Media Policy

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1003098BER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Studenten in de bachelor Communicatiewetenschappen hebben ‘Communicatiewetenschappen I’ en 'Onderzoekspraktijk' (= 'Academisch onderzoek 1') gevolgd alvorens dit opleidingsonderdeel op te nemen. Studenten in een andere bachelor hebben ‘Communicatiewetenschappen I’ gevolgd alvorens dit opleidingsonderdeel op te nemen.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Communication Sciences

Educational team

Tim Raats (course titular)
Stephanie Tintel
Sofie Vermoesen

Activities and contact hours

52 contact hours Lecture
1 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
97 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

The course consists of 6 big parts providing insights in and knowledge over:

Conceptual approach of media policy and its main regulatory principles (freedom of expression, media pluralism, authorsrights, universal service obligations, general interest policy...),
Theoretical approach of media policy: government regulation, coregulation, selfregulation, governance,
Factual approach of media policy & institutional frameworks: who is responsible (competence levels, regulators...), how, with what effects, who are the main lobbies (EBU, ACT...),
Insights in cultural industrial & economic toolkit,
Insights in sector specific media policy domains: regulatory actors, broadcasting, film, print.
Demonstration of a scientific attitude regarding the research, selection, synthesis, analysis and evaluation of scientific literature and of the organization and coordination of the collaboration in order to complete a scientifically based paper.

The related seminars are intended to let students critically scrutinize a concrete theme concerning media policy and/or media structures in the form of a group paper. This group paper is built upon a selection and processing of literature in a literature study and an empirical analysis and critical processing of existing data – according to the attitudes and skills thought in BA1 and BA2 (first semester). This group paper requires mutual organization, coordination, integration and the final processing of a scientific group paper and group presentation.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Mediabeleid, Jaarlijks wisselende reader met artikels (zowel wetenschappelijk als populariserend) en feitelijke informatie, C. Pauwels

Additional info

A lecture series accompanies this course. Important practitioners and political actors are invited to speak about their regulatory and policy experiences. Students are obliged to attend the lectures.
All group members are also obliged to attend the prescribed feedback moments.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

The overall goal of this course is to provide the students with:

an insight in the Flemish, Belgian and international media policy;
a frame of reference and analysis - in particular a political economy approach - when addressing media policy issues;
as much as possible factual information (numbers and data).
An understanding of relevant policy issues in the domain of media and communication
The follow up of current Flemish and international developments in the domain of media policy and media structures, and the critical evaluation and analysis of these evolutions
The researching, selecting and processing of scientific and other relevant literature
A demonstration of a scientific attitude in the synthesis, analysis and evaluation of this literature
The strengthening of a critical attitude towards scientific literature and methods (quantitative, qualitative…), policy documents, the own position as a scientist etc.
To collaborate, process information and organize a study in order to produce a scientific based paper
An oral presentation and defense of the results, conclusions and recommendations.

More specifically, this course contributes to the following learning results of the bachelor program:

students have knowledge and understanding of historical and recent developments in media and communication,
students have knowledge and understanding of the structures, operation and processes of media and communication organisations, media and communication practices, and media and communication markets,
students have knowledge and understanding of the national, European and international policy context in which these media and communication organisations, structures and processes develop,
students are able to detect trends and issues within a media landscape, analyse these on the basis of a theoretical framework of reference and analysis, and estimate their societal, professional and policy implications.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 40% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Oral Exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

Note: Oral exam, with a short preparation time before taking the exam.

Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Group Paper with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Oral exam, with a short preparation time before taking the exam, 60% of the final grade.

The group paper, its presentation and a peer assessment (for each group) stand for 8 of the 20 points (40% of the final grade). Participation during the seminars and guest lectures are not marked, but absence can lead to a reduction of points. In the case of a legitimate absence, the prove of force majeure must be delivered to the secretary of the faculty within 3 days after the expiry of force majeure and a copy of the prove must be sent to the assistant. Moreover, absences during guest lectures will also negatively impact the grades for the second session. In the case of an insufficient grade for this course (less than 10/20), the student needs to rework the paper individually if the student had an insufficient grade for this paper during the first session.

More information concerning the seminars and the exercise are reflected in the task description, available on the digital learning platform.

Examples of exam questions are published on the digital learning platform.
Examples of exam questions:

Explain why media policy should be oriented economically as well as culturally.
How tenable is a public broadcasting policy in todays information society?
Elucidate and make explicit the research paradigm of political economy and apply to the Belgian situation.
Is there any self regualtion in Belgium. Is this effective?
Assess the BIPT;
How is film policy orgnaised in Flanders? Is this effective?
Is there a conflict of interests between the different regulatory levels in Belgium?

Second session

If you need to participate in the second session, but scored minimum 10/20 for one of the two parts of the evaluation (HOC or WPO), the partial result is transferred to the second session. If you wish to retake the part you scored minimum 10/20 for in the second session, you need to send an e-mail to the professor before (!) the start of the second session. In case you retake that part in the second session, your first session result is cancelled and the second session result becomes the official result (even if it is lower than the first session result).

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context