Course Objectives

This course aims to offer Journalism students an introduction to the British information milieu they will encounter in their internships.

The course will be an intensive study of British media in the context of the political, cultural and social life of the United Kingdom.

This course is taught in conjunction with COM JO 701 during the Fall term only. Course materials are listed below. Please log in to view these items.

Course Comments

"This class was amazing and I feel like it made me so much more aware of the political and social issues in Britain and Europe. While abroad I really wanted to take classes that helped me to understand and take in a new culture and this class was perfect for that." Anon., Fall 2009

"Every lecture was well-prepared and highly varied in content. I felt that I learned so much in so little amount of time. This course was perfect for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in British politics, monarchy, people, and news of Britain and the world." Anon., Fall 2009

“Alex did a great job exposing us to British media in 5 short weeks. We saw television we would not have had access to and analyzed it appropriately. He was up for discussion which is always a plus.” Andrew Waite, Spring 2008

“Professor MacLeod is one of the best professors I’ve had in all 3 years I’ve been at BU so far. He made the classroom comfortable and was very engaging. I felt he enjoyed teaching and was truly passionate about the material.” Kaia Marie Balcos, Spring 2008

“Great course. Well prepared with film, radio & media mixed into lectures to diversify the learning experience.” Anon., Fall 2008

Faculty Information

Alexander MacLeod, B.A. (Hons), University of New Zealand. He has had 40 years of practical experience in broadcasting and print journalism. In New Zealand he was Editor-in-Chief of the NZ Listener and President of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. In Britain he has served as Foreign Editor of The Sunday Times (London), Diplomatic Editor of The Scotsman (Edinburgh), and British Isles correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor (Boston). For five years he was Editor of the London-based Round Table Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs. He has more than 20 years of experience as a news presenter on BBC Radio, including nearly 10 years as presenter on Twenty-Four Hours for the BBC World Service, and for fifteen years he anchored BBC Radio Four's World Tonight program. As a roving documentary-maker in the United States, Europe and Asia he has made many programs for the BBC.

Course Syllabus and Materials

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Return to main course page (Fall/Spring or Summer).

Hyperlinked readings:

Burman, T. (2007) "The rise of celebrity journalism" from CBCNews, 17 January 2007.  Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/about/burman/letters/2007/01/the_rise_of_celebrity_journali.html

Fallows, J. (2010) "Cyber warriors" from The Atlantic, March 2010.  Available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/cyber-warriors/7917/

Garber, M. (2010) "Who says : narrative authority in a fragmented world" from Columbia journalism review, 4 March 2010.  Available at: http://www.cjr.org/the_news_frontier/who_says.php

Gordon, S. (2003) Cyberterrorism.  Cupertino, CA : Symantec, 2003.  Available at: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/reference/cyberterrorism.pdf

Dworschak, M. (2010) "Logging off: the internet generation prefers the real world" from Der Spiegel.  Available at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,710139,00.html

Osnos, P. (2010) "An elegy for journalism? : the colourful past and uncertain future of foreign reporting" from Foreign affairs, January/February 2010.  Available at: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/65729/peter-osnos/an-elegy-for-journalism