SV-212 Communication, Media and Planning (Autumn 2025)

Upon completion of the course, students will

• have a broad knowledge of the dynamics of media and information flows, globalization, and society´s digital transformation
• have insight into the interplay of development and planning issues in a Global North and Global South context
• have knowledge about political and cultural communication
• be able to reflect on the roles and impacts of news and journalism in society in general
• have knowlege about emergent new media forms, networks and practices as they impact on planning and policy-making
• be able to contextualize the above perspectives in relation to current events, policy-making, agenda-setting and planning issues in concrete cases – locally and beyond

Focusing on both local and global perspectives, questions we raise are such as these:

• What characterizes the news media and their means and methods of covering politics and societal issues in a globalized society?
• What implications might we see for development and planning studies?
• How ought we to think about media power, freedom of speech, and democracy in a time of media transformations?
• What major changes in the development of media institutions and communication technologies ought we to take note of in these contexts?
• What kind of roles do the media play in opinion formation, locally, nationally and internationally?
• How do political actors apply media strategies in their endeavour to influence the public?
• How can we understand various planning aspects within the context of emergent new media forms?