CMM 108 - Global Communications in the Digital Age

3 credit(s)
This course examines how information flows across borders in our interconnected digital world. Students will analyze global communication systems-from social media platforms and streaming services to public broadcasters, community radio stations, and grassroots media collectives-exploring how they shape international relations, cultural exchange, and public discourse. Through a digital media and journalism lens, we’ll investigate pressing questions: How do different media systems (authoritarian, democratic-corporatist, liberal, and developmental) structure what gets communicated internationally? Who controls the global information infrastructure? How are journalists trained differently around the world, and how does this shape international news coverage? What role do community media play in amplifying marginalized voices across borders? How do hyperlocal citizen journalists and global news organizations coexist and compete? The course integrates three critical frameworks: comparative media systems (understanding how political, economic, and cultural contexts shape journalism worldwide), global journalism education (examining how journalists are trained and professionalized internationally), and community media (exploring grassroots, participatory, and alternative media practices). Students will develop critical media literacy skills and practical understanding of diverse journalistic traditions essential for navigating our globalized digital landscape.

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