Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Applied research seminar using traditional or digital techniques of textual and contextual analysis of news media and explore patterns of coverage and omission.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is a project-based seminar course in which students will individually engage in empirical research and analysis of news stories. Students will have the opportunity to develop various research skills in digital and quantitative analysis which will result in a thesis-like research paper on the findings. Students have the choice to explore different topics or aspects of news content. In this quantitative-based research semester, the course will offer framing analysis in relation to a global news topic or event that has an international scope e.g. disinformation campaigns, US election, the Arab Spring, Global Warming, COVID-19...etc. There are two main methods in analyzing frames in the news: Inductive and deductive approaches. Students are encouraged to follow one or a combination of both of these framing types. For the deductive approach, students need to find relevant articles and follow similar framing matrix used in these studies. For example, Nisbet (2010) mentioned some framing typologies designed to study the coverage of climate change and poverty. Students are encouraged to compare 2 news outlets from the same country or 2 countries using cross-national comparative research in order to see the similarities and differences in the kind of frames used in relation to a certain event or topic that has an international scope. The appendix must include the articles and the detailed way the analysis is made e.g. identifying the frames based on a codebook.

Global events take many forms such sports mega-events like the Olympics, FIFA, or political global events such as the G7 conference. Some of the broad research questions that we attempt to address include: How are issues associated with global events currently being framed in the news media? How, where, and to what extent are the connections between global events and the examined countries’ media systems and participative democracy? What are the dominant frames through which media shape public understanding and engagement with global events? How are stakeholders and interested parties (e.g., industry, lobbies, government, artists, First Nations, etc.) depicted in this coverage, and what communications strategies are they using to influence it? What is the range of analysis, opinion and debate presented on these issues? What are the similarities and differences between different types of news media coverage (public vs. private, mainstream vs. alternative, broadcast vs. print)? How do different news media facilitate, motivate and/or discourage public engagement and action on these issues?

Depending upon student interest and motivation (and the quality of the research) we will explore publication of this research in different forms (i.e., research paper, press release, op-ed, alternative media, etc.). Students will also be asked to give their consent to the publication of their research results (with full acknowledgement of their role in its production).

Course Format:

During our first few weeks, we will collectively survey key themes and issues in news research analysis as well as some prior studies that have investigated the news media’s treatment of relevant global issues and themes. Following this initial orientation, the course will take the form of weekly seminars in which we will meet to discuss and analyse the ongoing results of group research projects. Consistent preparation, class attendance and participation are essential to the seminar’s success.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: