Outline

Overview

This unit examines media representations of conflict and their influence on the behaviour of those involved. It introduces creative ways for journalists, media development workers and media activists to apply principles of conflict resolution. Students diagnose 'war journalism' and 'peace journalism', and analyse conflict in a journalism context. Theories of news and concepts of objectivity and responsibility are critically explored. Students gain practical skills in peace journalism and media activism as well as devising peace journalism interventions in conflict-affected areas.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	SCWK6935
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Jake Lynch, jake.lynch@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Seminar participation	10%	-	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflection on individual and group learning	25%	Week 06 Due date: 12 Oct 2020 at 17:00	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	News reporting exercise	25%	Week 06 Due date: 12 Oct 2020 at 17:00	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Commentary on news reporting	40%	Week 06 Due date: 12 Oct 2020 at 17:00	3500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

PACS6914 2020 Detailed Schedule of Sessions and Readings

Session dates and times:

August 17, 19, 21, 25 and 28, and September 1, 4 and 8, from 18:00 – 21:00 AEST.

(NB these will be followed by an open thread, which I will create on the Canvas site, where you will be able to ask questions about the assignments, and get responses from me and from each other).

Outline plan for each session:

First hour = presentation (from Session 2, preceded by open Q and A to recap previous session).

Second hour = break, plus group work and feedback.

Third hour = break, then watch video together and whole-class discussion.

Some useful online Peace Journalism resources:

http://www.mindanews.com/ PJ news website from the southern Philippines

http://mapmena.org/ PJ NGO from Lebanon
http://commonwonders.com/ PJ columns by Bob Kohler

http://mediaforpeacebuilding.com/category/peace-journalism/ Examples of PJ from around the world

http://www.park.edu/center-for-peace-journalism/peace-journalist.html The Peace Journalist biannual magazine

https://viewdigital.org/ PJ magazine from Northern Ireland

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/ Peace and humanitarian perspectives on conflicts

http://www.peacedirect.org Grassroots peace initiatives and campaigns

Session 1, Monday, August 17: Introduction to peace journalism

Introduction to the course and each other.
History of Peace Journalism.

‘Two versions’ of a story about conflict. What are we led or left to infer, by representations of conflict, about what is at stake, about the actions and motivations of the parties and about what is likely to happen next?

How much PJ is there? Operationalising the PJ model into evaluative criteria for content analysis.

Group exercise: select a report of a conflict, from a news website. How much War Journalism does it contain? What (if any) elements of Peace Journalism?
Class exercise: watch and discuss video, Peace Journalism in the Philippines.

Required readings:

1. Lynch, Jake (2020) ‘Peace Journalism’. In (eds) Jonathan Kent, Fen Hampson and Alp Ozerdem, Routledge Handbook of Peace, Security and Development. New York: Routledge, Chapter 22, pp 275-284.

Lynch, Jake and Johan Galtung (2010) Reporting Conflict: new directions in Peace Journalism, St Lucia: University of Queensland Press. Chapter 1, ‘Reporting Conflict: the low road and the high’, pp 1-24.
Abdul-Nabi, Zainab (2015) ‘Based on the peace journalism model: Analysis of Al-Jazeera’s coverage of Bahrain’s uprising and Syria’s chemical attack’. Global Media and Communication 11(3), pp 271–302.

Supplementary reading

‘War or Peace Journalism? Asian newspaper coverage of conflicts’, by Seow Ting Lee and Crispin C Maslog, Journal of Communication, vol 55 no 2, June 2005, pp 311-329 – Peace Journalism applied as a set of analytical criteria to newspaper output.
‘Peace Journalism in times of war’, Peace and Policy vol 13, 2008, eds Susan Dente Ross and Majid Tehranian, Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University, for Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. Several case studies in content analysis using peace journalism.

Session 2, Wednesday, August 19: Peace and Conflict and the media

1. Recap of Session 1.

2. Presentation: ABC Conflict Triangle; Violence Triangle, conflict resolution tools and change agents.

3. Group exercise: Go back to your story of yesterday. Using internet research, find at least three alternative sources. How might the use of these sources help to re-frame the story as Peace Journalism?

4. Class exercise: watch and discuss (portion of) video, Soldiers of Peace.

Required readings:

Lynch, Jake and Annabel McGoldrick (2005) Peace Journalism, Stroud: Hawthorn Press. Chapter 2, ‘Conflict analysis: anchorage for journalists’, pp 33-54.
Cottle, Simon (2010) ‘Global crises and world news ecology’. In: S Allan (ed), Companion to News and Journalism. London: Routledge, pp. 473–484.
Lynch, Jake (2015) ‘Media in Peace and Conflict Studies’, in Communication and Peace: Mapping an Emerging Field, Julia Hoffmann and Virgil Hawkins (eds), New York: Routledge, pp 16-33.

Supplementary reading:

Lynch, Jake and McGoldrick, Annabel, 2005: Peace Journalism, Stroud: Hawthorn Press, Chapter Three.
Lakey, George (2020) ‘Understanding Trump’s game plan in Portland could be the key to preventing a coup in November’. July 25, Waging Nonviolence. Discusses dilemma for activists with reference to media responses to Trump deployment of federal forces to Portland, Oregon: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2020/07/portland-trump-federal-agents-law-order-preventing-coup/

Session 3, Friday, August 19: Media effects, framing and reception

1. Recap of Session 2.
2. Presentation: Media effects, framing and reception theory.
3. Group exercise: identifying frames in reports of conflict.

4. Class exercise: Watch and discuss (hard-hitting) film, John Lyons’ Stone Cold Justice from ABC Four Corners. Is it Peace Journalism?

Required readings:

McGoldrick, Annabel and Jake Lynch (2015) ‘Audience responses to Peace Journalism: Merging results from a four-country research study’, Journalism Studies Vol 17, Issue 5, pp 628-646.
Lynch, Jake, Annabel McGoldrick and James Heathers (2015) ‘Psychophysiological audience responses to war journalism and peace journalism’, Global Media and Communication, Vol 11 No 3, pp 201-217.

Supplementary reading:

Lynch, Jake (2014) A Global Standard for Reporting Conflict, ch 3, ‘Australia’, pp 55-82.
Entman, Robert (1993) ‘Framing: towards clarification of a fractured paradigm’. Journal of Communication 43 (4), pp 51-58.

Session 4, Tuesday, August 25: Influences on news content: objectivity, propaganda and censorship

1. Recap of Session 3.

2. Presentation: influences on news content. Structure and agency; objectivity and propaganda.

3. Group exercise: what has made this piece of news the way it is?

4. Class exercise: watch and discuss Sally Sara film for ABC Correspondent, from West Papua.

Required readings:

Freedman, Des (2009) ‘Smooth Operator: The Propaganda Model and moments of crisis’. Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 6 (2) pp. 59–72.
Hussain, Shabbir and Jake Lynch (2018) ‘Identifying peace-oriented media strategies for deadly conflicts in Pakistan’. Information Development 35 (5) pp. 703–713.
Shixin Ivy Zhang (2015) ‘Chinese-style pragmatic objectivity in war reporting’. Asian Journal of Communication, 25 (2) pp 178-196.
Lynch, Jake (2018) ‘Where I stand on Peace Journalism and the Academic Boycott of Israel’. Conflict and Communication Online, 17 (1) pp 1-4.
Gardner, Paul (2020) ‘China’s coronavirus cover-up: how censorship and propaganda obstructed the truth’. The Conversation, March 6 https://theconversation.com/chinas-coronavirus-cover-up-how-censorship-and-propaganda-obstructed-the-truth-133095
India arrests 50 journalists over critical coverage of CV response – Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/31/india-arrests-50-journalists-in-clampdown-on-critics-of-covid-19-response

Session 5, Friday, August 28: Layers of media effects: psychological and affective responses

1. Recap of Session 4.

2. Presentation: Psychological and affective responses to Peace Journalism.

3. Group exercise: watch two versions of two stories. What do they make you feel?

4. Class exercise: watch and discuss (a portion of) ‘Weapons of Mass Deception’ by Danny Schechter.

Required readings:

McGoldrick, Annabel (2011) ‘Peace Journalism Produces More Hope and Empathy in Filipino Audiences’, Tambara vol 28, pp 43- 79.
McGoldrick, Annabel and Jake Lynch (2015) ‘Audience responses to Peace Journalism: Merging results from a four-country research study’, Journalism Studies 17 (5), pp 628-646 (and on Canvas site).
McGoldrick, Annabel (2008) ‘Psychological effects of war journalism and Peace Journalism’. Peace and Policy vol 13: pp 86-98.

Session 6, Tuesday September 1: Practical PJ

1. Recap of Session 5.
2. Presentation: Headings for a PJ codebook – a global standard for reporting conflict.
3. Exercise: practical Peace Journalism – producing a peace journalism report of a violent incident in conflict.

Exercise: Working individually, produce a full Peace Journalism report of a violent incident in a conflict. Start from an example of War Journalism. In teams of two, take it in turns to play the role of source, and journalist. Using your new material, re-write the story. Be prepared to read your story out to the whole class!

Required readings

Lynch, Jake and Annabel McGoldrick (2013) ‘Responses to Peace Journalism’, Journalism: theory, practice and criticism. Vol 14 no 8, pp 1041-1058.
Anderson, Leticia (2015) ‘Countering Islamophobic media representations: The potential role of peace journalism’. Global Media and Communication 11 (3), pp 255–270.
Chow-White, P. and McMahon, R. (2011) ‘Examining the “Dark Past” and “Hopeful Future” in Representations of Race and Canada’s TRC’. In I. Seaga Shaw, J. Lynch, and R. Hackett (eds.) Expanding Peace Journalism, Sydney: Sydney University Press, pp 347–374.

Supplementary reading:
Lynch, Jake and McGoldrick, Annabel, 2005: Peace Journalism, Stroud: Hawthorn Press, Chapter Six (sent out in time for class).

Session 7, Friday September 4: practicality of implementation

1. Recap of Session 6.
2. Presentation: Journalists’ role perceptions and work routines – is PJ feasible in practice?
3. Group exercise: identify constraints and affordances in reporting chosen conflict issue.

4. Class exercise: watch and discuss BBC documentary on political influence of Rupert Murdoch in Britain TBC.

Required readings:

Lynch, Jake (2019) ‘Making a Difference: 20 years of Conflict-resolving Media’. The Peace Journalist 8 (2), pp 16-17.
Lynch, Jake (2013) ‘Is Peace Journalism feasible? Pointers for research and media development’. Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics, (2-3), pp 15-24.
Joseph Olusegun Adebayo (2016) ‘The Impact of Peace Journalism Training on Journalists’ Reportage of the 2015 Elections in Nigeria: An Action Research Case Study’. Communicatio, 42 (3), pp 361-377.

Supplementary readings:

Hanitzsch, Thomas (2007) ‘Situating Peace Journalism in Journalism Studies: a critical appraisal.Conflict and Communication Online’ 6 (2).
Hackett, Robert A. (2006) ‘Is Peace Journalism possible? Three frameworks for assessing structure and agency in news media’. Conflict and Communication Online, vol. 5 no. 2.

Session 8, Tuesday September 8: further thoughts on media effects in the age of digital ‘filter bubbles’

1. Recap of Session 7.
2. Presentation: Media effects: weak or strong?
3. Group exercise: Q & A troubleshooting for assignments.

4. Class exercise: watch and discuss film, Peace Journalism in Mexico.

Required readings:

Bennett, W Lance & Shanto Iyengar (2008) ‘A new era of minimal media effects? The changing foundations of political communication’. Journal of Communication 58 (2008) 707–731.
Holbert, R Lance, R. Kelly Garrett, & Laurel S. Gleason (2010) ‘A New Era of Minimal Effects? A Response to Bennett and Iyengar’. Journal of Communication 60 (2010) 15–34.
Waisbord, Silvio (2019) ‘The progressive promises and the reality of news beyond industrial journalism’. Australian Journalism Review 41 (1) pp 9-16.
Bastian, M., Makhortykh, M., and Dobber, T. (2019) ‘News Personalization for Peace: How Algorithmic Recommendations Can Impact Conflict Coverage’. International Journal of Conflict Management, 30 (3), pp.309–328.

Assignments

There are four assessment tasks in this unit.

Participation in discussions and exercises set in class, worth 10%.
A reflection on your learning (1,000 words) worth 25%.
A Conflict News Report (1,000 words) worth 25%.
A commentary on the conflict news report, responding to the specific questions below (3,500 words) worth 40%.

Learning reflection:

Using up to 1,000 words, show how your understanding of media roles in conflict has changed during the course. This does not need to be written as a formal academic essay, and does not need formal referencing. However, you will gain marks for showing that you have understood and considered arguments made by writers whose work is included in the required reading list. So, for instance, you might write: “One cognitive effect of media is suggested by Robert Entman’s framing model, which connects problem diagnosis with treatment recommendation”.

Conflict reporting exercise:

Take a recent development in a major conflict story which, you feel, was reported in such a way as to over-value violent responses and under-value non-violent ones – ie as War Journalism.

Write a Peace Journalism article on it, suitable for publication in a major broadsheet newspaper or journalism website – of up to 1,000 words. You should find your own sources, by finding and using quotes and/or information from documents or websites. (NB unlike in a newspaper article, you do need to reference your sources please. Use footnotes so as to minimise disruption to the writing ‘flow’).

Commentary:

THEN Write a commentary, of up to 3,500 words, explaining your reasoning:

Using examples, say how this development was reported at the time. Say what characteristics of the reporting make it War Journalism.

What influences combine to produce this pattern of reporting? Think about propaganda, and about the interplay of structure and agency.

Explain how you would apply the peace journalism model to derive evaluative criteria for content analysis on the coverage of this story.
What effect might this pattern of reporting have on the cognitive and psychological responses of readers and/or audience members? What effect might this pattern of reporting have on the actions and motivations of (any) party or parties to the conflict? How might this effect be transmitted?

How is your own report different from the way the story was reported at the time? What different sources have you used, and why? Is it objective?
What effect might your report, and more like it, have on cognitive and psychological responses of readers and/or audience members? And on the actions and motivations of (any) party or parties to the conflict? How might this effect be transmitted?

Would it be feasible in practice for a media outlet (of what kind?) to run your report?

This commentary should be written as a formal academic essay, with full referencing.

You will gain marks for making appropriate use of the required readings, to elaborate your points, develop and support your argument.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. find, successfully identify and analyse examples of war journalism and peace journalism
LO2. discuss personal responses to media representations of conflict
LO3. work successfully in setting of facilitated group-directed learning
LO4. produce a report of a situation of conflict

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

I am gradually including more readings from non-western authors, in response to calls to 'decolonise' university curricula.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PACS6914: Conflict-Resolving Media

Intensive September, 2020 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect