting in other countries, such as post-war Germany in the late 1950s. The contemporary situation will be explored with a review of the events leading to the ignoble demise of the News of the World, which once boasted the world’s largest newspaper circulation, and the consequent attempts to regulate wayward media outlets after it had been revealed that the newspaper had hacked into the private mobile-phone accounts of prominent figures in British society. This will then lead to an analysis of the furore surrounding the interference of Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy firm in the online Leave campaign during the run-up to the Brexit referendum in 2016. The technical details surrounding such online activities should make for an interesting presentation. Participants will also be shown clips from famous instances of British broadcasting, such as Ken Loach’s Cathy Come Home, a documentary film dealing with homelessness, which would introduce a brand new TV genre to British viewers. These clips will be accompanied by worksheets in which participants will be asked to complete aspects of the use of language as instanced in the clips.

Inhalte 

A presentation is a requirement for passing the module, as is regular attendance and completion of the accompanying exercises. Participants may choose any topic that interests them as long as it is relevant to the theme of British media: historical and contemporary issues. Presentations relating to the media in other English-speaking countries, i.e. social media in the USA, are also acceptable.

Arbeitsaufwand

4 SWS, 5,0 Creditpoints (CP)

60 h Präsenzstudium, 90 h Eigenstudium

Prüfung

Art der Prüfung:  Studienleistung

Referat

Labor zur Anerkennung des Moduls nötig: 

Literatur 

• Jill Abramson, Merchants of Truth. Inside the News Revolution (London: Penguin Random House, 2019). David Giles, Psychology of the Media (Basingstoke: Palgram Macmillan, 2010). David Goodhart, The Road to Somewhere. The Populist Revolt and the Future of P
• David Giles, Psychology of the Media (Basingstoke: Palgram Macmillan, 2010).
• David Goodhart, The Road to Somewhere. The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics (Glasgow: Bell and Bell, 2017).
• Mark Hampton, Visions of the Press in Britain 1850 -1950 (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004).
• John Ward, “‘Ziemlich beste Freunde’. Britain and the European Union.” In: Sonja Ruda et al. (eds.), Safety and Risk – Cultural Provision, Comprehension and Realisation, Network Cultural Diversity and New Media, vol. 25 (Berlin. trafo, 2020, pp. 185-196).
• John Ward “The Impact of social media on the independence referendums in Scotland and Catalonia. A comparative study.” In: Julius Erdmann et al. (eds.), Industry 4.0, Culture 2.0 and New Media Realities, Trends and Myths. Network Cultural Diversity and Ne

Voraussetzungen

Voraussetzungen lt. Prüfungs- und Studienordnung 

keine

Verantwortliche Dozenten

Dozent(in):  Dr. John Ward