JRN 290 History of Broadcasting - Media in the 20th Century

The new age of the electronic media, Political versus Public Airwaves, Battles on the Airwaves, propaganda and public service. The New Frontier: Television, Political Communication: The electronic media and the way we speak, How broadcasting changed the job of the journalist, Internet News, The craft of radio and television. Ever since the invention of telegraph back in the 19th century, the electronic media has transformed the way we see the world, the pace at which information is transferred and the way that politics, diplomacy and all aspects of public life function. In this course we look at today's electronic media: TV, radio, internet, in the context of their historical development. We see how the formats of radio and television news coverage were established through history and experience: in two world wars, in the Cold War and in more recent conflicts. We see how patterns have developed for the use and abuse of the electronic media and at how broadcasting has changed the course of history. We analyze methods of propaganda. We look at how the internet is changing the way news is made and received. We work with Czech Radio archives as a historical source, showing how analysis of archive recordings can shed light both on past events and on our own time. We conduct practical workshops on audio production, culminating in the making of a radio program that will be broadcast by Radio Prague.

*Please note: In the Spring term, this course is predominantly taken by CEA students.