Content and Aims: This course aims to address acute questions that challenge European democracies and the media environment, exploring various dimensions of “Critical Issues”, including recent developments in journalism and its credibility, issues that evolve around the topic of fake news and news reporting about violence against women. Another focus lies within the topic of youth and their relation to media and journalism. 

It is structured in seven lectures held by experts that bring in different perspectives on that matter, predominantly through the lenses of media and communication governance. The whole lecture series discusses questions referring to the processes and ways in which practices in and through media and communication strengthen, dispute and challenge or re-envision democracies and the media in Europe in times of crises.

This research seminar explores matters of European democratic governance with the core topic of “Dis/information, Refugees and Fundamental Rights: European Responses”, investigating the ways in which a specific, albeit non-homogenous, vulnerable population may be impacted upon by forms of disinformation and misinformation. The representation of refugees in European media has been studied and a lot of attention has been placed since 2015. The course aims to investigate in detail in which ways various forms of reporting shape the public debate and which measures can or have been taken to ensure the pluralistic and democratic approaches. We explore press and media codes of ethics, related commissioned studies of a self-regulatory manner and European Union approaches to ensuring and enabling a democratic informative environment.

In this seminar students learn how to create a research project, going through all the steps about how to write a scientific paper and put in practice advanced research skills in conducting original research: students come up with research questions, a literature review, methodological part and also practical elements for the paper.

Research Seminar A, Winter Semester.

The focus of this FOSE is to explore the role of media and communication in fostering political integration and democracy in Europe. „Doing“ Democracy refers to the processes and ways in which pro-democracy practices in and through media and communication strengthen, dispute and challenge or re-envision the Euro- pean project of integration. This class examines the question of informational rights of children as emerging citizens in the context of European integration. Forms of communicating, connecting and practicing the four dimensions of citizenship as outlined by Ruth Lister will be examined together with a critical appraisal of youth and children’s views on what constitutes information and how it should be delivered. The specific element of this course is to identify , map and sample analyse factual and news programming for children in several European countries, while investigating the possible regulatory and organisational policies of media such as publicservice broadcasters.

In this seminar students learn how to create a research project, going through all the steps about how to write a scientific paper and put in practice advanced research skills in conducting original research: students come up with research questions, a literature review, methodological part and also practical elements for the paper.

In this seminar we continue our exploration from Research Project Part 1. We further investigate the topic of “Children’s Informational Rights in Europe” and focus on policies and resource individuals. We work on the policy report and start working on the practical elements of research as designed in part 1. In the previous semester students created research questions and developed a research design. This semester they collect and analyse (qualitative) data, through in-depth interviews, report and discuss your results and reflect on your project. 

„Doing“ Democracy refers to the processes and ways in which pro-democracy practices in and through media and communication strengthen, dispute and challenge or re-envision the European project of integration. This class examines the question of information rights of children as emerging citizens in the context of European integration. Forms of communicating, connecting and practicing the four dimensions of citizenship as outlined by Ruth Lister will be examined together with a critical appraisal of youth and children’s views on what constitutes information and how it should be delivered. The course will examine policy initiatives around issues of children’s informational rights and connect such questions to the development, appraisal and sustainable future of European democracy in times of crises.

The Research project builds on the theoretical and issue-based discussions of the core courses of the MA Programme and aims to provide the tools for in-depth research and analysis. The course aims to develop independence in designing and executing original research and lays the basis for an original project. Students will be immersed in real, original research project design and execution around themes connected to the strand of 'doing democracy'.

This FOSE B course addresses research questions, methods and ethical considerations on doing research on mis/disinformation. The focus of the content is related to investigating aspects of European integration, the role of misinformation and facts in the lives of children and adolescents as a matter pursuant of or hindering democracy.  Children are to be understood as citizens in their own right, both in a state of need for protection and also with rights and as active agents of their own lives. The course will address in particular the media governance questions and ethics about: Children, mis/information and crisis.

The FOSE builds on the theoretical and issue-based discussions of the core courses of the MA Program and aims to provide the tools for in-depth research and analysis. The course aims to develop independence in designing and executing original research and lays the basis for an original project. Students are immersed in real, original research project design and execution around themes connected to the strand of researching children and the media.

This course seeks to address urgent questions that confront European democracies and the media environment. The subject of youth and their interaction with the media and journalism is another area of emphasis.

It is organized into several expert lectures that present various viewpoints on that subject, primarily through the lenses of media and communication administration. The entire lecture series addresses issues related to the mechanisms and means by which media and communication practices in and through them reinforce, contest, challenge, or re-envision democracies and the media in Europe during crises.