2010-11 academic year

Advertising Communication  (20379)

Degree/study: Degree in Audiovisual Communication.
Year: 2nd
Term: 2nd
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 125 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalan/spanish
Teaching Staff: Dr. Pilar Medina

1. Presentation of the subject

Consumption has become one of the most general behaviours of our society. It has ceased to be a simple moment in the chain of production to become a transformation in the behaviour of relation, exchange and interpersonal communication. More than a precarious satisfaction of immediate needs, advertising communication connects us with an imaginary which is strongly loaded with symbolic meanings, that contributes to modulate relationships and that is linked to beliefs, life styles and social identity of the western individual.

In a moment in which advertising communication focuses on addressing his speech to each individual consumer, this subject is organized around an initial question: Which are and how do the new social realities communicate to result more seductive? In order to answer this question, will revise concepts like identity, love, family, body, sexuality, emotions and emotional  intelligence, the new femininity forms and new masculinity models, etc. and how they are represented by advertising to connect with the new identity models of current consumers. In this way, it pretends to facilitate students with some conceptual tools that allow them to establish connections between the advertising speech and the present social values.

2. Competences to be attained

Transversal skills

1.        Facilitate students for information analysis and synthesis

2.        Know the group influences in individual behaviour

3.        Act with freedom and co-responsibility, assuming ethical referents, values and   consistent principles

4.        Learn how to learn

 

SPECIFIC SKILLS  

1. Identify in the different models of implicit personality in advertising communication

2. Study the symbolic representation in advertising communication

3. Recognize styles in advertising communication

4. Identify the different elements that take part in advertising communication.

5. Elaborate a critical posture on the society to we live in.

6. Describe some of the influences of advertising communication in children.

7. Capacity to apply the theoretical and methodological knowledge.

8. Develop imagination and productive thought with flexibility and fluidity to mature attitudes on opening to new information, situations and methodologies.

9. Know the valid social values to each moment for adequar the messages to these values.

3. Contents

Unit 1. Origins of consumer society: from needs to desires.

Consumption as a social phenomenon. From the weight of reason to the understanding of the unconscious needs. Topographical model of the mind and the personality: from pleasure principle to reality principle.

Unit 2. Communicative forms of emotions

The step from needs consumption to the consumption of emotions and feelings.

Unit 3.  Symbolic and identity dimension of consumption: neo-narcissism

Consumer in search for an identity. The narcissism culture

Unit 4. The groups in consumption

Teenagers, brands and the search for an identity

Unit 5. Consumption and communication related to genre roles

Genre stereotypes and consumption.

Unit 6. The affective relationships as consumption items

Family, friendship, couple relationships ... as new ways of consumption

Unit 7. Research on consumption and ethics in a critical consumer

 Do consumers have responsibilities in their consumption options? The necessary keys

4. Assessment

To pass the subject it's necessary to pass the final exam and the group assignment that will be discussed at the beginning of the course. The final grade is the average between the exam and the assignment result.

Characteristic of the group assignment (4 people in each group): From the selection of some of the titles of the "Basic bibliography", students must relate the main ideas of the text with the concepts presented in class as well as with examples of the advertising and/or  audiovisual world (with a minimum of 5 examples)

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

BAUDRILLARD, Jean. La sociedad de consumo. Sus mitos, sus estructuras. Barcelona: Plaza y Janés, 1974.

BAUMAN, Zygmunt. Vida de consumo. Madrid: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2007.

BECK-GERNSHEIM, Elisabeth. La reinvención de la familia. En busca de nuevas formas de convivencia. Barcelona: Paidós, 2003.

BECK, Ulrich, y BECK-GERNSHEIM, Elisabeth (2003). La individualización. El individualismo institucionalizado y sus consecuencias sociales y políticas. Barcelona: Paidós.

BRUCKNER, Paul. La tentación de la inocencia. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2005.

CORTINA, Adela. Por una ética del consumo. Madrid: Santillana, 2002.

GIDDENS, Anthony. La transformación de la intimidad. Sexualidad, amor y erotismo en las sociedades modernas. Madrid: Cátedra, 2000.

--- Un mundo desbocado. Los efectos de la globalización en nuestras vidas. Madrid: Santillana, 2003.

FERNANDEZ CAVIA, Josep. El consumidor adolescent. Televisió, marques i publicitat. Barcelona: Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2002.

LACROIX, Michel. El culte a l'emoció. Atrapats en un món d'emocions sense sentiments. Barcelona: La Campana, 2001.

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles. Los tiempos hipermodernos.  Barcelona: Anagrama, 2006.

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles. La sociedad de la decepción. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2008.

MARINA, José Antonio. El rompecabezas de la sexualidad. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2002.

SCHOR, Juliet B. Nacidos para comprar. Los nuevos consumidores infantiles. Barcelona: Paidós, 2006.

TOURAINE, Alain. Un nuevo paradigma para comprender el mundo de hoy. Barcelona: Paidós, 2005.

5.2. Complementary bibliography

BAUMAN, Zygmunt. Amor líquido. Acerca de la fragilidad de los vínculos humanos. Madrid: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2005.

BECK, Ulrich. La sociedad del riesgo global. Madrid: siglo XXI de España Editores, 2002.

BECK, Ulrich., y BECK-GERNSHEIM, Elisabeth. El normal caos del amor. Las nuevas formas de la relación amorosa. Barcelona: Paidós, 1998.

CAMPS, Victoria. Paradojas del individualismo. Barcelona: Crítica, 1999.

CRUZ, Manuel, y DELGADO, Manuel. Pensar por pensar. Conversaciones sobre el mundo y la vida. Madrid: Santillana, 2008.

DUBAR, Claude. La crisis de las identidades. La interpretación de una mutación. Barcelona: Ediciones Bellaterra, 2002.

GONZÁLEZ DURO, Enrique. Biografía del miedo. Los temores de la sociedad contemporánea. Barcelona: Random House Mondadori, 2007.

HUGHES, Robert. La cultura de la queja. Trifulcas norteamericanas. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2005.

ILLOUZ, Eva. Intimidades congeladas. Las emociones en el capitalismo. Buenos Aires: Katz, 2007.

LASCH, Christopher. La cultura del narcisismo. Barcelona: Andrés Bello, 1999.

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles. y ROUX, E. El lujo eterno. De la era de lo sagrado al tiempo de las marcas. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2003.

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles. El imperio de lo efímero. La moda y su destino en las sociedades modernas. lujo eterno. De la era de lo sagrado al tiempo de las marcas. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2004.

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles y SERROY, Jean. La pantalla global. Cultura mediática y cine en la era hipermoderna. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2009.

SENNETT, Richard. La corrosión del carácter. Las consecuencias personales del trabajo en el nuevo capitalismo. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2000.

SEVERIANO, Mª de Fátima. Narcisismo y publicidad. Un análisis psicosocial de los ideales del consumo en la contemporaneidad. Buenos Aires: siglo XXI de Argentina Editores, 2005. 

5.3. Teaching resources

American Psychological Association (online) http://www.apa.org

Asociación de Usuarios de la Comunicación-AUC http://www.auc.es

Association for Consumer Research (online)  http://www.acrweb.org

Chicago Journal, Journal of Consumer Research (online) http:// www.journals.uchicago.edu/jcr

Grupo de Investigación de la Recepción en Comunicación (online) http://simbol.uab.es

WebUsable- Colours meaning (online) http://www.webusable.com/coloursMean.htm

6. Metodology

Learning will be developed through:

-          Master classes

-          Seminars

-          self-learning

-          Individual tutorship with teacher

Hour distribution:

Since this subject has retribution of 6 ECTS, it implies a student's dedication of 150 hours distributed the following way:

Students hour dedication

HOURS

Master classes

 42

Seminars

 18

Tutorship

   1

Out of class assignments

 34

Self-learning

 17

Exam preparation

 38

Total

150

 

The subject, regarding the learning in class, will be organized by 2 attendance activities: master classes and seminars. The attendance sessions develop  in 10 weeks, with 6 hours (divided in 3 modules of 2 hours) by week.

 

Weeks

Master classes

Seminars

1

6 hours

-

2

4 hours

2 hours

3

4 hours

2 hours

4

4 hours

2 hours

5

4 hours

2 hours

6

4 hours

2 hours

7

4 hours

2 hours

8

4 hours

2 hours

9

4 hours

2 hours

10

4 hours

2 hours

Total

42 hours

18 hours

Attendance sessions

Master classes: the main concepts are exposed and the different theory and methodology perspectives of the advertising communication research are explained and the student's queries are answered. They are a total of 21 sessions of 2 hours.

Seminars: class assignments are carried out. In group or individual small exercises. They are a total of 8 sessions of 2 hours.

The activities that will be carried out in the seminars are:

·      Compared reading of texts

·      Analysis exercises and/or use of knowledge in the advertisement and audiovisual world.

Out-of-class activities

Directed by teacher:

·      Activity preparation: assignment, text readings, etc.

·      Reflection exercises that can't be done in class.

Self-learning:

- Readings of the subject's basic manual or of other selected texts.

7. Planning of activities

Week

Class activity  

Out-of-class activity

Week 1: 

Session 1. Master class

Session 2. Master class

Session 3. Master class

Individual reading

Week 2:

 

Session 4. Master class

Session 5. Master class

Session 6. Seminar

Assignment preparation.

Week 3:

 

Session 7. Master class.

Session 8. Master class

Session 9. Seminar

Assignment preparation.

Week 4:

 

Session 10. Master class

Session 11. Master class

Session 12. Seminar

Assignment preparation.

Week 5:

 

Session 13. Master class

Session 14. Master class.

Session 15. Seminar.

Assignment preparation.

Week 6:

 

Session 16. Master class

Session 17. Master class

Session 18. Seminar

Assignment preparation.

Week 7: 

Session 19. Master class

Session 20. Master class

Session 21. Seminar.

Assignment preparation.

Week 8:

 

Session 22. Master class

Session 23. Master class

Session 24. Seminar

Assignment preparation.

Week 9:

 

Session 25. Master class.

Session 26. Master class

Session 27. Seminar.

Assignment preparation.

Week 10:

 

Session 28. Master class

Session 29.  Seminar

Session 30.  Master class.  Queries. Goodbye session

Assignment preparation.