Journalism Politics:Americas

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Journalism and Politics in the Americas Prof. Hector Schamis We live in a time of democratic decay, we hear often. Rising nationalism, growing xenophobia and the omnipresence of populism appear to account for the erosion of fundamental rights and liberties, freedom of the press among them. As a result, we are told, the very survival of democratic politics and institutions is at stake. It is, indeed, a new time. We have seen too many examples of a president harassing a journalist. And we have countless illustrations of the propensity of those in power to blame the messenger. At the same time, much of these conflicts are played out in the convergence of our TV screens, newspapers and social media, not just as the places we get information from but also as arenas for participation and debate. This course seeks to understand the interaction of journalism and politics in the Americas. At times, it will be a course on democratic theory and comparative politics, as we come to terms with democracy, authoritarianism, populism and other related phenomena. But it will also be a course on the theory and practice of journalism, with some formative texts in that field. The course will be structured as a bilingual seminar, with readings in English and in Spanish. Students will be encouraged to speak and write in either of these languages. That is also a way to understand journalism today. As most American media outlets have their “Spanish Edition”, so are traditional Spanish language newspapers venturing into an English version. As a seminar, the course will have frequent visitors, journalists and media scholars for the most part.