DEVELOPING MEDIA COMPETENCE IN PHILOLOGY STUDENTS: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Abstract

The rapid digitalization of communication has significantly transformed the professional landscape of philology graduates. In the era of global information exchange, linguistic and literary specialists are increasingly required to operate within complex digital and multimodal environments. Media competence—defined as the ability to critically access, analyze, evaluate, create, and disseminate media content across various platforms—has therefore become a key component of modern linguistic and literary education. It encompasses not only technical digital skills but also critical thinking, ethical awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and the capacity to interpret media discourse within sociocultural contexts. However, despite the growing importance of media literacy in higher education, many philology programs continue to prioritize traditional theoretical instruction over applied digital competencies. As a result, students often demonstrate limited ability to critically evaluate online information, detect media bias and manipulation, or produce high-quality digital content in professional settings. This paper identifies the major institutional, methodological, and technological barriers that impede media competence development among philology students and proposes pedagogically grounded solutions based on competency-based education, constructivist learning theory, and critical media pedagogy.