DHUM 25A42 - Media and History

This course will provide an overview of some of the major changes, challenges, and evolutions

of global media starting in the late 19th century and until the current moment. Drawing on

historical and more recent examples of the best work of print and broadcast journalists, we will

explore the development of the institution of journalism and address topics such as:

● The changing economic pressures on journalism

● The evolution of the role and work of the reporter

● The shifting values, practices, ethical standards, and social roles that have been linked to

the practice of journalism

● The changes of what core ideals of journalism mean, including truth and objectivity

You are expected to attend every class and do all the required reading/watching/listening ahead

of time so that you can participate actively in the in-class discussion. You could be called upon at

random during the class to offer your perspective on an assignment or discussion.

Attendance will be taken at every class. If you have a pressing reason to miss a class, you must

notify me in writing at makana.eyre@sciencespo.fr before the start of the session.

Please come to class on time. Please also return promptly after the mid-class break.

Open laptops are permitted in class for note taking. All phones, tablets, and other electronic

devices are to be turned off and not used during class.

The use of artificial intelligence is not permitted for any written element of this course. All

papers will be checked on detection software. If a student has used AI, their work will be

considered plagiarism. They risk failing the course. Further action will also be taken by Sciences

Po in this case.

Your grade will be determined based on the following criteria:

Class participation 15%

● A major part of this course will be class discussion. You are expected to participate

actively and consistently in class discussions.

Reflection essay 25%

● Session 6, the midway point of the course, will cover the New Journalists. After reading

their work and discussing their particular method of journalism (including deep

immersion, participating in the stories they covered, using novelistic techniques, and

sometimes bending the truth), write a reflection essay about the role of truth in narrative

reporting, that is, long-form, character driven reporting as opposed to breaking news. Is

there space for embellishment in reporting if it reveals a greater truth? What happens

when the reporter blurs the line between neutral observer and participant in a story?

Don’t hesitate to base your reflection on your home country and the media norms you’ve

grown up around.

● Be sure to form a strong argument or thesis or deliver some sort of insight based on an

analysis and use course materials or other sources you find to bolster your approach. The

essay will be evaluated on (1) the quality of the presentation; (2) the effectiveness of

course materials or other high-quality sources to bolster your perspective, and (3) the

persuasiveness of your argument.

● The essay should be 3 pages long and no longer. Please double space and paginate.

● Please email me a digital version and submit a hard copy at our 8

th

session. Late

submissions will be penalized unless prior arrangements with me have been made.

Final paper 35%

● The final paper will be on a topic of your choosing, provided that it possesses a historical

dimension that we have discussed in class and draws upon at least three of the reading

assignments.

● In advance of our 8

th

session on, you will submit a one paragraph pitch to me by email of

your proposed idea. I will either approve it or work with you to refine it before approval.

● Some possible topics to give you a sense of what the paper could look like include the

evolution of journalistic ethics, whether “both siderism” in the era of rising

authoritarianism is a healthy practice, the relationship between journalism and literature

and where they can and shouldn’t overlap, or the impact on journalism in our world of

instant communication.

● You must cite course materials in the body of the paper, engaging with them and

providing your own original thinking.

● My suggestion is to use a journalistic or essayistic style, the sort of thing you might find

in a magazine like Harper’s or the New Yorker.

● The paper should be 3-4 pages long and no longer. Please double space and paginate.

● This paper will be due on the second to last gathering of this class. Please email me a

digital version and submit a hard copy on the due date. Late submissions will be

penalized unless prior arrangements with me have been made.

● Once again, be sure to form a strong argument or thesis or deliver some sort of insight

based on an analysis and use course materials or other sources you find to bolster your

approach. The essay will be evaluated on (1) the quality of the presentation; (2) the

effectiveness of course materials or other high-quality sources to bolster your perspective,

and (3) the persuasiveness of your argument.

Oral presentation 25%

● Starting at session 2 and at each following session, 3 students will give short

presentations that expand or deepen some element of the day’s material.

● The date of your presentation will be assigned to you before the course begins based on

the first letter of your surname.

● The topic will be assigned to you by me well before the date of your presentation.

● The presentation will be evaluated on (1) the quality and depth of your engagement with

the topic and (2) your success in posing and addressing relevant and useful questions

related to the topic. Feel free to ask any questions at our first session.

● Please be prepared to speak for five minutes.

● Digital presentations like PowerPoints are not permitted.

Grading Scheme

● You will be graded on the French system on a scale of 0 to 20, where 20 is the highest

possible grade.