This course focuses on the relationship between media and globalisation. Its aim is to provide students with a critical understanding of the role of media and communications technologies in the complex processes of globalization. The course will highlight the social, cultural and political implications of media’s dissemination across the globe especially in relations to issues such as the identity-formation and representation, community and belonging. 

The first part of the course will provide students with an introduction to the historical context of global communication and will introduce the key theoretical debates around globalization and culture. The expansion of media and telecommunications corporations within the process of deregulation and liberalization will be studied with particular reference to the impact of such growth on audiences in different cultural contexts and from regional, national and international perspectives. The second part of the course will be dedicated to an exploration of the so-called “counter-flows” of global media, that destabilise the imperialist perspective on globalization and simultaneously offer new ways of understanding the local uses of media in terms of agency and identity formation, especially for diasporic groups.

The final part of the semester will be specifically dedicated to the Indian subcontinent and its most famous cinema industry: Bollywood. The distribution of Indian films outside of India will be discussed within the framework of globalization, therefore it will be taken into account the audience response as well as the politics of representations fostered by the filmic texts. 

The course aims to encourage students to understand the central role of the media in shaping contemporary culture and the communicative practices involved in this process. By the end of the course, students should have acquired advanced competence in the field of media and globalization theory in order to be able to critically discuss the main theoretical approaches in the field and how these key approaches relate to one another. Students will also be able to analyse newly emerging forms of culture and identity based on the experience of cosmopolitanism, hybridity and diaspora in relation to media forms such as networked media and films.

Assessment Guidelines for assigning main letter grades: A, B, C,D, and F.

A:  Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensiveknowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.

B:  This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.

There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.

C:  This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.

D:  This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.

Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

Week 1

Course Overview and introduction. The historical context of media globalization

(Thussu Introduction, ch.1)

Week 2

Globalisation and Media Theory

(Thussu ch.2)

Week 3

The cultural politics of globalisation

(Essays from Ang, Appadurai)

Week 4

Connecting the World 

(Thussu ch. 3 & 4, Fanon)

Week 5

The Local and the Global in Media Culture

(Thussu, ch. 5)

Week 6

Localization, Globalisation and identity politics

(Barber, Watson, Thussu)

Week 7

Review and Mid Term Exams

Week 8

Contraflow in global media

(Thussu ch. 6, Karim H. Karim, Karanfil)

 Week 9

Global Counter-flows: the case of Indian cinema

(Iordanova, Puwar, Dudrah)

Week 10

Global (trans)national identities & Indian cinema

(Mehta, Jha)

Week 11

Film Screening

Week 12

Film discussion & Introduction to “hyphenated identities”
(Sharma, Brosius & Yazgi)

 Week 13

 Film screening/ discussion
(Rajagopal)

Week 14

Review/Discussions of papers