CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND JOURNALISM SYLLABUS IN TURKEY

H. ESRA ARCAN PhD

ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY

COMMUNICATION 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.