New Media and International Relations

General Information
Room: 
232
ECTS: 
4
Number of Hours: 
30
Thursday 13:45 - 15:15
Preliminary requirements: 

basic knowledge of theories of communication

Course Description: 

1. Introduction to the course

2. Internet governance

3. Internet freedom, freedom on the Internet

4. Social media and the world system theory

5. Social media and social change. Euromaidan, Arab revolution, social movements

6-7. New media as a tool of strategic communication and information war

8. Public diplomacy 2.0.

9. Written assignment

10. Final meeting, assessment and feedback.

Aims of the course: 

Student describes how new media are used as a tool of communication in contemporary international relations.

Student explains how the system theory may be used to analyse the contemporary social media influence.

Student provides the definition of e-diplomacy, strategic communication, internet governance.

Student explains how to measure the Internet freedom .

Student explains the impact of technology on international relations.

Student differentiates between traditional and modern forms of policymaking.

Student provides a short comment on the relation between the emergence of new movements and new media.

Student gives a presentation/delivers a paper on a given topic.

Student actively and creatively participates in team work.

Student presents a critical approach to the deterministic views on the influence of new media on world’s politics.

Teaching methods: 

text analysis, discussion, case studies, group work, essay or presentation

Evaluation & Completion: 

Attendance- 10%

Active participation in the discussions- 20%

Presentation (also as a team work) - 30%

Written assignment – 50 %

Minimum pass score: 60%

Basic Literature: 

Kurbalija, J. In Introduction to Internet Governance, DiploFoundation 2014

Freedom on The Net, report by Freedom House 2017

Pamment J., British Public Diplomacy &Soft Power. Diplomatic Influence and the Digital Revolution, Palgrave Macmillan 2016

Seib Ph., The Future of Diplomacy, Polity 2016

Seib Ph. Real-Time Diplomacy. Politics and Power in the Social Media Era, Palgrave Macmillan 2012

Framing of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict in Online and Social Media, NATO StratCom  Centre of Excellence 2016

DAESH Information Campaign and its Influence, NATO StratCom Centre of Excellence 2015

China’s soft power and international relations, ed. Hongyi Lai and Yiyi Lu, Routledge 2013

Pamment J. , New public diplomacy in the 21st century : a comparative study of policy and practice, Routledge 2013

Additional Literature: 

www.clingendael.nl, Netherlands Institute of International Relations, free discussion papers

www.diplomacy.edu/, DiploFoundation

http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/, University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School, presents American perspective on PD

https://www.stratcomcoe.org/, NATO StratCom Centre of Excellence