ATS2440 - The public sphere - 2019

This unit introduces a key theoretical concept in the field of media and communications studies - the public sphere - and attends to key questions in media studies: what does media contribute to the realm of rational debate and how does this contribution facilitate public understanding of, and input to, policy and governance? In addressing these questions the subject raises important matters concerned with citizenship, the rise of political populism globally, individual response to public issues and the relationship between opinion and informed debate. It tracks the emergence of the theory of the public sphere, analyses the multiple uses and related applications of the concept, and explains how the public sphere relates to traditional and new communications and media environments.

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to

1. outline the emergence and historical development of the concept of a public sphere;
2. research and analyse the role of the media in communicating politics in both formal and informal contexts;
3. nominate and explain contemporary media developments or issues that reflect the condition of the public sphere and structure and inform understandings of that concept;
4. display evidence of written and verbal knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Within semester assessment: 60% + Exam: 40%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Communications and media studies

Media