CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND JOURNALISM SYLLABUS IN TURKEY
H. ESRA ARCAN PhDISTANBUL UNIVERSITYCOMMUNICATION FACULTY
THANKS TO
UNICEF Geneva and Ankara Offices DIT Brian O’Neill Michael Foley Noirin Hayes
PREREQUISITIES
Education of Educators Preparing Course Materials Localization of the textbook Creating and gathering local course materials Preparing Syllabus
EDUCATION OF EDUCATORS: CHALLANGES
LACK of HR CULTURE/DEMOCRACY A NEW HR APPROACH for TEACHERS and
STUDENTS A NEW METHODOLOGY for TEACHERS
and STUDENTS
PREPARING COURSE MATERIALS:1 LOCALIZATION OF THE TEXTBOOK
CRITICALLY REVIEWING of LOCAL LAW of PROFESSIONAL ETHICS ADDING LOCAL NEWS/STUDY CASES/
SUBJECTS
ASPECT of LOCAL LAW of TEXTBOOK
Scanning national law rules Scanning Police Application of Law Considering UN CRC Monitoring (Shadow)
Reports
ASPECT OF THE LOCAL PROFFESSIONAL ETHICS OF THE TEXTBOOK
Journalism Association of Turkey Guidelines for the Media to transform
production and content development process for the benefit of children
ADDING LOCAL NEWS/STUDY CASES/SUBJECTS TO THE TEXTBOOK
CRITICAL READING OF NEWS RELATED TO CHILDREN:
WRONG NEWS MAKING EXAMPLES (Stagmatization, Demonization of Children)
CHILDREN RIGHTS BASED NEWS MAKING EXAMPLES
LOCAL SUBJECTS: CHILD BRIDES, STONE THROWN CHILDREN (Victims of Anti Terror Law), MINORITY CHILDREN
PREPARING COURSE MATERIALS:2CREATING AND GATHERING LOCAL COURSE MATERIALS
Articles by teachers Daily Newspapers, Magazines, TV news sets Novels and stories Movies, documanteries, fotos, visual
materials
APPLYING THE SYLLABUS
7 PARTICIPANTS OF THE PROJECT: ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY ANADOLU UNIVERSITY GAZİ UNIVERSITY ANKARA UNIVERSITY GALATASARAY UNIVERSITY BİLGİ UNIVERSITY ISTANBUL AYDIN UNIVERSITY
ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND JOURNALISM COURSE SYLLABUS
3 CREDIT MANDATORY COURSE 5th SEMESTER 14 WEEKS/3 HOURS THEORETICAL/ PRACTICAL TEACHING
COURSE DESCRİPTİON
This course has been specifically designed by UNICEF and an academic committee from Turkey and Ireland to address the needs and interests of students of journalism in order to teach children’s rights based journalism perspective.
WEEK 1
Introduction of Subject, Reading and Course Requirements
Liberal and Social approaches to the state, the rights and the media:.
News as construction vs. objectivity and fairness of news
Reading TB&by Dr. Arcan
WEEK 2
Conceptual and philosophical genesis of human rights
Natural Rights (Greek and Roman Thought) Human Rights (Enlightenment, Humanism,
and Contemporary HR: after WW II Reading: TB&by Dr. Arcan
WEEK 3
Why do children need special Right? State of children around the world, including Turkey, with UNDP, EU statistics and cases.
What are the rights of children? Convention on Children’s Rights
Readings: TB&R.Oven-New Society’s related chapter Make a classifications of articles in Convention on Children’s
Rights according to Survival- Protection- Development- Participation Rights Group
WEEK 4
History of children’s rights activism; 19th Century- Britain A factory owner: Robert Owen, A child worker and journalist: John Doherty, A women writer: Frances Trallope and her novel “Michael Armstrong:
A Factory Boy” A writer from Turkey: Kemalettin Tuğcu Convention on Children’s Rights in the light of history of child labor (Survival rights, development rights, and protection rights) Reading and Assignment: Read Timur Soykan’s interview with a child
worker and write a paper to compare today’s child labor state to Owen’s era.
WEEK 5
Children Rights and Media: Representation in news: Constructed reality
vs. Objective reality Relation between representation and reality in
news Stereotyping and
Stigmatization&Demonization of children in news
WEEK 5
Representation of Child in Media: wrong and right news examples Children in conflict with the law: demons and protection rights Children who forced to work in streets; poverty and survival-
development rights Children who sexually harassed or exploited; femalisation of child and
protection rights Children who are a part of cultural activities; good news on participation
rights Reading: Course Book Assignment: For next class bring news related to children to the class
and make a brief presentation about it according what you learn in class 4-5
WEEK 7
Midterm visa period
WEEK 8
Student presentation and discussion of news CR and Journalism Practice introduction and general
principles Info on news monitoring research Reading and assignment: Read Course book U2 P1 and
Media and Diversity Guideline for Child of TGC. Read research handout (by E. Arcan) chose your research teammate and newspaper and inform E. Arcan.
WEEK 9
IFJ Guidelines for children news TGC Media and Diversity Guidelines for Child BBC Editorial Principles Interviewing with children Assignment: Apply to the Hearing and Speech Handicapped
School to make an interview with a student and write news for IU News Agency. Study on research project.
WEEK 10
Movie: Shame, Dir. Samra Makmalbah Special Issues and Child Protection Policies
Reading: Read course book U2/P2, Can
Dündar: TV and Violance, study on research project
WEEK 11
Special Issues; Reporting on armed/ethnic conflict-child
soldiers, Violence, children, media Child sex workers Assignment: Write a general evaluation for
course no more than 1 page
WEEK 12
Presentation of research results and discussion
WEEK 13
General Evaluation&Discussion on course
WEEK 14
Final Exam
OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT
BOOKS (Handbook of Media and Children’s rights)
CONFERENCES (I. Children’s Rights Congress of Turkey)
IU UNIVERSITY for CHILDREN CHILDREN NEWSPAPER, NEWS,
DOCUMANTERIES, SHORT MOVIES, as student projects.
IMPACT OF THE PROJECT
UNMEASURED INFO: Graduted students who took the course, as
reporters and editors are more sensitive and aware of making news related to children.
Do&do not about news related to children are more common in media.
Children’s rights and related ethical issues are more visible in media.