Course Description

In this course, students will examine the role of the media in shaping the global and local societies, as well as the ways how growing access to information fosters knowledge sharing and citizen participation in public affairs and creates social problems such as privacy infringement, misinformation, and polarization. The students will explore if the global media really changes the power structure of information flow, production, and dissemination or actually reinforces the imbalance. Do the media technologies amount to an individual’s emancipation or serve as another form of exploitation? What is the role of the media in Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world? In a multipolar cultural world, how do citizens contribute to the conversation on local and global issues? The course will also reflect on critical social values such as the freedom of expression, information, privacy, and transparency, and investigate the impact of the social media, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.

[This course is (re)designed as a “flipped classroom” mode. Students are required to prepare and complete pre-class activities (reading, videos, and research) before the class and participate weekly in-class activities and tutorials.]

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate basic understanding of the global media system, in light of contending political, cultural and economic paradigms.
2. Demonstrate basic understanding of the role of technology in the development of the global media system.
3. Identify and demonstrate basic understanding of the mechanisms by which governments, and business interests influence the framing of news.
4. Demonstrate basic understanding of the role of and impact of social media on the global dynamics of information flow and exchange.
5. Demonstrate an awareness of the emergence of “new voices” in the global media.
6. Demonstrate understanding of the issues of freedom of expression, privacy and transparency in relation to the global media.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

First semester (Wed)