European public sphere

Evropska javna sfera

Course credits:

6.00 ECTS / 60 (30 hours of lectures, 0 hours of exercises, 30 hours of seminars, 0 hours other forms of work)

Course holder:

prof. dr. Mojca Pajnik

Type:

Elective general

Language:

Slovenian

Semester:

Second semester

Study degree

1. level

Course execution:

• Undergraduate Programme of Communication studies - Marketing Communication and Public Relations
• Undergraduate Programme of Cultural studies - Studies of Culture and Creativity
• Undergraduate Programme of Defence Studies
• Undergraduate Programme of International Relations
• Undergraduate Programme of Journalism
• Undergraduate Programme of Media and Communication Studies
• Undergraduate Programme of Political Science - Public Policies and Sdministration
• Undergraduate Programme of Political Science - Studies of Politics and the State
• Undergraduate Programme of Social Informatics
• Undergraduate Programme of Sociology
• Undergraduate Programme of Sociology - Human Resources Management

Prerequisits:

Students are allowed to participate in the course provided that they have completed the enrolment procedure.

Objectives and competences

Objectives Knowledge of and ability to critically assess different theoretical and methodological approaches in the study of the public sphere, the direction and forces of their transformation and their placement in the theories of democracy and society. Competences Knowledge of the concepts, understanding of the problems, analysing, interpreting, reasoning, judging and writing.

Content (Syllabus outline)

The course looks for answers to the question of whether a unified public sphere is an essential condition of democracy, particularly in heterogeneous associations, such as the European Union, and whether it can be formed in the interaction of the different national public spheres. Attention is paid to addressing the historical conceptualizations of notions of the public, public sphere and public opinion, as well as the role of the political public sphere in democracy. Students learn about the development of the public from a social category, to a measurable aggregate in the form of polling, and they gain knowledge about the processes of creating a European communication community or a European public sphere. The course also focuses on the analysis of the selected topics, which will be in time of the course occupying the central role in discussions at the European level. We will analyse the similarities and differences in values and attitudes among national, social, regional and demographic groups and discuss the results of pooling at the European level.

Intended learning outcomes:

Students gain knowledge about theories of the public and the public sphere; they master professional terminology; they understand and know how to assess the importance of the public sphere for democratization; students are trained for public speaking, discussing and writing essays.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures, seminars, consultations

Assessment

2 written assignments, each representing 25%; written exam – 50%.

Obligatory literature

Additional literature