International Communication

Instructor Bryce Peake ([email protected]) Description: International Communication is a subfield of media and communication studies that brings together political science, media history, political economy, international development, and a host of other approaches to the study of global media and technology. As such, this is a course in thinking critically about the contours, flows, and frictions of media exchanges around the globe from multiple perspectives. We will explore a variety of case studies, including the role of transportation networks in creating media infrastructure, the always-present specter of colonialism in the communication technologies of Europe and the United States, and the rise of the East as a communications super power. We will also address much broader questions of what propels media globalization? How can we identify and analyze social consequences of global mediatization (and mediated globalization)? And, what norms and values are appropriate for assessing these consequences? Through an exploration of the field of international communication, this course will orient students to key concepts across social scientific and cultural critical understandings of media. Required materials: Daya Thussu, International communication: continuity and change Armand Mattelart, Networking the world: 1794-2000 Class Etiquette The lectures supplement the assigned reading material so it is important that students attend class regularly in addition to completing all readings before the beginning of the class for which they were assigned. Students should also feel free to think about how their personal experiences are relevant to our class; however, it is essential that students attempt to understand how their experiences illustrate sociological concepts and general patterns or represent exception to those patterns. While you are welcome to share your experiences in appropriate class discussions, realize that once pronounced they become community property for discussion, criticism, or applause. Because many students are likely to have strong personal opinions about the issues we will cover in this course, it is imperative that we create an environment of respect; you are entitled to a well-informed opinion based on verifiable evidence. Again, while you are welcome to share your opinion at appropriate times during class, it does become community property for discussion and analysis. Personal attacks against individual students and explicit and purposeful bigotry will not be tolerated.

Attendance Policy Attendance is required. Attendance will be taken in instances when there seem to be an unruly number of seats open in the class.

More than 3 unexcused absences will result in an F (failure) for the class. No exceptions. All excused absences will only be excused after the completion of independent work to make up for the missed classroom time. Excused students will be allowed to make up quizzes; unexcused students will not. Email Policy The instructor is available by email for making appointments to discuss readings, grades, or your individual concerns and/or interests. Due to the amount of email I receive regularly, all emails should have the subject line International Communication, or may not be answered in a timely fashion. Please allow 24 hours for a response to your email. Questions regarding readings should be asked in class or during office hours. If you do not have an opportunity at either of those times, please email me to make an appointment to discuss your questions and concerns. I cannot answer these questions via email in most instances. A good rule of thumb: if it requires a yes or no answer, email is perfect; if it requires a more substantial answer, office hours are the ideal time to chat. Assignments and Grades: Two exams: 40% (20% each) There will be a midterm and final for this course, which draws on the material from the first and second half of the class consecutively. Exams will be in essay format, the first will be done outside of class, the second will be completed on the day of the final. Book review: 15% You will choose and review an academic text in international communication. Guidelines for how to write an academic review of an academic book will be distributed in class after the first week of class, as will a list of potential books. Corporate profile: 20% You will choose one company in the communications industry that has, or boasts about, a global reach. Your corporate profile essay will describe a) the companys primary service/product, b) the history of it becoming global, c) ways in which it was implicated in international relations prior to its official globalization, d) its global social justice initiatives (if any), and e) the consequences of the companys products, history, and initiatives. This should not be a celebratory piece that summarizes the companys public relations literature, but should instead attempt to understand the wider global impacts of capitalism you should aim for discussing the ambivalence of global capitalism through your company. Annotated bibliography: 25% You will submit a 12-15 source annotated bibliography (each source will have a 200-250 word descriptive paragraph) on a subtopic in the history of colonialism and imperialism. You may choose a time period, them, or specific research project as your subtopic. For example, you might want to examine British colonialism in the Falkland Islands, media imperialism and women, or the building of contemporary global media architecture. There must be a clear connection between the sources you choose, and your theme should be obvious based on your source material. If you need assistance, please visit one of our amazing research librarians at the Knight library, who will help you locate sources and teach you how to perform better literature searches. Resources 1. Yourself: Listen carefully. Take plenty of notes. Ask questions if you arent sure about something. Participate.

2. Your Classmates: It always helps to discuss material with other students enrolled in your class. Also, in the event of an absence, you will need to rely on a classmate to help you get notes on what you missed. 3. Your Instructor: Take advantage of my office hours: I am here to help you do well in this class. I love to field questions, so please ask plenty. TOPICS & CALENDAR INTRODUCTION: 1.1: Syllabus and Orientation Course Introduction- Syllabus, Assignments, Screenings, Etc. International Communication as a field 1.2 A closer look at globalization Armand Mattelart, Networking the World Ch. 6 Arjun Appadurai, Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy Anna Tsing, The global situation 2.1 Media and globalization Daya Thussu, International communication: continuity and change, Introduction & Ch. 1 Mattelart, Networking the world, Ch. 1 & 2 Costas Constantinou, Communications/excommunications: an interview with Armand Mattelart 2.2 Methods for analyzing global media Thussu, International communication, Ch. 2 Stephen McDowell, Theory and research in international communication: an historical and institutional account Ali Mohammadi, Research in international communication and globalization: contradictions and directions Jeffrey Juris, The cultural logic of networking 3.1 Media flows Thussu, International Communication, Ch. 4 Mattehw Engelke, Up in smoke: humility, humiliation, and the Christian book Daya Thussu, Mapping global media flow and contra flow Jess Martin-Barbero, Introduction (From the media to mediations) 3.2 Media imperialism Johan Galtung, A structural theory of imperialism Johan Galtung, A structural theory of imperialism ten years later Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Media imperialism reformulated Livingston White, Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory 4.1 Media imperialism continued John Tomlinson, Homogenization and globalization Joseph Straubhaar, Beyond media imperialism: asymmetrical interdependence and cultural proximity Herbert Schiller, Not yet the post-imperialist era 4.2 Global governance

 Mattelart, Networking the world, Ch. 4 & 5 Thussu, International Communication, Ch. 3 & 7 Marc Raboy, The WSIS as a political space in global media governance Ulla Carlsson, The rise and fall of NWICO and then?: from a vision of international regulation to a reality of multilevel governance 5.1 Global media and militarism Armand Mattelart, An archeology of the global era: construction an belief Paul Virilio, The Information Bomb (PDF), Ch. 1, 2, 7 (all very short). Chalmers Johnson, Toward the new Rome and Whatever happened to globalization? 6.1 Global media and the everyday Thussu, International communication, Ch. 5 Radha Hegde, Spaces of exception: violence, technology, and the transgressive gendered body in Indias global call centers Brian Larkin, Degraded images, distorted sounds: Nigerian video and the infrastructure of piracy Daniel Lerner, Modernizing styles of life: a theory 6.2 Global media and the everyday II Nicole Constable, Making introductions Steven Kemper, Facing the Nation Kira Kosnick, Foreign voices: migrant representations on Radio MultiKulti Marwan Kraidy, Reality television, gender, and authenticity in Saudi Arabia 7.1 Propoganda and diplomacy Mattelart, Networking the world, Ch. 3 Harold Laswell, The theory of political propaganda Joseph S. Nye Jr., Public diplomacy and soft power William Mazzarella, Censorship and the Sensorium in India

7.2 Implicit colonialisms Nina Malakooty, Closing the digital divide? The $100 PC and other projects for developing countries Rayvon Fouch, From black inventors to one laptop per child: exporting a racial politics of technology Papacharissi & Yuan, What if the internet did not speak English? New and old language for studying newer media technologies 8.1 Pushing back: antiglobalization, anti-militarism, and decolonization Walter Mignolo, Coloniality: the darker side of modernity Maria Lugones, The coloniality of gender Jeffrey Juris, Performing networks at direct-action protests Brianne Gallagher, Policing Paris: private publics and architectural media in Michael Hanekes Cache Jesse Cohn, What is anarchist cultural studies? Precursors, problems, and prospects

8.2 Reasserting the international dimensions of the local Stabile & Kumar, Unveiling imperialism: media, gender, and the war on Afghanistan Gerald Horne, Race from power: US foreign policy and the general crisis of white supremacy Amy Kaplan, Left alone with America: The absence of empire in the study of American Empire Raka Shome, Post-colonial reflections on the Internationalization of cultural studies 9.1 Viewing: Orientalism 9.2 TBA Week 10 will consist of a concluding lecture, and a final review. This is subject to change should the course fall behind.