Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
In 2019-2020, the course will primarily endeavour to outline the morphological profile of the main Belgian media groups and companies (shareholders, subsidiaries and affiliates, board of directors, political and/or ideological positioning) ; analysis of the management and financial structures of the companies concerned opening the way for a critical reflection on the relationships between the media industry, State and capitalism, within the framework of a resolutely interdisciplinary approach.
In a second step, the course will question the socio-professional profile of the managers of the Belgian editorial teams, before looking at 1 ° the effects of the merchandising of information (increased precariousness of journalists, increased dependence on institutional sources, confusion between journalism and public relations), 2 ° the "restructuring" observed in the sector (employers' strategies and decisions, journalists' unions, collective bargaining and social struggles), and 3 ° certain socio-economic developments in the digital era (webjournalism and socio-professional identities).
On a more practical level, this course also endeavours to initiate students in research and digital investigation tools in the area of the socio-economics of the media industry (national and international economic/financial press, online company annual reports, company databases, etc.).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1) present the main Belgian media groups and companies (shareholders, board of directors, subsidiaries and affiliates, editors, positioning, etc.);
2) assess competitive and/or cooperative relationships between the various groups and companies studied, but also evaluate the reasons behind consolidation and concentration in the media sector;
3) go deeper into the relationships between the media, State and capitalism ;
4) have a better understanding of their future socio-professional environment, by being aware and well-informed of the constraints - both internal and external - that will affect its practices;
5) discuss the logic behind the increasing commodification of information and its most visible consequences for professionals in the sector (job instability, increased dependence on certain sources, professional retraining, etc.) ;
6) successfully carry out a first basis digital investigation in the area of the socio-economics of the media industry - as well as other sectors of activity -, in particular through a better understanding of the main online resources permitting this type of research (national and international economic/financial press, company annual reports, company databases, etc.). Through this research, students are therefore also prepared for the desk work that all investigational journalists must do before going into specific investigations;
7) develop a critical view of everything studied in class.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Face-to-face
Recommended or required readings
Compulsory reading and course notes:
YES (SEE NOTES ONLINE)
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Michel Pinçon et Monique Pinçon-Charlot, Sociologie de la bourgeoisie, Paris, La Découverte, « Repères », 2016 (1ère édition 2000)
Assessment methods and criteria
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Work placement(s)
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Organizational remarks
Classes are held every Wednesday: 14:00-16:00 (Lumière Room)
Contacts
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Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session
Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning
Assessment subjects
Assessment methods
Contacts
Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session
Assessment subjects
Assessment methods
Contacts
Items online
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