Journalism and Society in China

Catalog description

This four credit course examines the role and functions of journalists and the media in Chinese society as modern reporting moves into the digital media landscape. To provide context to the political and cultural environment of news-gathering, the course assesses the development of journalism in China through the 20th century from around the birth of the Republic of China (1911) and through to the modern era. It will examine the relatively free publishing environment for newspapers in the lead-up to establishment of the People’s Republic of China (1949) and the imposition of government control thereafter. Through providing an understanding of the parallel publishing environment of institutional traditional media ownership and today’s free-enterprise online media corporations, the unit studies how reporters operate in both. Students will gain an understanding of the strong nexus between government and media and the ever-present need for journalists to portray various aspects of Chinese ideology at the same time as functioning as news reporters. The portrayal of media as propagandist will be considered against the abiding devotion of journalists to lift the veils on truth. The roles, functions and rounds of journalism as practiced in China will be studied through class discussion and assignments and these will include reporting across all publishing platforms of politics, business, the environment and national issues. The impact of digital journalism will be an underlying theme through the course. The course structure will involve lectures, workshops, seminars, guest speakers and an industry visit. There will be two 3-hour classes per week. Assignments will include a blend of in-class group and individual presentations and two written papers. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: GCS Chinese Media, Arts, and Literature; The Global Network Minor in Journalism Studies.