Comparing Media Systems (MECM20010)

While new communication technologies, satellite broadcasting, and the Internet have contributed to an increasing connectedness between different regions, a deeper understanding of the organizational structure of this ‘connectedness’, the national and transnational regulation and the ways in which these are perceived in different societies and national contexts becomes increasingly important. In particular the inreasing role of supra- and subnational media within such a transnational public require new ‘comparative’ methodological approaches. This subject will explore the organizational, cultural and political structures of transnationally operating media organizations in order to identify new forms of overlap and disjuncture in the international media environment. Students will be introduced to comparative approaches for a deeper understanding of the development and contemporary forms of diverse media structures and societal environments in developing, transitional, and developed countries.