Media and Global Challenges

Increased international integration and deepened interconnectedness following globalization have been transforming the media landscape and the world profoundly over recent decades. Globalization is everywhere and nowhere, in the sense that global events and processes can help both facilitate and hinder almost all human activities. This course outlines some of the main challenges- old and new- facing national and global communities within the digital media environment. The course seeks to inspire students' critical thinking on tangible measures or resolutions, at different levels, that can empower human activity in the global era. The module discusses six global challenges with connection to media and communication practices, namely:

• Globalization and anti-globalization
• Climate change and sustainability
• Pandemic and crisis communication
• Local communities and global media strategies
• Conflict, activism & media platforms
• Media capture and democratic backsliding
• Global media governance
• Artificial intelligence
• Press freedom and survelliance 

This module aims at

• Developing a critical understanding of globalization and digitalization of the world society in the context of deglobalization, fragmentation, and reconfiguration.
• Investigating case studies from different countries and cultures (including emerging markets) to understand the different trajectories in facing the same challenges posed to international communication and strategic planning.
• Leveraging strategies to address global communication and solutions to overcome the crisis.

In presence

• Lectures from the instructors are accompanied with powerpoint presentations.
• Group projects & discussions, guided by the instructors

The final grade will be composed of the results achieved by students:

• Two 1500-2000-word essays (80%)
• In-class participation (60% minimum) (20%)