Module Directory

International Current Affairs (or Understanding Our World) aims to introduce students to cutting edge debates in international politics and media in the age of misinformation and post-truth. The module aims to prepare a new generation of solution-focused students with a sophisticated understanding of the complexities of our interconnected world. Beyond the focus on the global North that usually dominate our understanding of international politics, the module will also provide insight into major events and crises in the global South, while reflecting on policies, how they are developed and their impact on the everyday life of citizens around the world.

The aims of this module are:

• To develop students' critical skills through engagement with cutting edge debates in international media and politics.


• To prepare students to conduct academic research in politics, journalism, media and communication fields.


• To provide students with analytical tools and exposure to topics at the heart of international current affairs to help them better grasps challenges of policies and how they affect the everyday life of people around the world.


• To increase student’s engagement with debates on politics, conflicts, and development in the Global South beyond the traditional focus on Western politics and current affairs.


• To develop students' ability to engage with interdisciplinary learning beyond their specific field of learning.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the rapidly changing fields of international politics, journalism and media studies.


2. Demonstrate an insight in the complexities of the hybrid communication sphere of today, and crucial questions related to facts, truth, and misinformation.


3. Demonstrate analytical tools that will prepare them to engage with a research-intensive environment in their own field and beyond it.


4. Demonstrate an understanding of key policy issues through case studies and their implications on people’s life including in the global South.


5. Demonstrate an understanding of key leading intellectual debates, discussions, and scholarly literature in the field.


6. Demonstrate an understanding of how to communicate complex information, particularly results, trends and patterns from big data, to a general audience.

The module will address key debates and dilemmas in the fields of international politics, media, communication, and journalism, while adopting an interdisciplinary perspective. It will use a case study approach to engage with cutting edge debates and policies and their implications of people's life around the world.

1. What is truth? What is fake? Misinformation spread by technology has undermined trust in mainstream politics and media. Misinformation -or falsehood- has weakened the public's trust in institutions, with drastic impact on social peace, elections, and public health. It also exposes the crisis of legitimacy these institutions are facing and raises questions about the future of politics.In authoritarian environments, misinformation is used by regimes to quell independent reporting and to stifle the public's right for information. Chambers, S., 2021. Truth, deliberative democracy, and the virtues of accuracy: is fake news destroying the public sphere?. Political Studies, 69(1), pp.147-163. Mason, L.E., Krutka, D. and Stoddard, J., 2018. Media literacy, democracy, and the challenge of fake news. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 10(2), pp.1-10. Humprecht, E., 2019. Where 'fake news' flourishes: a comparison across four Western democracies. Information, Communication & Society, 22(13), pp.1973-1988. Morgan, S., 2018. Fake news, disinformation, manipulation and online tactics to undermine democracy. Journal of Cyber Policy, 3(1), pp.39-43. Mejias, U.A. and Vokuev, N.E., 2017. Disinformation and the media: the case of Russia and Ukraine. Media, culture & society, 39(7), pp.1027-1042. Michaelsen, M. and Glasius, M., 2018. Authoritarian Practices in the Digital Age--Introduction. International Journal of Communication, 12, p.7. Sanovich, S., 2017. Computational propaganda in Russia: the origins of digital misinformation.


2. White supremacy, race, and the fight for equality: Living in a diverse society The rise of white supremacy and far-right groups in the US and several countries in the world exposes the malaise of today's racial realities and their implications on building inclusive and egalitarian societies. While some academics see this rise as a continuity of the history of slavery in the US, others question the socio-economic conditions and their impact on alienating many. Why are these narratives attractive especially among white males, are website spreading conspiracy theories responsible for their growth? What does this tell us about the fear of the `other`?


3. Access to information and transparency: are whistle-blowers needed for a more accountable democracy? Whistle-blowers have been celebrated by human rights and media freedom watchdogs as much needed players in supporting a better transparency in governance and an accountable democracy. Disclosures- such as Wikileaks published videos, diplomatic cables and other secret documents relating to the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan – exposed corruption and human rights abuses and demonstrated shortcoming in the functioning of important political and social actors. However, this practice is being criticized, suspected for being manipulated by political agendas. The active role of the international press in publishing these disclosures did not raise trust in media.


4. Jihad at the age on internet. Terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS have skilfully used social media platforms to recruit, spread fear and advocate for violence in the propaganda war for hearts and minds. Are social media to blame for the success of these strategies or it is a crisis of identity for youth who are joining these groups, especially among those living in the West? What does this tell us about integration? Is regulating the net the correct response?


5. Uprisings and movements for change: The Arab Spring The last decade has witnessed street protests all around the world with the leading example of the Arab Spring starting from 2010 in the Middle East and North Africa. Thousands of citizens engaged in these movements that led to regime change in few cases and to widespread violence and chaos in many others. However, these transformative movements have encouraged a new citizenry that is participatory and bolder to pressure and reformulated citizens' relation to power. Can we still talk about a "Spring" ten years on? What are the lessons learned?


6. Creative protests: from the Black Lives Matter to the MeToo movements From civil rights to gender, activists have raised their voice to affirm the identities and needs of marginalised communities and to expose entrenched taboos such as sexual harassment for women in the workplace. These movements managed to create a `subaltern counter public`, a space in the public sphere where marginalised voices are empowered. How do these movements form and thrive? What is their impact on challenging mainstream media and politics? Can they make change happen?


7. Populism and the future of politics Why are populist leaders galvanizing support around the globe? Does populism mean the death of traditional politics? From the election of Donald Trump in the US, to Brexit in the UK, and the ascent of populist parties in countries such as Germany, Austria, Brazil, Italy, and others, what does the populist wave tell us about liberal democracy and its future? Freedman, D., 2018. Populism and media policy failure. European Journal of Communication, 33(6), pp.604-618. Boulianne, S., Koc-Michalska, K. and Bimber, B., 2020. Right-wing populism, social media and echo chambers in western democracies. New Media & Society, 22(4), pp.683-699. Engesser, S., Ernst, N., Esser, F. and Büchel, F., 2017. Populism and social media: How politicians spread a fragmented ideology. Information, communication & society, 20(8), pp.1109-1126.


8. Is Freedom of Expression without limits: the case of Charly Hebdo The killing of a French teacher who used a cartoon depicting Prophet Mohamed as an example of freedom of expression, and the assassinations of journalists of the French magazine Charly Hebdo, as an act of retaliation for publishing these cartoons, have galvanized the debate on freedom of expression and the so called `Sacred`. Is freedom of expression without limit? Can we mock religious symbols? Are there issues to be considered as `sensitive` for `vulnerable` communities when we express opinions?


9. Reporting on conflicts: Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria This week is divided into two parts. We start by providing a background on the conflicts and what the possible questions are about the conflicts. We also look at the challenges facing journalists in reporting on conflicts. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan Noorzai, R. and Hale, C., 2020. Balanced Coverage in Practice: News Reporting of Conflict and Peace in Afghanistan. Journal of War & Culture Studies, pp.1-20. Hussain, S., 2020. Peace journalism for conflict reporting: Insights from Pakistan. Journalism Practice, 14(1), pp.1-16. Al-Ghazzi, O., 2020. 'Forced to report': Affective proximity and the perils of local reporting on Syria. Journalism, p.1464884920984874. Christensen, B. and Khalil, A., 2021. Reporting Conflict from Afar: Journalists, Social Media, Communication Technologies, and War. Journalism Practice, pp.1-19.


10. Final session: group projects/presentations.

This module will be delivered via:

• A weekly two-hour interactive seminar.

Each session will consist of a blend of lecturing, Q&A, group, and whole-class discussion, audio-visual screening – the precise blend to depend in part on student numbers.