6 ECTS credits
157 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4019911FNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Communication Sciences
Educational team
Yazan Badran
Sara De Vuyst (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
23 contact hours Lecture
8 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
126 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

This course provides students with an in-depth overview of concepts and theories relevant for the study of the political economy of journalism. It devotes attention to the so-called critical school of political economy in communication sciences, but will also include insights from scholars situated in other paradigms.

This course aims to provide an overview of relevant theories and concepts in the broad field of the political economy of journalism. It sets out from a general introduction to political economy, political economy of media/communication, the various political/economic systems of the press/journalism in Europe, which allows for a more advanced study of specific sub-aspects of the political economy of journalism. This more advanced study’s objective is to make students actively read and evaluate what they read on issues such as the fourth estate status of journalism in democratic and also capitalist societies.

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Slides and extracts from scientific books and full scientific articles, Canvas
Additional info

The course consists of three parts:

  1. A block of lessons on the key insights, concepts and developments in  political economy, political economy of media, and political economy of journalism.
  2. A block of lessons on more specific aspects of the political economy of journalism like:
    1. Media power and control of the economic over the political or the political over the economic  
    2. Media ownership
    3. Financial media and journalism
    4. Freedom of the press in European countries
    5. Democracy and journalism as the fourth estate
    6. Digital journalism
    7. Citizen journalism
  3. A concluding block of lessons in which students discuss the material discussed previously, and apply it to concrete case studies through group presentations.

Teaching Methods

  • Lecture: collective contact-dependent moments during which the lecturer engages with learning materials
  • Seminar, Exercises or Practicals (Practical): collective or individual contact-dependent moments during which the students are guided to actively engage with learning materials
  • Independent or External Form of Study (Self): independent study

This description of the teaching methods is indicative, in order to assess the expected study load.

Lecture: 31 hours

  • lectures: 22 hours (11 x 2 hours)
  • final lecture (conclusions and instructions exam): 1 hour

Seminar: 8 hours

  • seminar (presentations prepared by the students): 8 hours (2 x 4 hours)

Self: 114 hours

  • keeping up with the course material during the semester, amounting to 2 hours per lecture: 22 hours (11 x 2 hours)
  • reading texts before coming to class, amounting to 4 hours per lecture: 44 hours (11 x 4 hours)
  • selecting and screening video: 8 hours
  • preparation exam: 40 hours (5 days of 8 hours)
Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

After having followed this course, students:

  • should have insight into the economic, policy and regulatory context of journalism in Europe
  • have an understanding of concepts and theories from political economy relevant to the study of journalism and can apply these concepts
  • can reflect critically on the journalistic sector using political economic concepts

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 80% of the final mark.
PRAC Presentation determines 20% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Oral Exam with a relative weight of 80 which comprises 80% of the final mark.

Within the PRAC Presentation category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Group presentation with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

You need to participate in the exam and the presentation session (the full seminar sessions, including other presentations) to be able to pass. Not participating in one of the components (exam or presentation) implies an 'absence' for the entire course.

The distribution of grades remains identical in the second session.

The general principle for the second session is: if you failed for the course in its totality, you retake all of the parts you did not pass. In the second session too, you need to participate in the exam and, in lieu of the group presentation, an individual presentation. Not participating in one of the components (exam or presentation) implies an 'absence' for the entire course.

In a bit more detail:

  • Oral exam first session not passed or not participated: Oral exam second session (same set-up for exam as first session: Two questions based on reader and seminars)
  • Presentation not passed or not participated: Develop presentation (individually)

If you need to participate in the second session, but scored minimum 10/20 for one of the two parts of the evaluation, the partial result of the part of the evaluation you scored minimum 10/20 for (presentation or the oral exam) is transferred to the second session. If you wish to retake that part you scored minimum 10/20 for in the second session, you need to send an e-mail to yazan.badran@vub.be within five days after the publication of the exam results. In case you retake that part in the second session, your first session result is cancelled and the second session result becomes the official result (even if it is lower than the first session result).

If you need to retake the course in the next year, the same rules apply. Partial results from 10/20 (for presentation or oral exam) are transferred to the next academic year. If you want to retake a part, you need to request this before the end of October by mail to yazan.badran@vub.be.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Communication Studies: Journalism and Media in Europe