יחידות הוראה

  • Course Intro

    I. Purpose of the Course:

    Help students get an insight intorelationship between globalization, social development and media, develop independent thinking and innovative ideas, and lay the foundation for individual research in the field of global communication.

    II. Course Description:

    With the tide of globalization and informatization, cross-border communication is gaining momentum in terms of both frequency and range, which is exerting increasing influence on global community and thus attracts attention of researchers around the world. The course aims to help students learn about the content and paths of study in the field of global communication, reexamine existing theories and research paradigms, discover relationship between globalization, social development and media, and more importantly, explore the emerging issues, new paths and innovative methods for research, in the light of changing situation of international interactions and information technology. The course encourages students to develop the system approach, cross-disciplinary perspective, insight into the development and logical thinking. The teaching methods emphasize both input and output for the students, aiming to improve students’ independent thinking and innovation on their own way to global communication research.


    • Course Schedule and Topics:

      1.Course introduction2 credit hours

      An introduction to what the course is about, teaching methods and ways of evaluation

      2.Paper writing for global communication studies2 credit hours

      Analysis of a typical research article about global communication part by part, telling students the rationale of the writing of each part, providing useful paper writing tips

      3.Scope, paths and methodology for global communication studies(4credit hours

      Providing an overview for better understanding of what Global Communication studies are about and the complication of media and communication in the process of globalization.

      4.Re-examination of theories and research paradigms(6credit hours

      1Change of world structure and development of theories and research paradigms

      2Reading and discussion: Read a research article providing new possibilities of paradigm change, with class discussion based on reaction paper.

      5.New features and directions of global communication studies4 credit hours

      1Realizing limitations of existing studies and exploring convergence of studies

      2Reading and discussion: Read a research article introducing living system and global communication studies, with class discussion based on reaction paper.

      6.New research topics based on development of international systems4 credit hours

      1Global reporting and influencing factors in the light of world system

      2Reading and discussion: Read a research article about agenda setting and US media reporting on elections around the world, with class discussion based on reaction paper.

      7.New research topics based on development of information technologies4 credit hours

      1Introducing influence of the information technology development on global society and new possibilities of research in the changing media environment

      2Reading and discussion: Read a research article about how social media and traditional media interact with each other during Occupy Wall Street, with class discussion based on reaction paper

      8.Directions of studies of China's global communication4 credit hours

      1How to define national image; the present situation of global opinion on China; reexamining key issues and exploring new paths

      2Reading and discussion: Read a research article about media event and China’s global image, with class discussion based on reaction paper


      9.Presentations of individual research design and in-class instruction6 credit hours

      Individual presentation, followed by others’ critique

      **There will be adjustments according to real situation

      • Course requirements and reference

        Teaching methods:

        1. lectures: about theoretical frame, research methodology, special research topics and research development

        2. literature reading: Students read research articles related with lecture topics

        3. paper writing: Students write reaction papers based on reading,independent thinking required.

        4. class discussions: discussions during lectures, after-reading discussions

        5. inquisitive teaching applied: during lectures and class discussions, questions are raised to lead students to the key points and arouse critical thinking and innovative ideas.

        6. Class presentation of individual research design: class presentations of individual research designs followed by teacher and peer’s critique

        7. Final written research design: hand in the improved and finalized research design based on class presentation

        8. Lectures: by experts and scholars home and abroad

        Reference books:

        1. Colin Sparks, Globalization, Development and the Mass MediaSAGE Publications Ltd2007

        2.Yahya R. Kamalipour, Global Communication, Wadsworth / Thomson Learning, 2002.


        Literature reading materials:Research articles related with lecture topics, selected from leading journals in the world.


        Performance assessment:

        1. Reaction papers 50%

        Each student should show his or her independent thinking instead of a mere summary in the writing of reaction papers based on literature reading.

        3. Research design in the written form 50%

        Students should hand in the written design, including introduction, literature review and methodology, after improvement is made based on class presentation.


        *At most 3 points will be deducted or added to the final score based on the attendance and in-class performance.



        Credit hours and credits: 36 credit hours, 2 credits


        • Introduction to the class

        • Academic writing for global communication research

        • scope, path and methodology

        • Theories and paradigms

          learn about theories of global communication and different paradigms

        • paradigm change

          Discussion of possibility of paradigm change in the changing world

        • New features and directions of global communication studies

          Based on the reading of change of paradigms, discuss the limitation of present studies in the changing media environment and global situation. Introduce the new way of thinking, like the“ living system approach"

        • New ideas based on development of international systems

          Global reporting and influencing factors in the light of world system

        • How to study influencing factors in global reporting

          Discussion of research on reporting about world elections, focused on methodology

        • New ideas based on development of information technology

          Influence of new media on global communication. Lecture from Wayne Wanta about possible research ideas of social media and agenda-setting

        • Compare social media and mainstream media in Occupy Wall Street

        • Directions of studies of China’s global communication

          How to define national image; the present situation of global opinion on China; reexamining key issues and exploring new paths

        • Study of Global Opinion on China

        • Individual research design presentation

          Examples of students' presentations

        • Reading materials

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