Department of Political and Social Sciences

Networking project funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) in the framework of the program "Higher Education Dialogue with the Muslim World" 2014 - 2016 and 2020-2022.

Please visit our main website: www.areacore.org

The project consists of a network of communication studies scholars of the most relevant institutes in eleven Arab countries and the Institute of Communication Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. The partners are:

• Bayan College, Oman
• Faculty of Mass Communication, Ahram Canadian University, Cairo, Egypt
• Institut de Presse et des Sciences de l'Information, Université La Manouba, Tunisia
• Media and Development Center, Birzeit University, Palestine
• Department of Mass Communication, Qatar University, Qatar
• College of Mass Communication, San’a University, Yemen
• Departement of Communication Arts, Lebanese American University, Lebanon (previouslly Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies, American University in Beirut)
• Jordan Media Institute, Amman, Jordan
• Faculty of Media, Al-Iraqiyah University, Iraq
• Faculté de l’Information et de la Communication, Université Alger 3, Algeria

• School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Al-Akhawayn University, Morocco

The aim of this network is to establish a scientific exchange, founded on regional expertise which allows to understand media change and transformation of communicative practices in their specific local context and in globally intersecting hierarchies of power. By means of discussions and studies we will try to understand media in their trans-regional and cross-cultural dimensions taking into account global inequalities powerfully manifested in our communication infrastructure. Recognizing global hierarchies and inequalities in a postcolonial world, we commit to actively promote scientific cooperation to enhance dialogue and shed light on marginalized positions and positionalities in the field.

In addition, it is also important to actively include media change in our teaching. The network also explores how a specific, context-bound understanding of media change can be implemented in the teaching of communication studies. Thus, over the past years, students and faculty from different countries and universities were trained in digital media literacy in Beirut, Lebanon (MDLAB). For more information, including exercises, lectures and syllabi visit: https://mdlab.lau.edu.lb/home-2/

From 2020-2022, we will focus on strengthening research and practice in Media and Information Literacy in Europe and the Arab World. Media and digital literacy not only trains individuals to think critically about media messages, analyze propaganda and protect themselves from misleading communication, it also empowers citizens to use digital media tools to express their convictions and opinions and respond to those who have hijacked their beliefs and targeted their communities. The integrative nature of media and digital literacy education makes it flexible to tackle complex issues, such as sectarianism, racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and populism.

The COVID-19 pandemic 2020 has accentuated global inequalities in access to resources structuring research globally. The consequences for the production and exchange of knowledge, also regarding gender are yet to be seen.

„In order to produce informed and valid knowledge without imposing specific theories and methods, joint cross-cultural research should be conducted on an equal footing between researchers.” - Jassim M. Jaber & Carola Richter (2014), p. 2.

The Arab-European Association for Media and Communication Researchers (AREACORE) was founded on July 6, 2013 at the end of a workshop hosted by Freie Universität Berlin in cooperation with DAAD Germany. The partners have formed AREACORE to establish a broad network of scholars on both sides of the Mediterranean. The core members of the project function as national coordinators. The association’s goal is to strengthen and expand horizons among Arab and European scholars in the field of communication. In particular, it strives to facilitate communication research across Arab countries and between Arab and European scholars. Therefore, AREACORE organizes conferences and research-related activities and participates in the dissemination of research and studies, exchanging experience and training.

For more information on the Arab-European Association for Media and Communication Researchers (AREACORE), please visit: http://www.areacore.org/

eLearning Platform IMS

We set up an eLearning platform where you can watch shorter and longer movies on general and recent aspects of media systems in the Arab world and beyond. There is additional material provided such as scripts in Arabic and English and literature references. The movies you can find there are the result of collaborative student’s projects supervised by professors from the ARECORE Network or have been realized in the framework of AREACORE’s projects.

Go to the platform.

• Award for Gender and Intersectional Justice in Honor of Lina ben Mhenni 2024
• AUSACE conference in Cairo 2024
• Summer School “Media and Conflict Resolution” in Berlin 2024
• Media and Information Literacy Academy in Amman 2024

• Award for Gender and Intersectional Justice in Honor of Lina ben Mhenni 2023
• COSIMENA Summer School – Cairo 2023
• Media and Information Literacy Academy in Amman 2023

• Arab Media in International Teaching – Workshop in Berlin

• Award for Gender and Intersectional Justice in Honor of Lina ben Mhenni 2022
• Workshop “New Directions in Teaching Communication, Media, and Digital Literacy Post-Covid” in Morocco
• Workshop "Self-organization and Community Media Monitoring" in Palestine
• Media and Digital Literacy Academy in Beirut 2022 
• Publication on Arab Media Systems: Arabic Translation

• Webinar „Digital Media in Teaching“ – Birzeit University Palestine 2021
• Award for Gender and Intersectional Justice in Honor of Lina ben Mhenni 2021
• Intercultural online Winter School - December 2021
• Publication on Arab Media Systems
• Hybrid-Conference on Stereotypes and Ethical Reporting in Tunis 
• Workshop: Digital Storytelling and Mobile Journalism

• Berlin: Winter School in Berlin - December 2020
• All partners: Research Project on Powerful Language in Reporting: Glossary to Strengthen Sensitive Reporting
• All partners: Research Project on Corona and Rising Nationalism
• Beirut: Research Project on Mitigating Infodemics: Media Uses and Trust During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• All partners: Research Project on Distance Teaching in Times of Corona
• All partners: Short Movies on Media and Corona

Beirut: FU students participate in Media and Digital Literacy Academy in Beirut - June 2019

Beirut: Summer School "Media and Digital Literacy Academy" - August 2018

• All partners: Digital Learning Platform on Media Systems
• Beirut: Summer School "Media and Digital Literacy Academy" - August 2017

• All partners: Digital Learning Platform on Media Systems
• Amman: Course “Investigative Journalism” – August 2016
• Beirut: Summer School "Media and Digital Literacy Academy" - August 2016
• Doha: Training Course Social Media in PR - December 2016

• Beirut: Summer School "Media and Digital Literacy Academy" - August 2015
• Cairo: Course "Investigative Journalism” – September 2015"

• Berlin: Expert Workshop on an Online Course on “Comparing Media Systems” – October 2015

• All partners: Preparing an Online Course about „International Media Systems”- March-October 2015
• Cairo: Workshop on “Digital Media” – December 2015

• Berlin: Symposium of network coordinators - March 2014
• Beirut: Summer School "Media and Digital Literacy Academy" - August 2014  
• Berlin & Cairo: Joint Teaching in Bachelor Course: "Social Media, Global Change and Women" - September-December 2014
• Tunis: Conference "Social Media in Changing Media Environments: Lessons from the Arab World" - October 2014  
• Berlin: Winter School "Social Media and Teaching – where do we go from here?" - December 2014

The project has been preceded by two other workshops:

• Workshop on Communication Studies in Interregional Perspectives: Developments and Challenges in Research and Teaching, June, 29 – July, 7, 2013 in Berlin/Germany. The workshop was the starting point of the ongoing cooperation and network building. It included 22 communication scholars from six Arab countries and was also funded by the DAAD.

• Workshop on Getting to know the German media system, December, 8-15, 2013 in Berlin/Germany. The workshop was conceptualized for Tunisian students of the Master program in "Political Communication" at the Université La Manouba in Tunis to compare aspects of media policy, media regulation and journalism development in Germany with the experiences from Tunisia. Ten students visited Berlin. The workshop was co-organized with the University of Munich and funded by the DAAD.