Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

This module is designed to enable students to study in depth the role of the mass media in wartime from the mid nineteenth century to the present. The module will highlight two aspects of this subject in particular. First, the development of war reportage from the pioneering newspaper reports of the Crimean war though to the twenty-four-hour `instant? news of recent wars: the technical, logistical, military and political constraints on the media'r coverage of wars during this period, and how the mass media have sought to challenge or accommodate them. Second, the role of the media as, more generally, a propagandist for (or against) war; here particular attention will be paid to the effects of war coverage on home audience(s), and how the mass media have shaped attitudes to warfare in general and specific conflicts in particular. The principal case studies will be drawn from the British experience, although American and German examples will also be studied. Underlying all these points is the fundamental question: how effectively'rut also how accurately ? have the mass media reported war to their audiences, and with what wider historical consequences?

This module equips students to investigate an aspect of the history of the mass media in depth, through a wide-ranging historical analysis in combination with the study of a range of contemporary historical sources.