International Journalism

Learning outcomes

• Identify the main roles in international politics.
• Understand the media agenda of different countries, knowing the importance that each society attaches to the same event.
• Know the history and functioning of the European Union.
• Get to know the main jobs of the correspondent and the structuring of an international section of a media outlet in the press, radio and television.
• Look in more depth at the characteristics of the journalistic types (press, radio and television) to be able to inform on international subjects. Understand specific techniques. Achieve mastery of the technique of analysis as a basis for interpreting the facts.
• Differentiate between belligerent language and a language typical of "Peace journalism" in the writing of war information.

Competencies

General skills

• Develop interpersonal skills and be able to work under pressure.
• Organise and plan tasks related to professional performance through proper time management and timing of these tasks.
• Use analysis and synthesis strategies in the treatment of information and in professional practice.

Specific skills

• Analyse the structure of the media, and the social and communication context, and its main formats, in relation to social contexts and change, and also the main issues in the information society, identifying the protagonists, institutions and social structures.
• Master the discourse of traditional media (press, photography, radio and television), digital, multimedia and hypertextual media, and express oneself fluently and effectively, orally and in writing, in Spanish, Catalan and English.
• Master the main skills of journalism as a profession, such as verifying information on the basis of one's own sources, information searches, cross-checking and ordering information, and knowledge of different journalistic genres (information, analysis and opinion).

Basic skills

• Students can apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and have competencies typically demonstrated through drafting and defending arguments and solving problems in their field of study.
• Students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialists and non-specialists.

Core skills

• Become the protagonist of one's own learning process in order to achieve personal and professional growth and acquire all-round training for living and learning in a context of respect for linguistic, social, cultural, gender and economic diversity.

Content

1. The challenges of today's world from a journalistic perspective
   • Why is international journalism important? How does it influence people's perception of the world? The challenges of reporting in a globalised world
   • Who sets the agenda? The influence of Western media organisations on depicting the world, a critical perspective
2. Origin, development and evolution of international journalism
   • From the telegraph to social media: how international journalism has changed during the 20th and 21st centuries, linked to the evolution of technology
   • The birth of international news agencies and the colonial legacy
   • The organisational structure of international journalism since the end of the Second World War
3. The foundations of current international politics
   • Understanding the world and current international relations and geopolitics: the post-World War II era; the birth of the United Nations and the system of international institutions; the Cold War and its end; the dominance of the United States; the European Union; the rise of China, and the glimpse of a new world order after the Ukraine war
4. Access to international information and documentation: sources and actors
   • Major international agencies and media; international governmental organisations, NGOs, think tanks, witnesses, citizen journalism...
   • The changing nature of the foreign correspondent: why international journalism is still crucial in the era of internet and digital technologies
5. The work of international reporters
   • The work of the foreign correspondents and freelancers in the EU and in other parts of the world
   • The international section in the media
   • Reporting war and conflicts
   • Relevant figures of international journalism

Evaluation

• Recommended reading, exercises in class and at home: 30%
• Final report: 25%
• Final exam: 35%
• Class interventions: 10%

Methodology

The classes will be structured into a theoretical part, where the teacher will give basic syllabus content and a part of group seminars which will be used to carry out the practical sessions of debates linked to the bibliography or the current media, writing assignments or working in radio or television studios. The methodology of the subject will count on the presence of professionals in the classroom in order to provide a vision "on the ground" of what is explained in class.

In the event of a medical emergency situation that involves new confinement, teaching will be transferred to entirely online and the methodology will be adapted to this new context.

Bibliography

Bibliography

• Williams, K. (2012). International Journalism. SAGE.
• Zamith, R. (2022). The International Journalism Handbook: Concepts, challenges, and contexts. Retrieved from https://ijh.rodrigozamith.com/

Reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.