Quick LinksStudents present research on communication
in international relations
What role do the media play in international relations? How does culture influence news coverage? Is there a difference in what is considered newsworthy across the globe? These were some of the questions posed by students in Dr. Natalie Debray’s Communication in International Relations course (COM 321 and POLSCI 330).
Working in pairs the students examined U.S. media coverage of an important global issue or current event and then compared how another country covered the same issue or event, using course concepts such as framing, social identity theory and ideology to explain their findings.
On June 4 students presented their research at an academic poster session in the Mary Gates Commons. There were a variety of topics covered, including the global financial crisis, biodiversity, gay marriage, the Somali pirate incident, globalization, and the loss of indigenous languages and cultures. Some of the most compelling research revealed the difference between U.S. and Mexican media coverage of the recent swine flu epidemic.
