AFRICAST 31:
Media and Conflict in Africa (AFRICAST 131)
Introduction to the variety of roles played by local and international media in covering conflict situations across the continent in the late 20t- and early 21st-centuries. The objective is to develop a theoretical and empirical understanding of the media as active participants in conflicts, rather than neutral witnesses. How the media in the African context have become tools for propaganda and for encouraging violence, as well as their role in promoting dialogue, peace and reconciliation between communities. These questions are relevant to the context of contemporary Africa where conflicts fueled by ethnic hatred or democratic aspirations have unfolded along with the development of media and communication technologies. Key concepts such as objectivity, impartiality, hate speech, peace journalism, citizen journalism, and cosmopolitanism, to analyze the role played by the media in case studies in Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda. A wide variety of material including: readings drawn from a fields such as media and journalism studies, political sciences, anthropology, and postcolonial theory; linguistic, visual, audio, video and multimedia material produced by news media; and films and documentaries.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI