54086 Communicating Nations: Media and National Identities
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Subject handbook information prior to 2020 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 8 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10246-C10251, and Category Type = Bachelor's Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10252-C10263, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10264 Bachelor of Global Studies OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10269 Bachelor of Sound and Music Design OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10311 Bachelor of Arts Communication (Creative Writing) OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10312-C10313, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10314 Bachelor of Arts Communication (Digital and Social Media) OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10315-C10316, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10317 Bachelor of Arts Communication (Cultural Studies) OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10318-C10319, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10332-C10337, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10359 Bachelor of Communication (Digital and Social Media) Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10361-C10364, and Category Type = Bachelor's Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10365-C10368, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10369 Bachelor of Communication (Creative Writing) OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10370 Bachelor of Communication (Creative Writing) Bachelor of Arts International Studies OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10371 Bachelor of Communication (Digital and Social Media) OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10372-C10383, and Category Type = Bachelor's Combined Degree OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10270 Bachelor of Sound and Music Design Bachelor of Arts International Studies OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10276 Bachelor of Music and Sound Design OR 64 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10277 Bachelor of Music and Sound Design Bachelor of Arts International Studies
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.
Description
This subject invites students to think critically about ideas of nationhood and the ways that the media is involved in their creation, maintenance, and dissemination. It engages students to reflect on the meanings ascribed to nationhood and to consider the media's contribution to them. By exploring these ideas as well as their historical evolution within local, national, and global contexts, students develop their critical thinking skills. The subject firstly explores the representations of nationhood in the media. Secondly, this subject explores the ways different political and social groups use these different media outlets to tell their story. By exploring the place of nation and its role in the contemporary media landscape, this subject develops students' capacity to understand and, indeed, to situate themselves and their work in a global and changing workplace.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Identify the mediated contexts within which the concept of nationhood evolves, both historically and in contemporary settings |
|---|---|
| b. | Analyse the political, cultural and economic frameworks that both support and problematize the concept of nationhood |
| c. | Contextualise the seminal role media technologies have played in representing nationhood |
| d. | Reflect on how media representations frame the subjective experience of national identity |
| e. | Construct an argument in relation to how media construct ‘the nation’ |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
- Possess information literacy skills to locate, gather, organise and synthesise information across diverse platforms to inform the understanding of the communication industries (2.1)
- Be reflexive critical thinkers and creative practitioners who are intellectually curious, imaginative and innovative, with an ability to evaluate their own and others' work (2.2)
- Possess well-developed skills and proficiencies to communicate and respond effectively and appropriately across different contexts (6.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject consists of a weekly lecture followed by a tutorial. The lectures provide an interactive experience that engages students with key concepts and debates while, in the tutorials students evaluate theoretical claims through presentations, discussions of readings and consideration of case studies. Tutorials and assignments augment the students’ learning through critique, collaborative inquiry, research, and constructive feedback. They also develop key professional skills: communication, teamwork, project management, problem solving and civic debate. Tutorial participation is therefore a mandatory and assessable component of the subject.
Content (topics)
The following topics will be covered this semester: the nation as an ‘imagined community’; forces of globalization; the roles diasporas play in representing nations; the consolidation of national cultural myths; news media and nationhood; ‘glocalization’; global cultural convergence; concepts of global citizenry; and intersections between nationhood, modernity and sovereignty. Through these, students will (a) consider the role media play in the representation of nationhood; (b) explore the consequences and implications of this; and (c) situate these within their subjective experience of national identity.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Tutorial Participation
| Objective(s): | a, b, c and d | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Collaborative Presentation
| Objective(s): | a, b, c and e | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | Approximately 90 minutes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Analytical Essay
| Objective(s): | b, c and e | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 2000 words | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
In this subject assessment tasks are cumulative so that each task builds understanding and/or skills, informed by formative feedback. Consequently, all assessments must be submitted in order for you to receive feedback. Students who do not submit all assessments will not pass the subject.
Recommended texts
Weekly readings will be available through UTSOnline.
References
John Amis & Michael L. Silk (2010) ‘Transnational organization and symbolic production: Creating and managing a global brand’, Consumption Markets & Culture, v. 13, n. 2, pp. 159-179
Benedict Anderson (2006) Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, London: Verso
Arjun Appadurai (1990) ‘Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy’, Theory, Culture & Society, v.7, pp. 295-310
John Budarick (2013) ‘Localised audiences and transnational media: Media use by Iranian-Australians’, Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy, Aug 2013, Issue 148, p.70-78
Terry Flew & Silvio Waisbord (2015) ‘The ongoing significance of national media systems in the context of media globalization’, Media, Culture & Society, v. 37, n. 4, pp. 620-636
Jackie Hogan (2010) ‘Gendered and racialised discourses of national identity in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia’, Journal of Australian Studies, v. 34, n. 1, pp. 63-77
Alex McConville et al. (2017) Imagining an emotional nation: the print media and Anzac Day commemorations in Aotearoa New Zealand, Media, Culture & Society, v. 39, n. 1, pp. 94-110
Roland Robertson (2012) ‘Globalisation or glocalisation?’ Journal of International Communication, v. 18, n. 2, pp. 191-208
Roland Robertson (2015) ‘Beyond the discourse of Globalization’, Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics & Innovation, v.1, n.6, pp. 1-14
Daniela Schlutz (2017) ‘Transnational media representations and cultural convergence - An empirical study of cultural deterritorialization’, Communications: The European Journal of Communications Research, v. 42, n. 1, pp. 47-66