Media Studies classes for exchange students

The Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig broke records in 2023: It is one of the highest grossing films of all time and the commercially most successful film by a female director. Furthermore, it is part of the 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon. In this seminar, we use the film as a model to explain and illustrate various theories of media culture studies. Based on Barbie and media theory, we discuss, among other things, the following questions: When is a film art or a commodity? When is a film feminist? Is it important whether you watch a film in the movie theatre? How active or passive is the audience? How do we understand audiovisual media - according to psychoanalytic or cognitive film theory?

The objective of this seminar is to give you an overview of relevant theoretical approaches in media and film studies. We're not aiming for a flawless interpretation of a single movie. Instead, we'll explore how examining one film through the lens of media theory can broaden our understanding of media culture in general. I assume that you have seen the film before the start of the seminar and are ready to spend 14 more weeks analyzing this (and some other) films. Tuesdays, 6 – 8 p.m. (room 127)

This seminar will explore general media theories and basic theoretical concepts of media reception research. In doing so, we will create a common basis of understanding by comparing contemporary (TikTok, fake news, AI images, ...) and historical/traditionally well-researched phenomena (image, film/series, comics, journalism). In this sense, students are encouraged to actively contribute with experiences from their own everyday media life! As part of their coursework, students will give short group presentations on the topics of the sessions. The seminar will be concluded with an examination performance in the form of a term paper. Mondays, 12 – 2 p.m. (room 206)

The course interrogates the social, cultural, and ethical implications of AI technologies programmed to enter into communication with users. Students will be stimulated to explore how theoretical and methodological tools developed within communication and media studies, which have traditionally been employed to study mediated communication between humans, can be applied to better understand emerging forms of communication between humans and machines. Concrete examples of communicative AI, i.e. AI technologies that enter in communication with users, will be taken into account and experimented with. As part of the requirement for the course, students will be asked to critically analyze a specific tool or software, e.g. ChatGPT and other Large Language Models, voice assistants, and companion chatbots. Block Seminar: July 5th, July 12th, July 19th ( 1 – 6 p.m.) and July 20th (10 a.m. – 4. p.m.) (room 127)

This media analysis course will investigate the role of new media in political communication with a focus on campaigns. Over the past years, we have all witnessed important campaigns: the COVID-19 immunization campaign, the Global Climate Strikes, the #BlackLivesMatter movement. These efforts affect our understanding of political power, government action, democracy, and cultural issues, to name a few. In this course, you will gain a theoretical background that helps you grasp the complexity of contemporary politics alongside the centrality of media, including the role of legacy media, the use of social media communication, and the formation of digital publics. We will focus on campaigns — electoral campaigns, disinformation campaigns, grassroots campaigns, organizational campaigns, public information campaigns, and health campaigns — from across the political spectrum and across geographical contexts, enabling you to study a campaign of your choosing in order to explore how new media and (digital) communication play into the political. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – 12. p.m. (room 127)

The goal of this practical seminar (Lehrredaktion) is to tackle the emerging opportunities, dangers, and intricacies of tools and technologies powered by artificial intelligence in journalism - whether it is their utilization for content curation or in the writing process. In exploring the current technological possibilities, ethical considerations will be a crucial aspect of our discussions, addressing issues such as bias in algorithms, accountability, and the potential impact on journalistic integrity. The seminar will be concluded with a project that showcases the distinct role and ongoing need of the journalist and their skills, expertise, as well as ethics. Mondays, 8 – 10 a.m. (room 206)

In this course, we will develop a basic understanding of fact checking and of how open-source intelligence (OSINT), i.e., gathering and analyzing publicly available information, can be used in journalism. We will learn various techniques of image, audio, video, and text verification, with a special focus on AI-generated content including deepfakes. We will also address potential risks of OSINT, such as doxing, stalking, or misinformation. After an introduction into the background, theories, and basic techniques, the students will work with a variety of methods and open-source tools, such as geopositioning, reverse image searches, photo forensic, and the Wayback Machine. The second half of the semester is dedicated to an OSINT project. For this course, you will need a keen eye, patience, logical thinking, and detective skills. Fridays, 10 a.m. – 12. p.m. (room 127)