/ Spring 24-25 /
Syllabus
Course Outline
Course Description
This course aims to establish a thorough understanding of media ethics as globally understood and standardized. It engages with ethical dilemmas that media workers face in their career and unpacks legal concepts and frameworks that govern the media industry. The course explores the ethical guidelines and social responsibilities while examining key regulations in the fields of journalism, entertainment, and advertising. It covers a range of topics relating to media ethics, freedom of expression, cybercrime, copyright, trademark, privacy, defamation, obscenity, and deceptive advertising (among others). This is all combined with a focus on the practical realities of media law and ethics, and the clash between principle and necessity that reveals itself in the everyday decisions of media organisations and workers. Taking a global perspective, this course will seek to unpack the power relations at the core of modern media, and how they are reflected in how media law and ethics are understood and implemented across the world. By the end of the course, you should be able to actively debate and discuss a wide-ranging variety of topics across our field in a rich and meaningful way.