Outline

Overview

This unit examines politics and media. From the relationship between news media and electoral politics, the study of the intersection of media and power now includes the consideration of new media forms and their relationship with the soft politics of representation and performativity.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Government and International Relations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Peter Chen, peter.chen@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Policy Brief Policy Brief	40%	Mid-semester exam period Due date: 06 Jun 2024 at 23:00	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly Discussion posts Weeks 2 - 12	20%	Multiple weeks	1000 words (10 x 100)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Content Analysis n/a	40%	Week 08 Due date: 18 Apr 2024 at 23:00	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	听
Distinction	75 - 84	听
Credit	65 - 74	听
Pass	50 - 64	听
Fail	0 - 49	When you don鈥檛 meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

听

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the .

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the .

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a听simple extension.鈥� The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can鈥檛 complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for听special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students,听听includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy听reflects the University鈥檚 commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	A debate about 鈥渆ffects鈥�	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Affordances and algorithms	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Media systems and political systems	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Political economy perspectives on media power	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Analysing media content	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Media work	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Campaigning and advertising	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Media and gender	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Media in crisis: Truth and polarisation	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Media and policy 1: Regulating media	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Media and policy 2: Journalism policy	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Wrap up	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner鈥檚 Board. The Examiner鈥檚 Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours鈥� preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

WEEK ONE:听

- Street, John. 鈥淲hat Is Donald Trump? Forms of 鈥楥elebrity鈥� in Celebrity Politics.鈥� Political Studies Review, vol. 17, no. 1, 2019, pp. 3鈥�13, https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929918772995.

WEEK TWO:听

- McCombs, Maxwell and Sebasti谩n Valenzuela (2014) 鈥淎genda-Setting Theory: The Frontier Research Questions.鈥� In Kate Kenski and Kathleen Hall Jamieson (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1-17.

- van Erkel, Patrick F. A., and Peter Van Aelst, 2021, 鈥淲hy Don鈥檛 We Learn from Social Media? Studying Effects of and Mechanisms behind Social Media News Use on General Surveillance Political Knowledge.鈥� Political Communication, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 407鈥�25, https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1784328.

WEEK THREE听

- Yannis Theocharis, Shelley Boulianne, Karolina Koc-Michalska & Bruce Bimber (2023) 鈥淧latform affordances and political participation: how social media reshape political engagement鈥�, West European Politics, 46:4, 788-811, DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2022.2087410

- Etter, Michael, and Oana Brindusa Albu. 鈥淎ctivists in the Dark: Social Media Algorithms and Collective Action in Two Social Movement Organizations.鈥� Organization (London, England), vol. 28, no. 1, 2021, pp. 68鈥�91, https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508420961532.

WEEK FOUR:听

- Wolfsfeld, Gadi, Tamir Sheafer, and Scott Althaus, 2022, 鈥淧MP and Comparative Political Communication鈥�, Building Theory in Political Communication: The Politics-Media-Politics Approach, Oxford, , Pages 111-133.

- Christiane Eilders, 2023, 鈥淭he Hybrid Media System as Battlefield for Climate Politics: Media and Politics in Transformation鈥�, in Detlef Briesen and Sarada Prasanna Das (eds) Media, Politics and Environment : Analyzing Experiences from Europe and Asia, Spinger, Pages 13-21.

WEEK FIVE:听

- Mullen, Andrew, and Jeffery Klaehn, 2010, 鈥淭he Herman-Chomsky Propaganda Model: A Critical Approach to Analysing Mass Media Behaviour.鈥� Sociology Compass, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 215鈥�29, .

- Zuboff, Shoshana, 2022, 鈥淪urveillance Capitalism or Democracy? The Death Match of Institutional Orders and the Politics of Knowledge in Our Information Civilization.鈥� Organization Theory, vol. 3, no. 3, , pp. 263178772211292-, https://doi.org/10.1177/26317877221129290.

WEEK SIX:听

- Stempel III, Guido, H. (1989) 鈥淐ontent Analysis.鈥� In Guido, H. Stempel III and Bruce H. Westley (eds) Research Methods in Mass Communication, Second edition. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. 124- 136.

- Colleen Cotter, 2015, 鈥淒iscourse and Media鈥�, The Handbook of Discourse Analysis IV Discourse in Real鈥怶orld Contexts, Wiley Online Books, doi.org/10.1002/9781118584194, Pages: 795-821.

WEEK SEVEN:听

- Perloff, Richard M., 2019, 鈥淛ournalistic Routines and Why They Matter鈥� The Dynamics of News: Journalism in the 21st-Century Media Milieu. Routledge, . Pages: 204-243

- Xos茅 L贸pez-Garc铆a, Jo茫o Canavilhas, Mar铆a-Cruz Negreira-Rey, and Jorge V谩zquez-Herrero, 2022, 鈥淧olitical Journalism in Digital Native Media鈥�, in Garci虂a Orosa, Berta (ed) Digital Political Communication Strategies鈥�: Multidisciplinary Reflections. Palgrave Macmillan, Pages: 59-74.

WEEK EIGHT:

- Roemmele, Andrea, and Rachel Gibson. 鈥淪cientific and Subversive: The Two Faces of the Fourth Era of Political Campaigning.鈥� New Media & Society, vol. 22, no. 4, 2020, pp. 595鈥�610, https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819893979.

- Jennifer Sclafani, 2017, 鈥淧erforming politics: From the town hall to the inauguration鈥�, in Wodak, Ruth and Bernhard Forchtner (eds) The Routledge Handbook of Language and Politics, Routledge, Pages: 398-411.

WEEK NINE:

- Smith, Jessica C., 2022, 鈥淢asculinity and Femininity in Media Representations of Party Leadership Candidates: Men 鈥楶lay the Gender Card鈥� Too.鈥� British Politics, 17(4), pp. 408鈥�29, .

- Heather K. Evans, 2022, 鈥淎 Woman鈥檚 Place Is in the (U.S.) House: An Analysis of Issues Women Candidates Discussed on Twitter in the 2016 and 2018 Congressional Elections鈥�, in Davis, Richard, and David Taras, editors. Electoral Campaigns, Media, and the New World of Digital Politics. University of Michigan Press,听 https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12013603. (pp. 83-102)

WEEK TEN:听

- Jennifer Cassidy, 2021, 鈥淗ow Post-Truth Politics Transformed and Shaped the Outcome of the 2016 Brexit Referendum鈥� in Giusti, Serena, and Elisa Piras, (eds), Democracy and Fake News鈥�: Information Manipulation and Post-Truth Politics. Routledge, Pages: 53-63.

- Michael Hoechsmann, 2022, 鈥淢ediatized Visions of a Nation on Fire Negotiating Truth Under Shifting Epistemic Conditions鈥� in Jeppesen, S., Hoechsmann, M., ulthiin, I.H., VanDyke, D., & McKee, M. (eds) The Capitol Riots: Digital Media, Disinformation, and Democracy Under Attack (1st ed.). Routledge. , Pages: 36-49.

WEEK 11:听

- Yadlin-Segal, Aya, and Yael Oppenheim, 2021, 鈥淲hose Dystopia Is It Anyway? Deepfakes and Social Media Regulation.鈥� Convergence (London, England), vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 36鈥�51, https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856520923963.

- Ysabel Gerrard, 2022, 鈥淪ocial Media Moderation: The Best-Kept Secret in Tech鈥�, Rosen, Devan (ed), The Social Media Debate鈥�: Unpacking the Social, Psychological, and Cultural Effects of Social Media. First edition., Routledge.

WEEK 12:

- Inna Lyubareva and Fabrice Rochelandet 2021, 鈥淔rom News Diversity to News Quality: New Media Regulation Theoretical Issues鈥�, in Matei, Sorin A. et al (eds), Digital and Social Media Regulation: A Comparative Perspective of the US and Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. Pages: 117-142.

- Mirjam Gollmitzer, 2021, 鈥淎lleviating or Exacerbating Precarity? How freelancers in Germany and Canada experience policies regulating insecure journalistic labor鈥�, in Chadha, Kalyani, and Linda. Steiner. Newswork and Precarity. First edition., Routledge. Pages: 170-185.

WEEK 13:听

- Open session and policy brief show-and-tell

听

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. have an awareness of media theory
LO2. criticially engage with media theory
LO3. understand the contemporary media landscape

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all 爆料王 graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one鈥檚 personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Focus on individual tasks, maintenance of weekly discussions, maintenance of asynchronous lecture material

Disclaimer

Important: the 爆料王 regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an .

爆料王

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

爆料王

GOVT6336: Media Politics

Semester 1, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links