Communication, Participation and Publics

This subject is not offered in 2013.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject provides students with an advanced understanding of new formations of public spheres and related frameworks of public communication as well as new modes of public participation in a globalized context. The subject will encourage students to debate critically key paradigms of the public sphere as it has been developed in western democractic societies. The subject will help students to understand the formation of fragmented, mediated, supra- and subnational publics and their role for the formation of global civil society. Students will be able to assess critically current debates around questions of global political communication, identity and citizenship.

On completion students will:

• engage critically with concepts of public sphere, democracy and citizenship;
• understand new formations of global political communication;
• assess the role of global and national media in their public responsibility; and
• understand the historic development of publics in the context of mediated forms.

One 2500 word essay 50% (due mid-semester) and one 2500 word essay 50% (due in the examination period). Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% (or 10 out of 12) classes in order to qualify to have their written work assessed. Any student who fails to meet this hurdle without valid reason will not be eligible to pass the subject. All required written work must be submitted in order to pass the subject. Essays submitted after the due date without an extension will be penalised 2% per day. Essays submitted after two weeks of the assessment due date without a formally approved application for special consideration or an extension will only be marked on a pass/fail basis if accepted.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• be able to demonstrate competence in advanced library searches and information retrieval;
• be able to demonstrate proficiency in the application of selected methods of media analysis; and
• be able to demonstrate conformity to academic and professional protocols for presentation and research procedures.