Communication

This course examines the influence of American culture, specifically the American media model, on media in the Czech Republic after the fall of communism in 1989. The course focuses on all aspects of the media, presenting specific examples. It begins with an introduction to American cultural influence on European culture and how this developed after the end of World War II in Western Europe, and after 1989 in Central Europe. It briefly covers the subject of life under communism in order to understand the contrast between the East and the West in Europe. It also focuses on the different existing media models. Students create an “American media model” with its specific characteristics. Students study literature and news items in both the United States and Europe (with an extra focus on the Czech Republic). Upon completion of the course, students understand and articulate American cultural influence in Europe, specifically in Central Europe after 1989; demonstrate their knowledge about both the American and Czech media based on the literature they studied and the examples they have seen and discussed in class and apply this knowledge in their own research; show and explain, in class discussions and in their work, the difference between the media in these two countries and the way this influences the way the news and facts are presented in both countries.

This workshop studies how to read and analyze journalistic content on cultural themes in a professional manner. It provides an opportunity to question journalistic expression by analyzing the facts and data it provides, the credibility of the information transmitted, and the meaning of their publication on certain dates and distribution platforms. The course examines quality, balance, and relevance of the sources; tone, rigor, and atmosphere of the expression; precision of the information; point of view of the narration; identification of the news; typology of the publications; analysis of the formats; and platforms of distribution.

This course is designed to develop student's understanding of Korean culture and society, focusing on intercultural awareness and communication. In this course, students learn about an ever fast growing and changing Korean society in the era of globalization. This course helps students appreciate the complexity and dynamics involved in Korean cultural contexts, enhance students’ self reflection of their own culture in relation to other cultures, and develop a cross-cultural understanding of other societies. As the world is transformed by globalization, Korea too has undergone enormous changes. Today's Korean society, economy, politics, culture, and the values of its people are vastly different from those of two decades ago. This course provides an overview of Korean culture with an emphasis on the major changes and continuities in Korea. We explore particular themes relevant to understanding Korea such as Confucianism, modernization, cyber-culture, in-group relations, indigenous values, nationalism, gender relations, multicultural families, and popular culture in contemporary Korea. Achievement of these goals requires emphasis on both theory and practice. From the outset, the course attempts to balance theory with practical experiences, in class exercises, and illustrative materials designed to increase intercultural awareness of Korean culture and society. Thus, student participation in class discussion and exercises is essential.

The main objective of this course is to prepare students with the knowledge and analytical tools needed to develop balanced views on Korean culture and society. Upon the completion of this course, students are able: to understand and explain values, attitudes, and norms that shape Korean culture; to develop awareness of, analyze, and evaluate their own cultural assumptions and how they relate to other cultures; to compare and contrast Korean culture and their own; to apply creative thinking and problem solving skills to intercultural/international communication; and to conduct research in a topic related to Korean culture and to write a paper based on the research.

This course investigates the main challenges that political activists need to address, and how protest takes different forms and employs different strategies and tactics in different countries, cultures, and circumstances. The course explores a wide variety of cases around the world, ranging from opposition movements in Socialist and authoritarian countries, environmental and civil rights protests, to peace movements and protests on behalf of foreign nations. Based on an examination of the successes and failures of different groups, the course develops a deeper understanding for the communicative dynamics of protest communication. Building upon this understanding, the course then focuses on a selection of specific protest movements around the globe, mapping their goals and strategies, challenges, and opportunities for achieving political change. The course analyzes these movements' activities communicating their causes toward the media, the public, and political authorities. The course brings together insights from several cases, discusses how different strategies can be applied in different contexts, and reviews the implications for the viability of effective political protest.

This course examines language, discourse, and communication across different contexts within medicine, illness, and health. It explores some of the dominant policy and media discourses of health, focusing on issues such as mental health, relationships of power between patients and health professionals, the framing of personal risk and responsibility in health promotion, and the representations of emerging diseases. Students examine the discursive negotiation of personal experiences of health problems, for example through narrative reconstructions of illness experiences, positioning of "sick" and "healthy" people, doctor-patient interactions, and the use of online forums for advice and support. The course covers a range of approaches and methods that are used in health discourse analysis, such as illness narratives, discursive psychology, conversation analysis, discourse metaphors, and critical discourse analysis.