93543 - Media and Communication in Asia (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course analyses the evolution of the communication and media landscape in Asia with specific attention to the interaction with the social and political sphere, analysing the role played by mass media in building up consensus in several different national contexts in East Asia. At the end of the course students will: - master the theoretical and methodological instruments to understand the interaction between the media and the political-institutional spheres in Asia - know the historical evolution of the main Asian national contexts - is able to analyse the implications that the media system has produced on the ways of gaining political consensus in the different Asian national contexts - is able to apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis of electoral campaigns and of contemporary communication processes - is able to analyse the main political and social implications produced by the development of mass media in Asia.

Course contents

The course Media and Communication in Asia aims at introducing, analysing and understanding the main issues regarding media, information and communication in East Asia, with a specific attention to the effects on the political and social sphere. The course aims at providing a broad overview on the historical evolution of media and forms of communication in East Asia and how these have been influenced by and have influenced the social and political processes in the region. The course will examine a wide variety of media languages, forms of production, circulation and consumption of media and information, cultural production, economic, social and political repercussions. The cultural context will be that of East Asia and in particular the Korean peninsula, Japan, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. During the course we will explore different issues related to the interaction between the media and communication landscape and the socio-political sphere, such as: propaganda and state control, nationalism and trans-national cultural exchanges, traditional and digital journalism, media production and consumption, the role of social media and digital platforms, transformations of creative and cultural industries, soft power and nation branding strategies, the role of pop culture, politics of representation, orientalism and techno-orientalism. In this way we will be able to build an historical path aimed at exploring the evolution of the media and communication landscape and the changes that have occurred in contemporary East Asia, to better understand the current dynamics and the interactions between the Asian context and other areas of the world (Western context, Global South).

The organization of the course is based on the active and constant participation of students, which is not limited to class attendance, and constitutes part of the final evaluation.

The course is divided into two parts:

The first part, that will take around 1/3 of the course, will comprise introductory lectures on contemporary East Asian history, on the analysis of political-economic and socio-cultural systems in the main countries of the region, with specific attention to processes related to media, information and communication, and on the key concepts and approaches that will be used throughout the rest of the course for the analysis of specific issues. This part will serve to create a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to analyse the specific media and communication processes and their interactions with the political and social sphere.

The second part will be reserved to the analysis of specific issues and themes of particular relevance in the context of media, information and communication systems and the political and social sphere of the different countries. The issues that will be analyzed are: 

- Propaganda and the role of the State in media;

- Digital media and the transformation of information in Asia;

- Media, nationalism and socio-cultural processes at the regional and global levels;

- Soft power, cultural diplomacy and nation branding;

- The evolution of cultural production and creative industries: The case of the ‘Korean Wave’;

- Social media and digital platforms in East Asia;

- Emerging technologies and new media economic models;

- The role of pop culture in socio-political processes;

- Alternative media, digital activism and participatory cultures;

- Representation and narratives of Asia: Orientalism and techno-orientalism

The analysis of these issues will include an introductory lecture, followed by a collective classroom discussion, based on the assigned readings and other specific materials; for this reason it is absolutely essential to do all the readings before coming to class, based on the schedule provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

The  bibliography for the course will consist of a selection of readings and materials dedicated to the themes addressed throughout the course. The list with all the required readings will be provided at the beginning of the course and all the readings will be made available in electronic format on the online university platform Virtuale.

The historical-political framework of reference will be provided in the first lectures of the course. However, for a general overview of the history of contemporary East Asia, we recommend reading one – or more – of these books:

• Antonio Fiori, Marco Milani, Andrea Passeri (2022). L’Asia. Storia, Istituzioni e Relazioni Internazionali. (Firenze: Le Monnier Università). Parte prima, capitoli: 1, 2 e 5; parte seconda, capitoli: 1, 2, 5 e 6; Parte terza, capitoli: 1, 4 e 6; parte quarta, capitoli: 1, 3, 4 e 6; parte quinta, capitoli: 1, 2, 5 e 6.

• Alice Lyman Miller and Richard Wich (2011). Becoming Asia: Change and Continuity in Asian International Relations Since World War II. (Stanford: Stanford University Press).

For e general overview of the issues and processes related to media, communication and pop culture in East Asia we recommend the following books:

• Koichi Iwabuchi, Eva Tsai and Chris Berry (2017). Routledge Handbook of East Asian Popular Culture. (Abingdon: Routledge).

• Youna Kim (2022). Media in Asia: Global, Digital, Gendered and Mobile. (Abingdon: Routledge).

• Nobuko Kawashima and Hye-Kyung Lee (2018). Asian Cultural Flows: Cultural Policies, Creative Industries and Media Consumers. (Singapore: Springer).

The recommended readings are not mandatory, but they represent an important resource to familiarize with the history, politics and media and communication landscape of East Asia.

Teaching methods

The course will be structured with lectures and classroom discussions.

Lectures will include slides, text readings, image analysis, and short video screenings.

The specific methodology for class discussions will be defined at the beginning of the course, depending on the number of attending students. Active student participation is a key component of the course and will contribute to the final assessment for attending students. For this reason, students are expected to carefully read the assigned materials in advance and actively engage in classroom discussions.

Assessment methods

Considering the importance of active class participation attendance is strongly recommended.

 

ATTENDING STUDENTS:

Class participation + assignment + discussion

In addition to active class participation during the course, attending students will present an assignment on a topic, key concept or issue raised in the course, or related to the themes of the course (in this case it should be cleared with the instructor). The assignment can be a short research paper (3000 words) or a “creative assignment” in non-traditional format: photo essay, video essay, academic poster, short podcast (other non-traditional format can be used but it should be cleared with the instructor in advance). More details about the assignment will be given during the first lecture and will be the focus of a specific session during the course.

The assignment will be discussed during the final exam, followed by questions about the topics and issues of the course.

 

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:

Oral exam

For non-attending students the assessment will take place through an oral exam on the topic of all the required readings from the reading list, plus one of the books on contemporary East Asian history (Antonio Fiori, Marco Milani, Andrea Passeri. L’Asia. Storia, Istituzioni e Relazioni Internazionali, only designated chapters, OR Alice Lyman Miller e Richard Wich Becoming Asia: Change and Continuity in Asian International Relations Since World War II) and one of the following books Routledge Handbook of East Asian Popular Culture by Koichi Iwabuchi, Eva Tsai and Chris Berry or Media in Asia: Global, Digital, Gendered and Mobile di Youna Kim.

 

The ability to present key issues and topics regarding East Asian media and communication using a specific language, showing critical awareness and connecting them to the political, social and cultural contexts will result in an excellent evaluation. A purely notional knowledge with little analysis and a correct but not specific language will result in a fair evaluation. An incomplete knowledge or inappropriate language will result in a pass evaluation. Important gaps in key themes and issues, inappropriate language and inability to use key concepts and approaches will result in a negative evaluation.

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Specific readings on the covered topics, slides, images and short videos, audio-visual materials.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Milani