The Central European University is happy to announce a course on “MEDIA, DEMOCRATIZATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY”, organized by the COST A30 Action “East of West: Setting a New Media Research Agenda for Central/Eastern Europe”; the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; and the Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS) at the Central European University (CEU)


Course Directors: Monroe Price, Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Miklós Sükösd, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Central European University, Hungary; Chair, COST A30 Action

Faculty:
Core organizers / faculty:
• Kate Coyer, Research Fellow & Lecturer, Annenberg School; Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS)
• Arne Hintz, Program Director, Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS)

Additional core faculty:
• Michael Delli Carpini, Dean, Annenberg School for Communication
• Nicholas W. Jankowski, Associate Professor, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands; Working Group Leader, COST A30 Action
• Karol Jakubowicz, former Chairman of the Steering Committee on the Media and New Communication Services, Council of Europe; Working Group Leader, COST A30 Action
• Beata Klimkiewicz, Assistant Professor, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Working Group Leader, COST A30 Action
• Hakan Seckinelgin, Lecturer, London School of Economics, London, UK
• Peter Molnar, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS)
• Kristina Irion, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Policy, Central European University, Budapest

Course coordinator
• Laura Ranca, Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS)

The demand for accountability, transparency and democracy resonates in many corners of the world. Media and civil society constitute core elements of societies which are grounded on such principles. However, lack of media pluralism and a dominant position by either state or private media can have adverse effects and have been criticized by civil society groups. The increasing commercialization and dominant position of global media institutions have given rise to new forms of resistance, which may take the form of grassroots media-making, transnational broadcasting, and institutional and regulatory responses. Thus, there is a complex relationship between media, democracy and civil society responses that exists across national boundaries.

Examining this interconnection between media, democratization and civil society will be the main purpose of this course. It will focus on the Central/Eastern European region, but will also be relevant in other contexts where media and civil society have played crucial roles in processes of democratization but where the deficiencies and shortcomings are also clearly visible. This course will examine the role of non-governmental organizations and individuals in the process of democracy building and sustainability, and address the complex negotiation around media privatization and liberalization. In doing so, this course will consider what kind of enabling environment is necessary for a diverse and pluralistic media, and what is the role and potential for civil society intervention in the development of such an environment. The course will provide an introduction to a range of research agendas and methodologies applicable to the study of media systems and civil society in the context of post-communist/post-conflict transformation, and political/social/economic change.

The Civil Society Yearbook 2007 will, for the first time, focus on the connections between media and civil society, while the European media research network “COST A30: East of West” is developing new approaches to understand the role of media in transitional and post-transitional contexts. The course will be embedded in these current discourses, and students will benefit from insights into current research on these issues.
BRIEF COURSE OVERVIEW:
The goal of the course is threefold:
a) to bring together an international group of student-scholars in order to contribute to the emerging body of studies on the relationship between media and democracy, as well as on the democratization of the media itself;
b) to unpack “the media” by focusing on civil society perspectives on media issues and asking which types of media have which kinds of democratic effects under what circumstances and conditions;
c) to link theoretical debate with practical implementation through visits of civil society organizations and media projects.

The course will provide an overview of theories of transition and democratization, civil society and social movements, and media policy and reform; it will look at the recent developments in Eastern, Central and South East Europe and discuss the role of media and civil society; it will analyze current issues such as media pluralism, the emergence of public service media and the new political economy of digitalization; it will explore theories of policy-making with a focus on the involvement of civil society in policy processes regarding national, regional and global policies on media and online communication; it will explore the role of grassroots and citizen-based communication models, community media and community ICT networks, and consider ways in which contemporary democracies are inherently mediated by entertainment media and the extent to which people’s democratic participation is filtered through popular pleasures.

The first week of the course will set the foundations by examining theories of democratization and civil society, media and entertainment, and the context of transition countries. The second week will focus on particular areas such as public service broadcasting, the politics of digitalization, journalism, community media and media ownership, and it will leave sufficient space for student presentations and for individual work on student papers. The course will include debates with representatives of media and civil society organizations such as the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM), and it will offer field trips to independent media organizations like Budapest-based community radios.

The summer school will thus address the interests around media, democratization and civil society through a dual approach, complementing academic theory with civil society and grassroots practices, and seeking to develop innovative collaborations and creative opportunities for learning. Theoretical basics, case study work, national perspectives, NGO experiences and community development will be integrated to a common perspective that will help participants investigate the theoretical and political implications of recent and highly ambivalent political/social/economic transformations. A particular focus will be on grassroots, participatory media that are at the heart of a pluralistic democratic media system.


CREDITS AND CERTIFICATES
Certificate of Attendance
SUN awards a certificate of attendance upon successful completion of the course. In order to gain this certificate, participants will be expected to attend and actively participate in all classes and complete assignments required by the course.
Academic Credit
The Media, Democratization and Civil Society course offers 2 ECTS points, which may be accepted for credit transfer by the participants’ home universities. Those who wish to obtain these credits should inquire about the possible transfer at their home institution prior to their enrollment. The Summer University Office will send a transcript to those who have fulfilled all the necessary course requirements and request one.
ELIGIBILITY
Target Group
The program encourages applications from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, researchers and professionals. Undergraduates without a university degree will not be considered.

Pre-requisites
• Applicants will demonstrate an interest in interdisciplinary work and in the connection between theory and practice through practice-oriented research topics or teaching curricula, or through previous experience of professional work or civil society activism in the subject area. The course is intended for participants from multi-disciplinary fields including media and communication studies, sociology, economics, political science, and policy studies attracting a diverse, international group of participants from backgrounds in academia, civil society and policy.
• The language of instruction is English; thus all applicants have to demonstrate a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in discussions at seminars and workshops. (In some instances shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone interview.)
PROJECTED COURSE OUTCOMES
Participants will be asked to
• develop a short presentation (typically based on their ongoing work) on one of the topics of the course. The presentations will be part of the course schedule.
• reflect on their own learning process throughout the course. By the end of the course, each of them will be expected to produce a report that identifies the specific ways in which their own research agendas have been enriched by the course.
• develop their initial paper into a full scholarly paper, throughout the course, to prepare for publication. Instructors will work with students individually - in person and online - to assist with this process. The course directors plan to publish the best student papers to emerge from the course, along with the instructors’ own contributions, in a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal or in a separate publication at CEU Press.
acted for a telephone interview.)

Application deadline: February 14 for scholarship applications or April 30 for fee-paying applications.


For further information please visit www.sun.ceu.hu .