| Syllabus for MMC 304 | Geri Dön |
This course aims at introducing the students of communication to the study of the concept of “mass media” from a sociological perspective. The course will follow a thematic approach. That is, we will allocate certain number of weeks throughout the semester to a range of different themes such as nationalism, modernization, globalization, democracy etc. and we will study these themes from a media-centric approach. While we will make an introduction to each of these themes from a general perspective, our concern will always be Turkey-focused. At the end of this course, you should aim to have a general understanding of the role of mass media in the creation of social realities.
Credit units:3, ECTS Credit units: 5
Reading Materials
A reader has been prepared for this course and made available at “Trio photocopy center”. It is crucial that you purchase this reading brick before the beginning of classes.
Requirements & Evaluation
Attendance: In accordance with the university’s regulations, attendance is compulsory for this course. If you miss more than 70% of classes without an authorized absence, you will fail the course. Presentation: Each week a group of students will make a presentation of that week’s subject.Midterm Exams: There will be two midterm exams for this course. They will constitute an important portion of your final grade. Final Paper: Towards the end of the semester you will be asked to write a term paper. This term paper will require you to engage with the semester’s readings and some form of mass media.
Percentages of the grading criteria
Midterms: 25% x2
Presentation: 20%
Final Paper: 30%
Week beginning with 15th of February
Presentation and an overview of the course
Week beginning with 22nd of February
Media, Modernity & Orientalism IMust reading: Wither the Project of Modernity? Turkey in 1990s by Çağlar Keyder
Week beginning with 1st of March
Media, Modernity & Orientalism IIMust reading: West and the Rest: Discourse and Power by Stuart Hall
Suggested reading: Pictures from afar: Shooting the Middle East
Week beginning with 8th of March
Modernization, nationalism and media in Turkey IMust reading: Peripheral Vision: Cultural Industries and cultural identities in Turkey by Aksoy and Robins
Week beginning with 15th of March
Modernization, nationalism and media in Turkey IIMust readings: Excerpts from Ernest Rennan and Benedict Anderson + Becoming Undone by Gökçen Karanfil
Suggested reading: Nationalist discourses in Turkey by Tanıl Bora
Week beginning with 22nd of March
Modernization, nationalism and media in Turkey IIIFilm Screening
Week beginning with 29th of March
1st MIDTERM
Week beginning with 5th of April
Globalization, media and Identity IMust reading: Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy by Arjun Appadurai
Suggested reading: Travels of German-Turkish rap music by Alev Çınar + Aesthetics of diaspora by Ayhan Kaya
Week beginning with 12th of April
Globalization, media and Identity IIMust readings: From internationalization to transnationalisation by J. Chalaby + Spaces of global media by Kevin Robins
Week beginning with 17th of April
Globalization, media and identity IIIFilm Screening
Week beginning with 26th of April
Media and democracy IMust readings: Excerpts from Lippman, McChesney and Curran + What can be done in mass media? by Tuğrul Eryılmaz
Week beginning with 3rd of May
Media and democracy IIMust readings: The relationship between democracy and other media by Sevda Alankuş
Suggested reading: Bianet as an “independent media experience” by Ertuğrul Kürkçü + Açık Radyo experience by Ömer Marda
Week beginning with 10th of May
Media and democracy IIIFilm Screening
Week beginning with 17th of May
Gender and mediaMust readings: Feminist perspectives on the media by Liesbet Van Zoonen
Week beginning with 24th of May
2. MIDTERM
Week beginning with 24th of May
Summary of the courseAttendance and class participation is essential. The students are expected to read the assigned material, and participate actively into discussions at the class. The general format of the course comprises lecture, class discussion of the assigned readings, and examinations. There are two mid-term examinations and one final examination.
Academic Integrity Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to: cheating on exams; plagiarism (using someone else’s work and passing it off as one’s own); presenting work from another course; purchasing exams or term papers; and submitting work completed by another person.
It is not wrong to consult reference works, but you need to document your sources. This means using proper citation if you use someone else’s ideas, and proper citation and quotation marks if you use someone else’s exact words. When in doubt, cite.
This course has a zero-tolerance policy for cheating and plagiarism: Cheat and you get a zero. A documented instance of cheating will result in a zero (0) for the assignment and notification of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. This could result in expulsion.