My Experience of IR245: International Journalism and Society: The Role of the Media in the Modern World

While at LSE Summer School, I took the course IR245: International Journalism and Society: The Role of the Media in the Modern World. Join me as I share reflections of my time studying this, and some tips from my experience of the course!

I chose IR245 because it seemed like the perfect combination for me: trying the new discipline of journalism studies, while complementing my knowledge and studies in politics, philosophy and economics back home. I had given thought to pursuing a career in journalism in the past, and with no courses in the discipline offered at my own university, IR245 was the ideal opportunity.

Writing this blog after taking the course, I am realising that I have gained so much more than insight into journalism. The course made me into a more conscious and informed user of media; and I think that these are skills that everyone should have. The topics we explored ranged from the influence of social media algorithms to the role of emotions in news reporting. What made this course so engaging was how relevant the topics were to us as students. One thing that it revealed was how much experience I had (unknowingly) as a consumer of the news media. Most of us use social media and consume the news multiple times a day, so learning about what happens in the very process was fascinating!

I did not know anyone before going into IR245. After my first day of classes, however, I’d met classmates I would end up spending most of my time with, including on trips organised by the LSE Summer School team!

Another highlight of the course was the inclusion of guest lecturers, who really added to the course. These guest lecturers gave daily talks on the day’s topic, from speakers invited by our lecturer – himself a former journalist. The speakers were professionals in their fields, ranging from international correspondents at Sky News, to political editors at the Guardian, and factcheckers at the BBC. Beyond learning more about their work, this exposed me to people whose work is immensely important, but we do not often consciously acknowledge.

What most surprised me about the IR245 teaching experience was the level of engagement we were encouraged to have as students. This was even during lectures! Personally, I was not used to sharing my opinion in a lecture setting – I thought this would be something reserved for seminars. Yet, by the end of the course, I had gained enormous confidence from participating during lectures and asking questions during guest speakers’ talks. There is so much to gain from this teaching style, and a top tip would be to embrace it as much as you can during your time at Summer School! Doing so will benefit not only you, but all those who get to listen to your experience. Hearing about classmate’s experiences from all over the world is part of made my time on the course so special.

If you are considering attending Summer School, you might be wondering about assessment expectations, and how they differ at LSE compared to your university. I had this same question. Fortunately, LSE was extremely helpful with this! The Summer School’s Spark programme held numerous sessions for developing skills such as essay writing, and I found these very useful for my own work. The sessions included being taught some of the most common mistakes made by students, and how to best to structure your assessments. I would highly recommend these Spark events to anyone wanting to make the most of their time at LSE Summer School!

There is so much more to say about IR245. It goes without saying that this is a course I would recommend to anyone – even if, like me, you have never studied journalism before!

 

This blog was written by one of our 2024 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.