6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1005075BNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Students who want to enroll for this course, must have passed for ’Introduction to Communication Studies' and must have obtained at least 90 ECTS-credits on bachelor level (Social Sciences). Students in a master programme can follow this course.
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Communication Sciences
Educational team
Tim Raats (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
124 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

The course provides a broad overview of media and communication policies of the European Union.
The lectures consists of three parts:

  • a first part contextualizing the historical and juridical background of the EU interventions with regards to the media sector, in order to understand why, when and with what objectives a European media policy came into force at some point in history
  • secondly, we shed light on how the internal and external policy is organised and applied to the different, often competitive and even antagonistic, institutions (the Council of Ministers, the Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice, ... ), the offices and the Commissioners
  • thirdly, we look at the different EU media policy domains, each time by setting out from a contextualization of the market (why this policy now?), the legislative framework (why these specific rules?), and the effectiveness (what are the strengths and weaknesses?).

As such, different topics within media and communication policies will be dealt with throughout the semester:

  •     Initiatives with regard to the production and distribution of the audio-visual content (Television without frontiers, Audiovisual Media Services Directive, MEDIA/Creative Europe)
  •     Initiatives to support hardware, industrial production and R&D
  •     Arrangements of authors rights and intellectual property for creative industries
  •     The shift to the Digital Single market, and the different parts of the Digital Single market Strategy (Satellite and Cable, Privacy regulation, territorial issues, etc.)
  •     Competition policies (merger, antitrust and state aid), with particular attention to global players, public broadcasting, film and global platforms operating in the EU.
  •     Struggles of the EU to regulate platforms in different domains (fiscal, protection of citizens and consumers, privacy, hate-speech, etc.)

Particular attention is given to the tensions between EU and member states and the trade-off between market and public interest objectives, to what extent the EU takes into account the cohesion and identity of the smaller member states, and finally to what extent the EU has effectively enhanced the shift into a digital and innovative European Union. Additionally, guest lectures will be given on topical issues in EU media policymaking (for example the new copyright directive, on the Netflix taxes, etc.).

Aside from the classes, students have to develop a policy brief on a topical issues within media and communication policies and the EU.

Students are also requested to keep an eye on European media policy news. Often the course starts with a small discussion on topical cases in EU media and communication policy.

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Reader with recent scientific articles, published on Canvas, Canvas
Digital course material (Required) : Slides, Canvas
Handbook (Recommended) : The Palgrave Handbook of European Media Policy, Donders - Pauwels - Loisen, Palgrave Macmillan, 9781137032171, 2014
Additional info

Students with no background in Europe and policymaking are encouraged to acquire Donders, K, Pauwels, C. & Loisen, J. from the Palgrave Handbook of European Media Policy, Palgrave, 2014.

Students are obligatory to take part in the guest lectures. Not attending guest lectures can lead up to -4 on the total score.

Teaching Methods
 

  • Lecture: collective contact-dependent moments during which the lecturer engages with learning materials
  • Seminar, Exercises or Practicals (Practical): collective or individual contact-dependent moments during which the students are guided to actively engage with learning materials
  • Independent or External Form of Study (Self): independent study

This description of the teaching methods is indicative, in order to assess the expected study load.

  • Lecture: 26 hours (13 x 2 hours), this also includes the guest lectures with industry professionals and policy practitioners and the briefing of the policy brief exercise
  • Self: 124 hours
    • testing of study material, after the lecture (3 hour per lecture): 39 hours
    • working on the policy brief assignment: 40 hours (5 days of 8 hours)
    • preparing topical cases in newspapers: 13 hours (13 x 1 hour)
    • preparation exam: 32 hours (4 days of 8 hours)
Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

The overall goal of the course is to make students understand the complex decision-making and policy-making process in the European Union with regard to media and communication industries.  The course gives an overview of the evolution, impact, tensions and conflicts of the audiovisual and information society policy of the European Union. Moreover there is dealt with the policy implications of the EU integration process on the national and regional level.

The course has the following learning outcomes:

  • Students can identify the legislative frameworks applicable to different policy domains for media and communication industries in Europe (mergers and antitrust, audiovisual support, public broadcasting, privacy, copyright, etc.)
  • Students can explain the shifts in EU media policies and how these are shaped by shifting technological, political and economic transitions
  • Students are able to evaluate the outcomes of EU decision-making in media and communication policy
  • Students are able to contextualize topical discussions in press and public opinion within broader EU media policy-making challenges, tensions and shifts.

As such, the course contributes to the following learning outcomes of the bachelor social sciences program:

  • Students have knowledge and understanding of historical and recent developments in media and communication.
  • Students have knowledge and understanding of the structures, operation and processes of media and communication organisations, media and communication practices, and media and communication markets.
  • Students have knowledge and understanding of the national, European and international policy context in which these media and communication organisations, structures and processes develop.
  • Students are able to detect trends and issues within a media landscape, analyse these on the basis of a theoretical framework of reference and analysis, and estimate their societal, professional and policy implications.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 40% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Oral Exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

    Note: with short written preparation

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Policy Brief Assignment with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

    Note: policy brief assignment + discussions. The briefing of the course assignment (individual assignment) is usually presented in the first class of the semester.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Examples of examination questions:

  1. The EU legitimizes its intervention in the audiovisual sector with cultural arguments. Is this only a discourse or is this effectively implemented in policy initiatives?

  2. Are the interests of the consumer taken into account when implementing a EU audiovisual policy?
  3. How does Europe create a competitive program industry via Media and Eurimages?
Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Communication Studies: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Communication Studies
Master of Educational Sciences: Standaard traject