One Masters – Three European Countries

First year in Denmark and the Netherlands

Second year in either United Kingdom or Germany

This new Mundus Journalism Masters has been selected for support from the EU Erasmus Mundus programme with stipends for non-EU nationals. The Erasmus Mundus expert panel said about this highly competitive masters programme: - The proposal as a whole is excellent and well structured. – A chance to deepen journalistic knowledge and to gather comprehensive experience about different European cultures.

All information: www.MundusJournalism.com  

Introduction

Journalism is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Developments in technology, politics and society are increasingly putting the media industries and the profession of journalism at the centre of people’s attempt to make sense of what is happening in the world around them. The Erasmus Mundus Masters degree explores the practice and performance of journalism and the media in the context of a new environment brought about by globalization, modernization, commercialisation and professional developments. The scheme offers a unique educational experience. You will study in three European countries. You will be able to specialize in one of three distinct areas of journalism: war and conflict, business and finance, and Media and citizenship. You will be part of a group of 40 students selected from a pool of candidates from around the world. You will be part of a network of classmates that draws on a variety of experience and knowledge and meet the global ambitions of the degree. The Erasmus Mundus program in Journalism and Media seeks to produce alumni who will shape the future of global journalism.

The degree scheme brings together five leading European institutions in the journalism and media education, combining the best academic research and teaching from the different national educational cultures. The program aims to prepare students for the challenge of working in the new global information society. Globalization is penetrating cultural and social borders around the world and simultaneously reinvigorating smaller regions and feelings of local identity. Political and social power is taking on new dimensions. Cultural awareness and misunderstanding are growing. Journalism is at the centre of these changes.

• Politically , states in Europe are coming together and falling apart at the same time. Journalists need new tools to understand and to interpret the processes of integration and disintegration.

• Economically , a global world market is creating growth and havoc at the same time. Journalists need tools to be able to describe it in clear language.

• Socially , people are getting connected in new ways through modern technologies. Journalism is the crucial field in a network society.

 • Culturally , there is increasing onus on the media and journalism to explain differences and similarities between peoples and societies.

The focus of the Erasmus Mundus Masters in Journalism and Media is to give participants the intellectual tools for a new and better understanding of reporting the global challenge.

The special subject option at Swansea within the Erasmus Mundus masters programme is war and conflict. In their first semester at Swansea (their third semester in the programme) students take three specialist modules in War Reporting, Risk Reporting and Reporting the Middle East, all of which combine a rigorous theorising of media institutions with an informed understanding of journalistic practice in conflict zones. Students then complete a research dissertation during their final semester on a topic related to the reporting of war or the operation of media institutions during periods of conflict.

War Reporting, which is taught by Prof Kevin Williams, provides a historical overview of the development of war journalism and war propaganda. Starting with 19th century conflicts such as the Crimean War, the module explores the reporting of conflicts such as the First World War, the Spanish and Ethiopian civil wars, Second World War, Korea, Vietnam and the two Gulf Wars.

Risk Reporting explores the theoretical and conceptual issues that frame the reporting of warfare in modern society, including factors such as the impact of liveness, digital technology and the rise of twenty-four hour news services.

Reporting the Middle East examines one of the major hot spots of war coverage in recent decades. Focusing on the reporting of Iraq the module will consider topics such as orientalism, embedding and the impact of Al Jazeera. The module is co-taught by Janet Harris, who was an embedded journalist during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Contact

The Danish School of Journalism, Denmark www.djh.dk  
Hans-Henrik Holm and Inger Munk
Tel.: +45 89 440440 Fax: +45 86 168910
Email: imu@djh.dk  

The University of Aarhus, Denmark
www.au.dk  
Kirsten Frandsen and Georg Sørensen

University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.uva.nl
Jan de Ridder and Piet Bakker
Tel.: +31 20 5253563 Fax +31 20 5253681
Email: j.a.deridder@uva.nl  

University of Hamburg, Germany www.journalistik.uni-hamburg.de
Monika Pater
Tel.: +49 40 42838 5448 Fax +49 40 42838 2418
Email: monika.pater@uni-hamburg.de  

Swansea University, United Kingdom www.swansea.ac.uk  
Geraint Evans
Tel.: +44 1792 602250
Fax +44 1792 513453
Email: geraint.evans@swansea.ac.uk  

City University London, United Kingdom www.city.ac.uk/journalism  
Anna McKane
Tel.: +44 20 70404036 Fax +44 20 70408594
Email: a.r.mckane@city.ac.uk