NS4930 Media and War

This seminar will analyze the interaction between the media, both in the United States and abroad, and society during wartime. Prerequisites: None.

Explain key components of the relationship between the press and the state in liberal democracies and in autocracies through the analysis of a wide range of case studies.
Explain the evolution of the relationship between the press and the U.S. military in times of conflict in the in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, including the mobilization of public support for war.
Understand the role of 24-hour international broadcast news on the shaping of foreign policy, including pressure to intervene with military force or humanitarian aid during a crisis.
Analyze and understand the role of social media in social movements, such as the Arab Spring, as well as in cases of armed conflict (i.e. the role of social media in generating support or opposition to military operations, a.k.a. ‘LikeWar’).
Parse different types of propaganda (black, white, gray) and explain how propaganda and information operations may be used by state or non-state actors to pursue strategic goals.