MCS503 SOCIOLOGY OF JOURNALISM
Course Content
The object of this course is to examine the profession of journalism in its relations to other socio-economic and political actors. The birth of journalism in an historical context and the relationship between the grand sociological theories and media theories will be studied. The relationship between media atmosphere (which consists of the level of democratic development, characteristics of state and government in a given country), nature of the media ownership and civil society, and the practice of journalism will be discussed. It will be argued that media are a constitutive element in the power structure of societies. Professional unions and existence of a professional ideology among journalists will be two major topics. Journalists' role in reproducing the dominant ideas and values will be discussed. The course also aims to develop a sociological model to understand the functioning of the media.
