Master Global Communication: Politics and Society

29/05/2026

Dr. Grüne - Online Keynote for Indonesian University

Recently Dr. Grüne (MA GlobCo) gave an online lecture for the University UNPAD Bandung, Indonesia. Invited by Dr. Subekti Priyadharma the highly acclaimed speech dealt with the relevance of global communication in times of international crises.

21/05/2026

🎓🌍 Expert Visit from Berlin Think Tank

We were delighted to welcome Dr. Claudia Zilla from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) for an inspiring guest lecture with our MA GlobCo students.

Dr. Zilla shared valuable insights into the dynamics of internal and external think tank communication, drawing on her expertise in South American affairs and international policy research.

A big thank you for the engaging discussion and practical perspectives on strategic communication in global policy environments. 🌐✨

07/05/2026

MA Visited Thuringian , PM Christian Schaft

On behalf of an invitation by PM Christian Schaft, the course “Knowledge Transfer” (Prof. Hafez) visited the Thuriangian Parliament in Erfurt to debate the role of communication in anti-discrimination policies. Schaft gave a lecture on recent developments in both mediated and direct interactive political communication. His own remarks and the vivid debate with students centered around the issue of right-wing populist and conservative backlashes and the reassessment of progressive political communication strategies to stabilize liberal democracy.

Images: Hafez/Grüne

10/02/2026

You can find the link to the episode (in German) in the Bio!

15/01/2026

Curious where our students intern? Meet

She was interviewed by her employer the about her experience interning with them.

Link in Bio!

17/12/2025

Congratulations, Parabéns! 🎉🥳

➡️ Do media discourses in the five original BRICS countries connect enough to form a shared, transnational public sphere?

Most research on transnational public spheres focuses on Europe or the West — so this project shifts the perspective to the Global South.

📰 The project analyzed ~4,000 foreign news articles (2011–2019) across Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa.

Key findings:

• BRICS media remain weakly interconnected
• Coverage of BRICS as a platform is episodic + event-driven
• Countries follow U.S./Western discourse more consistently than each other
• Communication flows stay fragmented – often mediated by the Global North

➡️ Overall: The dream of a cohesive BRICS public sphere remains limited.

🎓 Funded by CAPES/DAAD
🏅 Grade: summa cm laude
👥 Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kai Hafez

17/06/2024

Closing Application Period
We have already received so many applications from brilliant applicants from Germany and around the globe - if you are also interested in an international, English-language Master's program Master Global Communication: Politics and Society at the Universität Erfurt dealing with a multifaceted perspective on global communication, you should submit your application as soon as possible. The application portal will close 15 July, 2024. We are looking forward to your application!

The Master’s program "Global Communication: Politics and Society" is an English language consecutive degree dealing with media systems and communication cultures in international comparison. It focuses on multilayered political, social, cultural and historical approaches.  

30/04/2024

Save-the-Date and Spread the News:
Get to know our Master's Program "Global Communication: Politics and Society" during the Open Day at the Universität Erfurt!
The event will take place hybrid – on site in teaching building 1, room 125, and online via Webex.

Der Master ist ein vorwiegend englischsprachiger konsekutiver Studiengang, der sich mit Mediensystemen und Kommunikationskulturen im internationalen Vergleich beschäftigt.

20/12/2023

PUBLICATION

| Lecturers Dr. Anne Grüne and Prof. Dr. Kai Hafez, together with MA GlobCo student Till Holland, published an article on transnational (media) interdependence during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic illustrated that today's political control mechanisms of global risks demand international collaboration on various levels and between various actors. Journalism has a pivotal role to play for global governance as an early warning system in the knowledge society.
In the article published earlier last week in the current special issue of the International Communication Gazette, the coverage of two European (Italy & Portugal) and two Asian countries (South Korea & Taiwan) as well as a global actor (WHO) during the COVID-19 pandemic was examined to assess if and how the German press treated other countries as better practice models and to what extent transnational (media) interdependence can be observed.

The full article (in English) is available here:

The Covid-19 pandemic illustrated that today's political control mechanisms of global risks demand international collaboration on various levels and between var...

19/12/2023

IN THE MEDIA

| Prof. Hafez was featured guest in the KriKoWi:talks discussion “Media at war - War in the media”

The second discussion of the KriKoWi:talks event series “Media at War - War in the Media” took place last week and thematized the media portrayal of the war in Israel and Palestine, featuring MA Globcoms Prof. Dr. Kai Hafez as the invited guest on this topic.
The event series is hosted by the German academic network Critical Communication Science and aims at examining aspects of war reporting in German press critically and multi-perspectivally.

The entire discussion was recorded and can be listened to (in German) on Youtube:

Dies ist die zweite Veranstaltung unserer KriKoWi: talks-Reihe „Medien im Krieg – Krieg in den Medien“. Sie fand am 12. Dezember 2023 statt. Im Verlauf der ...