Programme

PGP

Term

VI

Academic Year

2021-22

Course title

Media and Society: Economics, Politics, Ethics and Technologies for Mass Communication

Area

Communication

Credits

0.75

Instructor(s)

Prof. Paranjoy Guha Thakurtha (VF)

Course Description & Objectives

Objectives: The objective of the course would be to apprise students about the economic, political and social impact of the mass media on society in general and Indian society in particular. The course will provide a broad global perspective on the working of the media while explaining specific local elements in developed and developing countries. The course would explain the commercial as well as the aesthetic considerations that influence the functioning of organizations engaged in mass communications. It would historically review the way in which information and communication technologies have impacted the mass media and how ethical issues relating to the media have evolved over time. The course would look at the ways in which the internet or the worldwide web have not merely become an important mass medium in itself but the manner in which the new medium is exerting a profound influence on existing media by making these more personal and participative. The course would also consider the market-oriented, commercial considerations that impact the mass media which is often perceived to be in contradiction to the role of the media in providing a public service. The course would introduce students to foundational works on the political economy of the media while highlighting patterns of interface between media organizations and society. Specifically, the course would look at the socially-constructed nature of news that challenges ideas and notions of news as being something “out there” which is “objective” or “value-free”. It would highlight the “power” of the media in ideological terms and the corporatization of the media. The course further examines the practical and pragmatic implications for organizations and individuals of the use of fast-changing technologies for mass communications.