Spring 2018

140 Richards

M,W, R 10:30-11:35 a.m.

Prof. James R. Ross

Course Overview

This course examines the media’s portrayal of conflicts and the peace process in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Rwanda. Myanmar and elsewhere. It evaluates the limits of fairness, balance and accuracy in the coverage. It is crucial to the success of this course that it focuses onthe coverage, not the conflicts.

Our goal for the semester is to have everyone in the class actively involved in class discussions and projects.

We’ll start each class with a discussion of the reading and of current events.

We’ll look at the American and international media-- print, broadcast andonline--and some of the major stories in recent years. We’ll also attempt to put these stories in historical, political and social context. In addition, we’ll evaluate the wide-ranging criticism of the coverage from a variety of perspectives.

Course Requirements/Grading

Students are expected to come to class prepared to evaluate the readings and analyze coverage of ongoing news stories. You should read The New York Times or Washington Post every day and follow Ha'aretz (you can buy amonthlysubscription),Maan( and AlJazeeraEnglish. The International Crisis Group () and Ground Truth (thegroundtruthproject.org) areuseful sources.

More than four missed classes will result in a grade deduction. Grades for the course will be calculated as follows:

*Class participation (30%). This includes the weekly reflections on the readings and current events on Blackboard. I will post discussion questions each week. Please complete your posts by Tuesday night. They will be graded. Readings can be found under Course Material (some may require you to cut and paste the link) or in links on this syllabus.

*Quizzes (30%). There will be two short essay quizzes based on the reading and videos during the semester.

*A presentation about your group research project. (20%). See Assignments.

*A two-page paper about your project (20%).

Course Schedule

Jan. 8-11 : Introduction to course, overview of media sources, conflicts. A history of conflict reporting, from the Crimean War to Vietnam

Reading:,NiemanReports, June 27, 2012;“How do perceptions of AlJazeeraEnglish change once the logos are gone?”NiemanReports, March 2011.

Jan. 17 & 18:Covering genocide. Armenia, Nuremberg and the Tokyo trials.

Guest lecture (1/18) Prof Laurel Leff

Reading:

Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Fall, 2011, Vol.46(4), p.495(6), Prof Laurel Leff (use library website)

Jan. 22-Feb. 1:Israel-Palestine

Reading: "Israel Invades Lebanon" and "Beirut Massacre," NY Times; Perceptions of Media Bias intvcoverage of Beirut Massacre under Course Material

Film: Waltz With Bashir

Feb. 5-8: Israel-Palestine (cont.)

Reading:“Palestinian women, the western press and the first intifada,”“Who ShotMohammedal-dura, The Atlantic;"Israeli Report Casts New Doubt," NY Times; Father rebukes report, The Guardian; “All the news that fits: Israeli media and the Second Intifada,” Palestine Israel Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2003

Film: “Three Bullets and a Dead Child” (Germany, 2004)

Feb. 12-15: Jenin

Reading: “CNN Navigates Raw Emotions,” NY Times; "Days of Rage," American Journalism Review; Part One: Documenting the Myth, UPI; HowJeninBattle Became a Massacre, The Guardian, all under Course Material. "The News Media and the Second Intifada," Wolfsfeld, Palestine-Israel Journal, vol.10, issue 2, p.5, available online from the library

Video: Shattered Dreams of Peace

Feb. 21 & 22: The West Bank

Reading: “The Times and the Jews,” Neil A. Lewis, Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 2012, pp. 31-38;“The Bullets in my in-box,” NY Times; "The Hottest Button: How the Times Covers Israel and Palestine," NY Times, all under Course Material

Film: "Five Broken Cameras"

Feb. 26-March 1: Rwanda

Reading: Bystanders to Genocide. The Atlantic

Propaganda, media effects and conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan genocide

video: Ghosts of Rwanda, Frontline

March 12-15: Bosnia/Quiz #1

Reading: “Objectivity without neutrality: A Bosnian journalist reflects on the value of testifying about the crimes of genocide,”KemalKurspahic,NiemanReports; How Yugolavia's destroyers harnessed the media,"Frontline; Scouts without compasses, SylviaPoggioli,NiemanReports, all under Course Material and

March 19-22: Northern Ireland

Reading: GadiWolfsfeld, "The News Media and Peace Processes," pp. 30-41; AlanBairner, The Media, ch. 19; EdMoloney, "Media Censorship During the Troubles,"NiemanReports, Summer 2000. all under Course Material.

March 26-29: BokoHaram

video: Kony 2013


April 2-5: ISIS, Yemen and Syria

Frontlinedocumentaries

Reading:

Documentary:

April 9-12: Myanmar

April16 & 18: Covering conflicts--risks and consequences

Reading:

Quiz #2