BMET 27A31 - Media, Politics and Democratic Resilience

“Media, Politics & Democratic Resilience” is a 12-week undergraduate course examining how media systems shape, sustain, or undermine democracy. The course combines classical theories of media and the public sphere with contemporary case studies on media capture, disinformation, and platform governance. Students will investigate how power operates through communication, and how resilient media institutions can help protect pluralism and accountability in both established and emerging democracies.

This interdisciplinary course draws from political science, political economy, sociology, communication studies, and law to develop students’ ability to interpret major theories of freedom of expression, explain how political communication operates in different institutional contexts, and critically assess the roles played by public service media and digital platforms. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the normative assumptions behind competing regulatory approaches, compare media systems across countries, and evaluate how information environments shape democratic politics. Further, they will be enabled to apply these frameworks to contemporary political developments, interpreting how changes to content moderation rules or state media policies affect political participation and public discourse.

This course is designed for political science and sociology students interested in the intersection of media, power, and democratic governance. The course develops students’ analytical rigor, comparative reasoning, and evidence-based argumentation. Through a mix of theoretical exploration and empirical research, students will develop a nuanced understanding of how to identify, assess, and counteract threats to media independence.

Students may use AI-based writing assistants for grammar (e.g., Grammarly), citation formatting (e.g., Zotero), and structure, provided such use is transparently acknowledged and must be cited appropriately. All ideas, analyses, and interpretations must be the student’s own.

This course values diversity of perspectives and experiences as essential to critical learning. We will approach all topics, especially those involving power, identity, and media representation, with respect, curiosity, and openness. Students are encouraged to bring examples and cases from their own linguistic, cultural, and political contexts. Disagreement is welcome when expressed constructively and supported by evidence. The classroom is intended to be an inclusive space where all participants can engage without fear of exclusion or discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or political belief. If any aspect of the course design or materials creates barriers to participation, please contact the instructor to discuss adjustments.

Academic expectations

The course targets the following goals:

Understand media as a central institution in democratic politics and governance

Identify and analyze mechanisms of media capture and the policy tools available to counter them

Consider how democratic resilience can be maintained in diverse political and technological contexts through comparative thinking

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

Identify key theoretical approaches to media and democracy and explain their effects on existing media systems

Compare and evaluate different models of media systems, particularly their vulnerabilities to capture

Apply theoretical frameworks to a real-world case of media capture and resilience

Develop and defend policy proposals or analytical arguments on media reform and democratic resilience in written and verbal form

Assessment Design