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Global Strategic Communication: media in emerging markets

Persone

Zhang Z.

Docente titolare del corso

Descrizione

Course Objectives

This module aims at:

  • introducing basic understanding of strategic communication in today’s complex communication landscape with a focus on BRICS countries.
  • discussing the different media systems and communication patterns in the emerging media markets.
  • providing up-to-date case studies from each country (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to tackle the challenges posed to the existing communication model/order.
  • providing students with hands-on analytic tools to evaluate suitable communication strategies under different localization circumstances.

Course Description

The course is composed of four main parts:

  • Theoretical introduction into basic concepts and terms in strategic communication, intercultural communication, and political economy of communication. These lectures are designed to look at the classic models of media system studies in the Western context, in order to offer a comparative theoretic base for the discussion of emerging countries in their relation to the transnational exchange of information, actors, and technologies.
  • The empirical part of the lectures discusses particular cases from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (with consideration of the students’ preference). Specific introduction of the media system, digital media development and featured social-cultural elements from the countries are offered.
  • In-class reading assignments: Students are guided to read 3-5 scientific papers with selected cases from each country. Students’ assignment, teacher’s reflection comments on each assignment and group discussion are followed to access the changing domestic media sphere in each country and their strategies (success and failures) engaging with the international media market.
  • Developing individual student papers with relevant topics (not limited to the five emerging countries introduced in the class) and discussion of relevant scientific literature, accessible data and methods.

Learning Methods

  • Lectures from the instructor, both in-class and online
  • In-class reading assignments and refelctions
  • Discussions among students
  • Personal tutoring: once the students have selected a topic for their individual paper, the teacher will provide constant support for students to structure their work in connection to the field of studies (include building framework from scientific literature, identifying research questions, methods, data, sources, etc.)

Evaluation procedures and Grading Criteria

  • Individual research paper (60%), 2000-3000 words. Students are encouraged to follow a critical analysis of a specific case study within (but not limited to) the five emerging markets introduced in the class.
  • Presentation of the paper (20%), 5-10 minutes. Students will present the topic and structure of their individual paper during the last lesson of the course; group discussion will be followed on each presentation.
  • In-class participation (20%), students are encouraged to actively join discussions during the class, and in-class reading assignments are required to be completed in time (especially for students who do not attend the class regularly).
  • Both final paper and in-class reading assignments can be written in English or Italian.

Required Materials

Required reading materials in-general:

  • Hallin, D. & Mancini, P. (Eds). (2012). Comparing Media Systems beyond the Western World. New York: Cambridge University Press.Hallin, D. & Mancini, P. (2016): Ten Years After Comparing Media Systems: What Have We Learned? Political Communication 00:1-17.
  • Thussu, D. & Nordenstreng, K. (Eds). (2020). BRICS Media: Reshaping the global communication order? Routledge.
  • Hallahan, K., Holtzhausen, D., van Ruler, B., Veri, D., & Sriramesh, K. (2007). Defining strategic communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 1 (1):3-35.

Required reading material case studies:

  • Brazil: Porto. M. (2011) Telenovelas and representations of national identity in Brazil. Media, Culture & Society 33(1): 53-69.
  • Russia: Mejias, U. A. & Vokeuv, N.E. (2017) Disinformation and the media: the case of Russia and Ukraine. Media, Culture & Society 39(7): 1027-1042.
  • India: Thussu, D.K. (2020) India Culture as Soft Power, in Thussu, D. & Nordenstreng, K. (Eds). (2020). BRICS Media: Reshaping the global communication order? Routledge: 193-208.
  • China: Plantin, J.C. & de Seta, G. (2019) WeChat as infrastructure: the techno-nationalist shaping of Chinese digital platforms, Chinese Journal of Communication, 12:3, 257-273.
  • South Africa: Teer-Tomaselli, R., Tomaselli, K. & Dludla, M. (2019) Peripheral capital goes global: Naspers, globalisation and global media contraflow. Media, Culture & Society 41(8): 1142-1159.

Optional reading materials:

  • Hall, E. (1976) Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Press.
  • Winseck, D., & Jin, D. Y. (Eds.). (2011). The Political Economies of Media: the transformation of the global media industries. London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Edney, Rosen & Zhu (Eds).(2020) Soft power with Chinese characteristics: China’s Campaign for Hearts and Minds. Abingdon & New York: Routledge.

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