Institute of Media Studies

Media Studies classes for exchange students

For exchange students, this is the place to browse and register for classes offered by the Institute of Media Studies. You will find info on

  • Media Studies classes in English language
  • Media Studies classes in German language
  • registration process
  • Learning Agreements (ERASMUS and CIVIS)

Media Studies classes in English language

Registration for media studies courses in spring 2026 will open between February 20, 2026 and March 15th, 2026. Please, use the form below to register. We will inform you about your course placement by March 20th, 2026. Courses start on April 13th 2026 unless stated otherwise.

Please note, that we cannot enroll you into courses without a valid Matrikel (student id). In case you haven't been assigned a matrikel number by the time you need to register for courses, please inform us about your matrikel as soon as you receive it. Also, know that we do not enroll you on a first-come-first-serve basis for that very reason. As a consequence we are also unable to confirm any placements before the registration deadline.

That said, we always strive to enroll our international students in all of their desired courses and we ensure that you are able to meet your requirements by home universities in terms of credit points.

Summer Term 2026

Media Theory
Environmental Communication Theory
Dr. Giuliana Sorce
3/6/8 ECTS

Environmental messages permeate everyday life—from climate news and environmental activism to debates over waste, energy, and policy. This media theory course introduces students to the major theoretical frameworks that shape the study of environmental communication. We will trace the development of the field and examine how it intersects with related areas such as crisis communication, science and health communication, political communication, and gender studies. Through these lenses, the course explores how environmental issues are communicated and contested across interpersonal and organizational settings, legacy and social media, and within the broader public sphere. Students will learn analytical tools for critically examining how media and communication practices shape environmental knowledge, power relations and political action.

Wednesdays 12 to 2 pm

Important note: This course starts on May 6th

Media Theory
Journalism under attack: Theorizing journalism’s blurring boundaries and resilience
Dr. Phoebe Maares
3/6/8 ECTS

Digitization has contributed to a surge of new actors producing and disseminating information that resembles traditional journalism, increasingly blurring the margins of journalism. These can include (political) influencers, new (hyper)partisan media, podcasters and more who (intentionally or not) change public discourse and sometimes attack journalism as a profession and democracy as a societal system. In this class, we will engage with theoretical and empirical work that addresses the question whether journalism is a distinct profession and how we can understand these shifts, what they can mean for journalism’s role for society and how journalism could protect its democratic funtion.

Thursdays, 2 to 4 pm, room 206

Media Analysis
Visual and Multimodal Content Analysis
Dr. Phoebe Maares
3/6/8 ECTS

Societies of the 21st century are strongly characterized by visual content - whether distributed via mass media, on social media platforms or shared in interpersonal communication. Social media content especially has been dominated by (audio-)visual content. At the same time, (audio-)visual content is said to be particularly potent for the dissemination of information. This calls for appropriate methodological approaches when studying social media content. In this seminar, we will revise quantitative and qualitative approaches to visual content analysis and practice these with case studies under the broader theme of the #tradwife movement and visual communication of far right influencers.

Individual work: Attendance, reading diaries

Group Work: Conceptualization and implementation of an empirical content analysis, presentation of results and final paper

Thursdays 4 to 6 pm, room 206

Media Analysis
Storytelling and Narratives for Media Advocacy
Dr. Daniel Johnson
3/6/8 ECTS

This course is separate from Media Advocacy to Achieve Systemic Change and focuses specifically on one powerful media advocacy tactic: narratives and storytelling. It is recommended (but not required) that you have taken Media Advocacy to Achieve Systemic Change before taking this course.

Have you ever been drawn into a compelling TV show, book, or social media video—so immersed that you lost track of time? Stories have that power. Throughout history, storytelling has helped inspire social movements, political action, revolutions, and, at times, conflict. But how does this happen—and why are stories so influential?
This course explores this question, looking at narrative and storytelling techniques as tools for media advocacy. It examines how advocates, activists, and social movements craft stories that shape public understanding and influence policy outcomes. Through academic readings, case studies, and hands-on projects, students will explore:

Key definitions and concepts related to storytelling and narrative
How movements and advocates build the foundation for effective narratives
Elements of compelling stories for systemic change, including hooks, imagery, characters, and dialogue
Methods for evaluating the impact of narrative persuasion efforts

Students will critically analyze real-world narrative persuasion campaigns and design their own storytelling-based advocacy messages. This course is ideal for students interested in public policy, communications, activism, and anyone seeking to understand how storytelling can be used to influence systems and create meaningful change.

Tuesdays 12 to 2 pm, room 128a (former game lab)

Media Analysis
 Media Advocacy to Achieve Systemic Change
Dr. Daniel Johnson
3/6/8 ECTS

This course explores how media can be strategically used to influence public policy and drive systemic change. Blending theory with practical exercises, students will examine how advocates, activists, and social movements leverage media to shape public opinion and influence decision-makers. Through academic texts, case studies, and hands-on projects, the course investigates:

  • The definition and strategies of media advocacy
  • How media is used in policy and social change efforts
  • The role of journalism in advocacy and its limitations
  • The impact (both positive and negative) of media coverage
  • Comparative perspectives from U.S. and global contexts

Students will critically analyze real-world campaigns and design their own media advocacy initiatives. Ideal for those interested in public policy, communications, and activism, the course highlights how various actors—governments, NGOs, corporations, and others—use media alongside tools like legislation, litigation, and lobbying to effect change.

Wednesdays, 2 to 4 pm, room 121

Media Analysis
Understanding news consumers in hybrid media systems: Methodological approaches from audience studies
Dr. Phoebe Maares
3/6/8 ECTS

Digitization has contributed to a surge of new actors producing and disseminating information that resembles traditional journalism, increasingly blurring the margins of journalism, like (political) influencers, new (hyper)partisan media, podcasters. At the same time, longitudinal studies find that some audiences disengage with what we would traditionally consider news. However, this does not mean that audiences in today’s hybrid media systems are less informed. In this class, we will discuss the difficulties to study news consumption outside of traditional news media and engage with empirical work that addresses these questions with diverse and innovative methodological approaches. This includes traditional survey and interview research but also two-sided videoethnography, photo elicitation, and data donations.

Thursdays, 4 – 6 pm, room 206

Media Analysis
New Media, Politics & Campaigns
Dr. Giuliana Sorce
3/6/8 ECTS

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 (digital) media activism, social media communication, and the formation of digital publics. We will focus on campaigns—electoral campaigns, grassroots/organizational/activist campaigns, public information campaigns, etc.—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 10-12 

Important note: This course starts on May 6th

Media Practice
Augmenting Reality with LED Walls
Dr. Erwin Feyersinger
6 ECTS

In this course, we will explore how a large LED wall can be used to augment reality by combining virtual and physical content. We will work with the new LED wall in the television studio of the Zentrum für Medienkompetenz (ZFM). The course will start with an introduction into various ways of how such walls are used in film production, television broadcasts, multimedia art, and live performances. We will analyze visual effects, virtual production, virtual studios, motion graphics, interactivity, optical illusions, and similar hybrid phenomena such as projection mappings. The main part of the course is dedicated to creating student projects, working in smaller groups to experiment with the capabilities of the LED wall according to students’ interests. 

Mondays, 4 to 6 pm, room 127

Media Practice
Basics of Animation
Naima Alam
6 ECTS

Everyone can animate! This is an introductory course which in-cludes learning different types of animation such as flipbook, stop motion, and motion graphics. The course is based on understanding the 12 basic principles of animation, by the Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book The Illusion of Life. The main objective of the course is to find the type of animation you enjoy making, through class exercises, games, and experimentation.

Thursdays, 2 to 4 pm, room 127


Registration Process

Exchange students who have been succesfully enrolled at the Unversity of Tübingen can register for Media Studies classes. This does also apply to exchange students who are enrolled in a different subject but are interested in taking one or more classes in the field of Media Studies.

ERASMUS and CIVIS students: Please send your Learning Agreement to internationalspam prevention@mewi.uni-tuebingen.de or via OLA for approval before registering.

To register for Media Studies Classes, please fill in the registration form:

Registration form for Media Studies Classes

Please keep in mind that international exchange students can also take classes across different subjects and faculties as well as language courses. However, we do not process the registration for classes other than Media Studies classes. More info: course options for international exchange students


Media Studies classes in German language

Depending on your language abilities, you can also choose from German-language Media Studies classes. You can find all specific classes offered in the course catalogue “Alma”. However, the course catalog will be updated every semester at rather short notice.

Course Catalogue “Alma”

Besides that you might want to have a look at the Media Studies programmes and module handbooks to get a detailed idea on what classes are offered generally:

BA Media Studies MA Media Studies


Learning Agreement (ERASMUS & CIVIS students)

ERASMUS and CIVIS students will have to send us their Learning Agreements.

Online Learning Agreement OLA

If your home university supports OLA you’re welcome to fill in and submit your Learning Agreement via the official portal https://www.learning-agreement.eu/. If so, please fill in the following info:

Subject code: Audio-visual techniques and media production (0211) or Journalism and information (032) – the one that fits best for your personal study preferences.

Receiving Responsible Person:

„Receiving Administrative Contact Person“ can be left blank.

Classic Learning Agreement

Alternatively, you can submit your ‘classic’ Learning Agreement via email. If possible, send us your Learning Agreement as word file (doc, docx).

Mail to: internationalspam prevention@mewi.uni-tuebingen.de