Media, Conflict and Peace

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course explores the role journalists, news organizations and social media platforms play in fostering conflict and promoting peace. The rise of misinformation and disinformation, the upheaval of the economic models supporting news coverage, and the surging popularity of new forms of information-sharing has contributed to a growing conversation about the real and the ideal conceptions of this role, including the ethical considerations governing the role of an observer and the tradition of journalistic objectivity in coverage of conflict, from culture and politics to war. Students will gain insight with discussion of real-world dilemmas faced by those reporting on conflict and peacemaking efforts in the United States and around the world, as well as the ethical guidelines currently guiding those processes.