Course Schedule

Week 1: Introductions, overviews and the Public Sphere

MCS, Chapter 1, Introduction
Habermas, The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article from Media and Cultural Studies
Keyworks
Habermas, Introduction and Social Structures of the Public Sphere from The Structural
Transformation of the Public Sphere
Week 2: Technology
MCS, Chapter 2
Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Message and Media Hot and Cold from
Understanding Media
Paolo Favero, Learning to look beyond the frame: reflections on the changing meaning of
images in the age of digital media practices
Week 3: Media Industries
MCS, Chapter 3
MSB, Chapter 7, Media as Business;
Adorno & Horkheimer, The Culture Industries
Week 4: Media regulation and Power
MCS, Chapter 6
Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent
Week 5: News
MCS, Chapter 7
News. MSB, Chapter 12, News and Its Futures;
Peter Golding and Philip Elliot, News Values and News Production

Week 6: Analyzing the News

MCS, Chapter 7
Michael D. Bruce, Framing Arab Spring Conflict
Week 7: Communication and Culture
Communication and Culture. James Carey, A Cultural Approach to Communication Douglas
Kellner, Toward a Critical Media/Cultural Studies
Stuart Hall, "Notes on Deconstructing 'the Popular'"
Week 8: Ideology
Louis Althusser, "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes Towards an Investigation)"
MSB, Chapter 6
Week 9: Analysis (Method)
MCS, Chapter 4
Content analysis
Discourse analysis
Semiotic analysis
Week 10: Analysis (Terminology)
Narrative Forms. MSB, Chapter 2, Narratives
Genres. MSB, Chapter 3, Genres and Other Classifications
Week 11: Ways of Seeing
John Berger, Ways of Seeing
Paolo Favero,What a wonderful world!, On the touristic ways of seeing, the knowledge and
the politics of the culture industries of otherness.

Week 12: Ethnicity and Diaspora

MCS, Chapter 10
Hamid Naficy, An accented cinema: Exilic and diasporic filmmaking
Edward Said, Orientalism
Sheba Saeed, Beggars of Lahore (Documentary film, we will watch in
class)
Week 13: Audiences
MCS, Chapter 5
Ien Ang, "On the Politics of Empirical Audience Research"
Week 14: Globalization
MSB, Chapter 5, Globalisation;
Manuel Castells, The New Public Sphere
Arjun Appadurai, Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy

Assignments and Marks

First midterm exam (25%)
Second midterm exam (25%)
Final exam (40%)
Class participation (10%)
Teaching and Learning Methodology
The course will be taught through interactive lectures and class discussions.
Only important and selected visual media content will be screened during class. If films or
television episodes are assigned prior to class, please watch them before class.

Selected readings will be posted on the course website, or hard copies will be distributed to you
in advance.

In some cases you may find some of the readings on the syllabus challenging, which is fine and
part of the learning process. The classroom is an interactive space for all of us to learn, and we
will go through questions about the readings together. I am also available to meet during my
weekly office hours and/or by appointment to discuss the readings, your assignments, and
anything else related to the course. Please e-mail me to let me know a slot for your appointment
for the office hour to avoid waiting around for other students.

Please pay attention to in class and make the maximum use of discussions with myself and your
peers for a better understanding of the topics. It is your duty to attend class, listen, take notes, ask
questions, and read.

Course Requirements
Attendance at all sessions is required, and absences will be noted. IBA allows all
students four absences. You are advised to save these absences for emergencies or illnesses.
Exceptions will be made only if there is a genuine emergency.

I will make important announcements regarding the course during class. If you miss a class, it is
your responsibility to catch up on the content, and on the announcements.

Students are also expected to arrive on time.

Assigned readings need to be done before class every week. Student preparedness and
participation is crucial. Participation means regular attendance, careful reading of texts, and
diligent participation in class discussions.

If you are uncomfortable with speaking in public, please inform me immediately so we can work
out a viable alternative for your participation in class.

Grading policy
All grades are final and non-negotiable. I will not engage in any discussion of your grade in any
circumstances. The only exception is a mathematical error in the computation of your grade.

The grading scale is as described in the IBA 2016-2017 Program Announcement (A to F).

You will be graded for the following components and quality of your assignments:

Clarity of reading and interpretation of the text

Thoughtful and precise evaluation of the text

Organization and citation

Good prose

Flawless grammar

Students with Different Abilities and Requirements

Please let me know as soon as possible if you have health issues of any nature and/or learning
differences. We can then work together on how to best accommodate your needs and the course
requirements.
While I understand that many of these differences and issues are considered a stigma, I want to
emphasize that it is important that I be made aware of them as your instructor at the beginning of
the course. This is so that we can work out how best to enable you to participate fully in the
course in a productive and enjoyable manner. This information will remain strictly confidential,
and will in no way affect your grade.