Course B: Media & Society

Civil Society and the Media in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989

Course tutor: Sebastian Schröder-Esch M.A., M.E.S. (Kirchzarten, Germany) Sebastian Schröder-Esch born 1972 in Göttingen (Germany), 1993 – 2000 student of geography, Slavonic studies, East European history and English studies at the universities of Freiburg, Mainz and London (M.A. degree), 2000/2001 post-graduate course ‘European studies’ in Berlin (M.E.S. degree), 2001 – 2003 research assistant at the Leibniz-Institute of Regional Geography in Leipzig, 2004 – 2006 academic assistant at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar for the EU project HERMES, since 2007 working freelance in European culture and education projects. Main fields of interest: Political and Social Geography, European integration, transition in Central and Eastern Europe (esp. Poland), cultures of remembrance, discourse analysis.

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Background

There has been a wide-spread resurgence of interest in the idea of civil society from the late 1980s onwards. In Europe this trend has been closely linked to the fundamental political, economic and social changes in the former ‘Eastern Bloc’ after the breakdown of communism. Civil society was and still is the goal of many of the reforms that have attempted to transform authoritarian rule and centrally planned economies into Western-type liberal democracies. Consequently, the question how to construct civil societies has ranked high on the agenda ever since.

One of the areas that have been in the focus of much effort to make democracy work is clearly the sphere of (mass) media which are commonly believed to be among the most crucial issues as regards the strengthening of democracy, liberty, human rights, and civic responsibility in Europe’s transitional countries. Mass media are widely expected to be an important pillar of democratic and civic culture, highlighting abuses of power, informing the public, and thus protecting the freedom of speech and the press. The media can deal with issues such as human rights, mutual understanding, tolerance, management of diversity, inter-cultural and inter-ethnic relations, peace and conflict resolution etc. On the other hand, however, it is well-known that the media can also fuel conflicts, harass individuals and peoples, as well as serve other dubious interests. The current media landscape in Central and Eastern Europe testifies to this wide range of possible roles of the media, encompassing encouraging cases as well as alarming ones.

The summer school

In the light of these observations, the Weimar Summer School entitled ‘Civil Society and the Media in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989’ aims to investigate the current situation of the media in this part of Europe, including Germany, and to analyse and discuss their actual or potential role in building structures of democracy, peace and tolerance. Particular regard will be paid to the issue of new media such as the internet, home computers, mobile phones etc. To what extent are they used for the independent production and dissemination of information? How will these new technological tools and changing patterns of use affect societal development in the future? And what possibilities do new media offer for individual civic engagement?
The seminar will be comprised of both theoretical and practical components. At the beginning general issues and questions will be dealt with in the form of reading, discussions in class as well as lectures. Fieldtrips will be undertaken to various sites in and around Weimar, and meetings with experts will be arranged. The very specific and dissonant character of Weimar will be reflected, a place that is of paramount importance to German, and European, history and cultural identity in many different ways until this day.

Another important element of the seminar will be a practical hands-on workshop during which the participants will learn and apply basic techniques of radio journalism with particular regard to the possibilities of new digital media. Audio features on a number of related topics will be produced in Weimar and then published on-line at the end of the summer school (see the summercourse archive for output from a previous course in 2007).

Conditions for participation

The main target group for participation in the seminar are practising young journalists or advanced students of relevant academic fields, as well as NGO activists with an interest in the above topics. Successful applicants must be proficient in English, the sole working language, in order to be able to work with the academic literature provided and to participate actively in the course. In addition to English, a basic knowledge of German would be welcome but is no prerequisite. All participants will be required to read texts provided by the course tutor prior to the stay in Weimar. Furthermore, everyone will be asked to collect material and prepare in advance a presentation of a case study.

download schedule for this course.

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