Communication, Ethics and Media Citizenship

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

The teaching approach integrates three phases:

1) lectures covering the core theoretical concepts, focusing primarily on sections I, II, and part of III of the syllabus;

2) the acquisition of specialized theoretical knowledge related to section III, followed by the application of previously learned concepts to the discussion of freedom of expression and the press;

3) a critical re-evaluation of the preceding sections (I to III) to propose frameworks and critical analyses of contemporary issues and challenges facing media, journalism, and communication in the digital era.

Learning Outcomes

The program of this curricular unit aims to create the conditions for students, at the end of the course, to be able to:

1. Identify the origins and major currents of contemporary ethical thought and their political and communicative implications;

2. Understand current perspectives on the ethics of communication regarding contemporary issues of media, information, communication and democracy;

3. Identify approaches and master key concepts to critically discuss the main theories of the ethics of information, journalism and communication;

4. Acquire the autonomy of thought to be able to understand, deepen and problematize the transformations of communication in the constantly changing digital context.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

I - Philosophical Ethical Legacies

 

. Virtue Ethics

. Deontological Ethics

. Contractualism

. Consequentialist Ethics

 

II - Ethics of Communication and Politics

. Political Perspectives: Responsibility and Conviction

. Brief Introduction

. Ethical Currents and Normative Theories in Journalism and Communication

. Communicative Theory and Public Space

 

III - Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Communication

. Freedom of Expression: French and American Revolutions

. Positive and Negative Liberty

. Freedom of Expression in Media and Arts (20th century)

 

 

IV - Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age

. Communication and Networks 

. Information Disorder and Post-Truth

. Algorithms, Filter Bubbles, and Echo Chambers

. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Journalism and Communication

. Contemporary Trends in Strategic Communication

. Conclusion: Media Citizenship.

Head Lecturer(s)

Professor a Definir - Faculdade de Letras

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Synthesis work: 20.0%
Frequency: 40.0%
Research work: 40.0%

Bibliography

Ash, T. G. (2017). Liberdade de Expressão – Dez Princípios para um mundo interligado. Temas & Debates.

Edström, M., Kenyon, A. T., & Svensson, E.-M. (Eds.) (2016). Blurring the Lines – Market-driven and democracy-driven: Freedom of Expression. Nordicom.

Pickard, V. (2019). Democracy Without Journalism?: Confronting the Misinformation Society. Oxford University Press.

Ricaud, P. (2020). New Information Practices and Audiences in the Digital Age. Digitalization of Society and Socio‐political Issues 2: Digital, Information and Research, 15-25.

Santos, J. M. (2012). Introdução à Ética. Documenta.

Silverstone, R. (2010). La moral de los medios de comunicación – sobre el macimento de la polis de los medios. Amorrortu.

Van Dijk, J. (2012). The Network Society. Sage Publications.

Wahl-Jorgensen, K., & Hanitzsch, T. (2019). The Handbook of Journalism Studies. Routledge.

Ward, S., & Wasserman, H. (Eds.) (2010). Media Ethics Beyond Borders: a global perspective. Routledge.