GERM 380
The rapid development and interactive character of electronic texts and images show more vividly than ever before what important role language plays in today's mass media: newspapers, magazines, radio, popular music, electronic media, film and, above all, television. A very complex role, indeed. Terms like infomercial indicate that two objectives of the media, namely, to inform and to sell, have been merged, making it ever more challenging for the "consumer" to separate facts from fiction. Decentralization, privatization and internationalization of the media in Europe have drastically changed the format and content of presentations in the print-media as well as on radio and TV.
The course will investigate the informative, persuasive, manipulative and propagandistic use of language and images in the media in German-speaking countries in a cross-cultural context.
Selected topics:
- The German/Austrian/Swiss media scenes - a brief overview of their history and structure
- Characteristics of spoken versus written German and the use of regionalisms
- Critical discussion and analysis of various journalistic genres, e.g.,
Nachrichten, Bericht, Interview, Rede, Essay, Glosse, Feature, Kommentar, Werbung
- Persuasive language and images in advertising; cross-cultural comparisons
- Image, sound and text; affective use of idioms
- Cultural and gender-related stereotyping
- Exploiting language for propaganda - political speeches and posters
- Specialized languages (Fachsprachen) and influences from other languages, especially American English
Texts: Harald Burger. Sprache der Massenmedien. de Gruyter: Berlin/New York.
H. H. Lüger. Pressesprache. Niemeyer: Tübingen
Audio- and video-recordings, texts and images from European Web-sites will supplement the discussions. In addition to assigned readings, participants are expected to do a considerable amount of independent reading and data collection according to their special areas of interest as well as formal oral presentations with written summaries. Participants will also write a research paper. There will be no written final exam.
This level V course is open to advanced undergraduate as well as graduate students. It may be of special interest to SFS (Culture and Politics) and MAGES (Media/Communications) students, and prospective language teachers.