This course explores the origins and contemporary roles of media in international affairs, both as a source of information and, increasingly, as an important medium of war, peace, and diplomacy. The course is composed of three tracks. The first is foundational, focusing on the dual development of colonial and media empires from early days of the panorama, photography, print media, radio, TV, global news corporations, to today's Internet (web 2.0) - thus covering the origins of and evolution from old to digital new media. The second is theoretical, using classical International Relations and critical theory to examine media as product and instrument of cultural, economic and political struggles. The third is practical, using second weekly 'Global Media Workshops' in which guest media practitioners (from war reporters, film documentary makers, bloggers, to social media activists) teamed with International Relations theorists will present classes in a variety of media, including print, photography, radio, cinema, television, and online convergences. Combining history, theory, critical viewing, and film screenings, and based on a retrospective study of news media, documentaries, and critical media theory, the course will map the complex contemporary global media environment where the satellite, Internet and cell phone, among other recent technologies, have created a new political panorama of messages, meanings and stratagems directly affecting international politics and questions of war and peace.
ﾠ"In war, truth is the first casualty” – Aeschylus
ﾠ“All warfare is based on deception” – Sun Tzu
The experience of war has changed drastically in the past fifty years – both for those fighting and those on the home front. High-tech, net-centrically-organised militaries prosecute wars from a distance using satellite-guided weaponry while non-state military actors, terrorist organisations, and citizen journalists have increasingly added new voices and visual perspectives to the conversation about conflict. At the same time, those at the home front aim for their remote controls and or smartphones to scroll through the 24-hour news networks whose reporters use those same satellites and web platforms to file instantaneous stories from the front lines.
Considering these changes, this course endeavours to ask the following questions:
These are some of the questions that drive this course. And in order to allow students to engage with them, this course is taught through a number of conventional and unconventional forms of pedagogy, methods, and activities. These include classical lectures, small group tutorials, weekly readings of academic texts, and discussions. But it also includes a practical, experiential element taught through regular MediaLab sessions, full-class surveys, critical viewing, crowdsourcing, media and image analysis, collaborative research, and flipped classroom activities. Combined, these activities allow students to gain a deeper understanding of how today's media technology functions, how politics play out on and behind the digital and analog screens in today's hypermediatized age, and -crucially- how these phenomena are intersecting with war and violent conflict.
A Word about this course and Class Discussion
This course invites students to participate in pioneering a new intellectual terrain. Given the nature of the course topic, students will undergo a range of activities which are unusual for the ordinary university classroom. The success of the course will therefore - in part - depend on the students' openmindedness and engagement with these types of activities. Teachers and students are thereby embarking on a shared learning discovery which will be enriching, challenging, but ultimately rewarding both intellectually and individually.
This course is also unique in that it deals with current subject matter of a highly-charged political nature. There will be lots of class discussion and practical exercises. We should note from the beginning that debate is welcome (it would not be much of a class if we agreed on everything). Honest debate and discussion happens when people are capable not only of advancing their claims, but also listening and questioning their own views. This is not the two-dimensional world of CNN’s Crossfire, where yelling and sniping are passed off as debate between “left” and “right.” This class should be a mature and respectful, but controversial discussion of important and complex, real-life matters.
No prior knowledge in the thematic area of the course is required. Some understanding of World Politics, International Relations, and Peace and Conflict Studies is advantageous but not essential. What is of essence is that students are interested in this topic and prepared to dedicate time to this course and to be willing to expose themselves to the innovative theoretical and practical activities through which this course is taught.
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
4 units POLS-coded courses
Seb is the overall course coordinator for POLS3512.
His office hours are: tbc (in person and via zoom [zoom details are on Blackboard], no RSVP required, simply swing by or zoom in). Talk to him about any questions you have about the course or if you feel that you want to talk about anything related to your studies.
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
In this course, you will be attending/doing:
- 8 lectures, 2 hours (beginning in week 1)
- 8 tutorials, 1 hour (beginning in week 2)
- 5 MediaLabs, 3 hours (beginning in Week 2)
- 6 small practical and self-experiential exercises/activities outside formal contact hours (beginning in week 1)
Students will be allocated to classes based on preferences. Since you are doing the course internally, all campus basis activities will be in person.
This course explores the relationship between media, information technology, war and peace and how this relationship changed over time. It engages these themes from historical and conceptual perspectives, covering classical and contemporary texts and sources, engaging film documentaries, and class discussions. It furthermore makes students engage - oftentimes through collaborative research - in practical, experiential activities aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the politics and ecology of media and conflict through bi-weekly MediaLabs (covering topics such as surveillance, first person shooter video games, critical documentary viewing, surveys, examination of war images). Combined, these activities allow students to gain a deeper understanding of how today's media technology functions, how politics play out on and behind the digital and analog screens in today's hypermediatized age.
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Conceptually/theoretically understand major themes of Global Media at times of War and Peace
LO2.
Grasp the historical and contemporary dimensions of Global Media technology in relation to Conflict and Peace
LO3.
Practically and critically engage with current issues regarding Media/War/Peace
LO4.
Have developed independent and collaborative skills to engage with actual Media content and gained the cognitive skills to be a critical Media consumer and producer
LO5.
Work independently and/or as part of a team
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/ Demonstration, Reflection | Surveys and uploads | 12% |
The 6 different due dates are listed on Blackboard. They occur at 6 different times throughout the semester. Please see 'Detailed Learning Activities' document on Blackboard under 'Learning Resources'. |
| Participation/ Student contribution | Participation: 8 tutorials and 5 MediaLabs | 26% |
Throughout the semester |
| Essay/ Critique | MediaLab Critical Review (1500 words) | 22% |
Depending on your choice, deadlines will differ. See instructions in the task description. |
| Essay/ Critique | Long Essay (2500 words) | 40% |
25/10/2024 2:00 pm |
The 6 different due dates are listed on Blackboard. They occur at 6 different times throughout the semester. Please see 'Detailed Learning Activities' document on Blackboard under 'Learning Resources'.
At 6 different points of the course, students are asked to participate in practical learning activities, self-experiments, surveys or analysis of material/images outside of formal contact hours. The details of the tasks and the respective deadlines are listed in the detailed learning activities posted on Blackboard and communicated to students in class, lectures, and by email. For each full and completed survey/activity/analysis submitted and/or material/picture uploaded, students can score a maximum of 2 points.
Students having missed the deadline for an activity have forfeited the 2 points they can score.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Please see:
a) 'Detailed Learning Activities' file on Blackboard under 'Learning Resources'.
b) the weekly emails coming from your course coordinator.
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Throughout the semester
This assessement item combines quality of participation for 8 tutorials (1 hour, 2 points each = 16 overall) and 5 MediaLab sessions (3 hours practicals; 2 points each; 10 overall). Together, this allows you to score 26 points for the quality of your participation in our course.
MEDIALABS:
There are five MediaLab Sessions throughout the semester where students and staff engage in practical, experiential, collaborative media/technology-driven activities aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the politics/ecology of media behind the screens. The quality of your participation in each of these sessions is awarded with 2 point max. With 5 MediaLab sessions during the semester, you can score up to 10 points here.
Given the nature of these sessions and the nature of the learning provided, students missing a session cannot (unlike for missed tutorials) make up for the missed mark.
TUTORIALS:
There are 8 tutorials and each allows you to score 2 points for the quality of your participation. Unlike the MediaLab sessions, if you are sick, you can apply for a writing alternative by emailing your medical certificate to Dr Molly Murphy (molly.murphy@uq.edu.au) and they will issue you with a writing alternative to make up for the points missed due to illness or other legitimate reasons.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
For MediaLabs, no make up option is available if you were to miss one.
For tutorials, if you miss a tutorial for legitimate reasons (see UQ policy), you can ask for a writing alternative. For that, follow the instructions outlined above.
Depending on your choice, deadlines will differ. See instructions in the task description.
MediaLab Critical Review (1500 words)
Students must write a Critical Review (1,500 words) of one specific Media Lab Session (and engagement with relevant literature and – if applicable - survey results/material used/produced for or during that MediaLab session); due two weeks after the date of the respective Media Lab session. The cut off time for submission therefore is 2 weeks after each session, to be submitted by 2pm.
The student writes a critical review of one of the first 4 MediaLab Sessions taking place throughout the course. The review is due two weeks after the actual Lab session has taken place and needs to be submitted through Turnitin (and an email needs to be sent to Dr Jack Shield once the task has been accomplished: j.shield1@uq.edu.au).
To write a critical appraisal of the MediaLab Session, the student should critically engage with one core content element which they undertook during the media lab (as will be announced at the end of the medialab by the course convener).
This entails that students continue the work they started in the Medialab and expand it through further research and engagement with the topic and the relevant academic literature. This can be considered a mini research project and its precise focus will be announced at the end of each Medialab session.
Submission deadline: two weeks after the MediaLab session covered in this assignment at 2pm Brisbane time through Turnitin. Please note it is not possible to write your review on the fifth and final MediaLab, given that it takes place towards the end of the semester and would place the due date in the examination period.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission:
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
You may be able to apply for an extension.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
Students have to write a 2,500 word essay on one of the following essay questions by 25 October, 14:00.
The link for the Turnitin essay submission can be found on Blackboard.
The choice of essay questions are:
Long Essay questions:
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission:
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
You may be able to apply for an extension.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does not address the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student addresses the question poorly and shows very little evidence of reading. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay and employs some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flow appears throughout the assignment. The student addresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However, falls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument and employs an adequate research base to support the argument. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The student answers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student provides suitable evidence to support an argument and employs a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic and provides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic and succeeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand. |
Grades will be awarded on the following basis:
1. Failﾠ 1 - 19%
2. Failﾠ 20 - 44%
3. Failﾠ 45 – 49%
4. Passﾠ 50 - 64 %
5. Creditﾠ 65 - 74 %
6. Distinctionﾠ 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinctionﾠ 85 - 100 %
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Word Length Penalty
Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.
Students should note:
• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;
• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length. If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.
Marking Criteria/Rubric
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Students should also sign up to and regularly view/read/follow:
https://twitter.com/SebKaempf (follow #Pols3512)
Al Jazeera’s ‘Listening Post’ (free through ITunes or http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/)
Media Watch (ABC) http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/
Wired Magazine (http://www.wired.com/)
Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org/
The Intercept https://firstlook.org/theintercept/
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.
The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Lecture |
Week One: The Geopolitics of Cyberspace Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Two: Geopolitics of Cyberspace Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
Practical |
Week Two: MediaLab I: Survey, Privacy and Media Ecology Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Two: Transformation of InfoTech/Media and War Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Three: Transformation of InfoTech/Media and War Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Three: Visual Politics Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Four: Tutorial: Visual Politics Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04, L05 |
|
Practical |
Week Five: MediaLab II: Visual Politics: Global Media Survey Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Five: Surveillance I: Surveillance and Sousveillance Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Six: Surveillance I Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Six: Surveillance II: Surveillance and Free Speech Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Seven: Surveillance II Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
Practical |
Week Seven: MediaLab III: Big Metadata mining & sousveillance Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Seven: Empires/States and Media Control in War Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Eight: Empires/States and Media Control in War Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Eight: Military-Industrial-Media-Entertainment Complex Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04, L05 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Nine: Military-Industrial-Media-Entertainment Complex Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID-SEMESTER BREAK No lecture, tutorials or Media Labs this week |
|
Practical |
Week Ten: MediaLab IV: Pentagon/CIA and Hollywood Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Not Timetabled |
Independent Study Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Lecture |
Week Twelve: Non-state armed groups and Media Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Tutorial |
Week Thirteen: Non-state armed groups and Media Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
|
Practical |
Week Thirteen: MediaLab V: Media Analysis ISIS, Reflection Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.