Кто читает:: Департамент медиа

Статус:: Курс обязательный

Когда читается:: 3-й курс, 1 модуль

Преподаватель

Тюркин Михаил Вячеславович

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

The course “Media Ethics” will cover relevant discussions in the fields of media philosophy, media anthropology and media cultural studies and introduce the students to the complex and evolving landscape of ethical considerations in the realms of traditional and new media. These include journalism, public relations, advertising, blogging, SMM, design, photography, etc. Particular emphasis will be placed on the impact of current technological achievements (digitalization, AI, neural networks, VR and AR) as well as soсial trends and movements (the so-called ‘new ethics’, ‘cancel culture’, BLM, #MeToo) on the moral aspects of the functioning of the contemporary media industry. The students will be given insights into ethical dilemmas faced by media practitioners when dealing with fake news, misinformation, privacy concerns, conflicts of interest, coverage of military conflicts and moral feelings of various social groups. They will examine case studies and real-world examples to critically analyze the moral decisions made by media professionals. By the end of the course, students will get a deeper understanding of the importance of ethical standards and develop the skills to navigate moral challenges in their own media activities.

Learning Objectives

The familiarization of students with the key concepts and debates in academia and media industry concerning ethical regulation of the contemporary media system.
The ability to practically implement this theoretical apparatus in media production and analytics.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Students understand the social, cultural, and economic origins of ethics
Students are aware of the role reputation plays in contemporary society and the media industry
Students have the skills of ethical analysis of media discourse
Students can critically analyze the impact of technological achievements on the evolution of media ethics
Students can critically analyze the impact of current cultural trends and social movements on the evolving landscape of media ethics
Students understand the methods of ethical regulation of ‘journalistic’ and ‘non-journalistic’ media
Students are capable of reckoning ethical dilemmas in the production, distribution, and consumption of media content
Students understand and apply the guidelines of the basic codes of media ethics in their daily professional practice
Students can participate in public debates on media ethics in compliance with ethical rules and standards
Students understand and follow the rules and standards of ethical behavior when dealing with media professionals, newsmakers, sources of information, and audiences
Students are capable of using storytelling techniques to create content on controversial topics that have to do with media ethics.

Course Contents

Introduction to Media Ethics
The Origins of Ethics
Reputation Management and Ethics
Journalism Ethics and Ethical Codes
Gathering Information: Ethical Aspects
Distribution of Information: Ethical Aspects
New Media, New Ethics?
Cyber Ethics, Digital Ethics, and Media Ethics
The New Social Trends and Media Ethics
Ethical Regulation of PR and Advertising

Assessment Elements

Debates on media ethics
The task is to discuss several controversial cases from the history of the Russian or foreign media industry through the prism of debates. The students split into groups, each consisting of 6-8 persons, and distribute the roles in their team. In every team, there should be at least one speaker to present the chief arguments, at least two ‘official opponents’ to ask questions to the opposite group, and at least two ‘advocates’ to answer the questions of the competitors. Each group aims to convince the others of their point of view on the problem and suggest a solution to the ethical dilemma. The cases will be announced a week before and the groups will be formed at the same time.
Participation during the classes
Students participate in discussions in the classroom with the teacher and with each other, forming dialogical communication, and demonstrating background erudition as well as knowledge gained during the preparation for the class. Discussions are centered around research papers, journalistic materials, audio, and video content the teacher asks them to familiarize themselves with in advance. They can also be based on the presentation the students prepare for the class on media ethics-related topics given by the instructor beforehand.
Media Project
The students are expected to create individually or in small groups (2-5 persons) an analytical article, expert interview, or any other material (video, podcast, series of posts) relevant to the current news agenda and raising media ethical issues. The size of the text is 10000-16000 characters. The timing of audio or video content is 5-20 minutes. The topic, format, and genre should be chosen and discussed with the tutor in advance.
test
Students take a test to check their knowledge of key course-related issues. The tasks include 10 closed and 10 open questions, which require answers in the form of a mini-essay.

Interim Assessment

2025/2026 1st module
0.3 * test + 0.1 * Debates on media ethics + 0.4 * Media Project + 0.2 * Participation during the classes

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Clifford G. Christians, Mark Fackler, Kathy Brittain Richardson, & Peggy Kreshel. (2020). Media Ethics : Cases and Moral Reasoning. Routledge.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Лазутина, Г. В. Профессиональная этика журналиста : учебник и практикум для академического бакалавриата / Г. В. Лазутина. — 4-е изд., испр. и доп. — Москва : Издательство Юрайт, 2019. — 219 с. — (Бакалавр. Академический курс). — ISBN 978-5-534-07482-6. — Текст : электронный // Образовательная платформа Юрайт [сайт]. — URL: https://urait.ru/bcode/445030 (дата обращения: 28.08.2023).

Authors

Котюкова Анастасия Васильевна

Бакалаврская программа «Медиакоммуникации»

Контакты

Media Ethics