One of the core communication subjects that I enjoyed teaching since joining the university is Contemporary Issues in Mass Communication. The subject is normally offered to students at levels 3 and 4. Students who intend to take up this subject should have a basic understanding of communication concepts and principles and must have done the prerequisites in their respective specialization. That is why I do not encourage students on level 2 to sign up for the subject because without sufficient knowledge of mass communication theories and practices and a critical mind for understanding of contemporary issues, I am afraid they would not be able to carry through. I have, in fact, rejected some of those who I feel are still not yet prepared for the subject.

On the whole, the subject is designed to equip students with current knowledge of the working of the mass media and an understanding of communication process and theories and practices of communication in relations to topics like concentration of ownership and conglomeration, power game, media literacy and audience response to the changes in media landscape.

The subject is pretty wide and extensive and students are required to have a good grasp and a fairly broad understanding of current issues and how the mass media report and interpret issues from different perspectives. And this could be achieved only if students are prepared to do extra reading and involved in serious thinking over the subject matter. I do not wish to see students learning the subject like 'parrots' vomiting out raw facts given to them in the notes delivered during lectures, without being able to articulate their views. They would not be learning any thing much if they choose the easy way out. What I attempted to do so far in my teaching is to provoke their minds to think 'out of the box' so that they would be able to apply the knowledge intelligently when they leave the university to join the industry.

To make the subject more lively and interesting, students are engaged in discussions to critique issues and critically analyze media content and relate to media ownership and concepts like ideology, hegemony, power and domination, press freedom, cultural imperialism, democracy and globalization. Apart from that, they have to examine the use of language and words of high-level abstraction by the mass media in influencing audiences' perception.

Another related topic is the new technology, particularly the internet which has brought changes to the media landscape, and how traditional media needs to reconsider their position in terms of message, content, style and approach to remain relevant, and to meet the demand of the sophisticated audiences which have become increasingly fragmented. And related to this subject is the new media and the questions of overlapping roles of content providers and content consumers. They also need to examine issues of media convergence and its consequences.

On completing the subject students should be able to see things in clear perspective, unbiased in a way, and to look at the big picture and be aware of the intricacies and complexities involved in the media industry and communication as a whole. It is hoped that when students graduate they would be able to adapt and position themselves well in the industry.

Even though the subject may appear simplistic, I find some students still lacking in their ability to understand the principles and concepts or to see things beyond textbooks and notes given to them. Most can't even differentiate the implicit from the explicit or to see the hidden meaning or agenda behind issues examined.

How I wish to see students taking this subject have a higher level of maturity, a critical and inquisitive mind, and an ability to look at situations more holistically!!!