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2020/2021

Audience and Reception Studies

Code: 103041 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501928 Audiovisual Communication OB 3 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Amparo Huertas Bailén
Email:
Amparo.Huertas@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Prerequisites

Knowledge necessary to follow the subject: basic notions about methods of social research.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The main objective of Audience and reception studies is that students obtain basic knowledge
about the behavior and activity of the public in the field of communication (especially in the digital
environment), an essential aspect from the professional point of view. And, in addition, it also
guarantees the acquisition of basic skills to be able to carry out social research.
This is a compulsory subject.

The final objective of the subject is to help students to:

(a) Develop communicative projects appropriate to the audiences to which they are directed
(know how to act).
(b) Develop a critical and self-critical capacity in the face of communicative practice
(knowing how to be).

 

Competences

  • Demonstrate a critical and self-critical capacity.
  • Demonstrate a self-learning and self-demanding capacity to ensure an efficient job.
  • Demonstrate ethical awareness as well as empathy with the entourage.
  • Demonstrate knowledge and skills to execute a practical and theoretical project with a scientific basis.
  • Develop autonomous learning strategies.
  • Develop critical thinking and reasoning and be able to relay ideas effectively in Catalan, Spanish and a third language.
  • Disseminate the area’s knowledge and innovations.
  • Generate innovative and competitive ideas in research and professional practice.
  • Manage time effectively.
  • Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
  • Rigorously apply scientific thinking.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Be familiar with and apply scientific method in researching audiovisual communication.
  2. Demonstrate a critical and self-critical capacity.
  3. Demonstrate a self-learning and self-demanding capacity to ensure an efficient job.
  4. Demonstrate ethical awareness as well as empathy with the entourage.
  5. Develop autonomous learning strategies.
  6. Develop critical thinking and reasoning and be able to relay ideas effectively in Catalan, Spanish and a third language.
  7. Disseminate the area’s knowledge and innovations.
  8. Generate innovative and competitive ideas in research and professional practice.
  9. Implement various research methodologies of communicative phenomena.
  10. Manage time effectively.
  11. Raise scientific questions and establish hypotheses regarding communication research.
  12. Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
  13. Rigorously apply scientific thinking.

Content

1. Audience concept

a) Theoretical evolution: Mass, groups, users / individuals, prosumers

b) Current views: Citizenship, publics and markets

2. Audience as citizenship

a) From the perspective of mass media: socialization, social cohesion, linguistic normalization and public service

b) From the perspective of reception: access/participation, activism/empowerment, crowdfunding/crowdsourcing

3. Audience as public

a) Programmatic strategies: loyalty and interaction.

b) Publics, mass media and digital environment (digital social networks): hierarchies and contents

4. Audience as market

a) Audience measurement: samples, information collection techniques and indicators

b) Social media TV and last changes

5. New Trends in the study of publics

Methodology

The devolopment of the subject includes three types of activities:

Directed:

a) Master Classes. Basic concepts

b) Seminars. Reading and analysis of sector reports, debates on current issues.

c) Laboratory practical: Development of a media content proposal, emphasizing the study of the target audience.

Supervised:

- Personal interviews to check the evolution of learning and to help students.

 Autonomous:

- Students must read indicated articles as obligatory and they must do all activities planned for a correct development of the seminars and laboratory practices.

The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject. In case of a change of teaching modality for health reasons, teachers will make readjustments in the schedule and methodologies.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Master Classes 15 0.6 13, 1, 2, 7, 8, 11
Practical activity 22.5 0.9 12, 1, 4, 2, 6, 8, 10, 11
Seminars 15 0.6 13, 12, 2, 6, 7, 10
Type: Supervised      
Personal interview 7.5 0.3 13, 2, 6, 8
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study, practical preparation and activities related to the seminars 82.5 3.3 13, 12, 3, 4, 5, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11

Assessment

The subject will be evaluated from different procedures (the final grade will be the sum of all the scores):

- Written Exam (25 %). Individual Written Test.  (It can be repeated)

- Exercises in seminars (25 %).  (It can be repeated)

- Laboratory practical (40 %). Design of a communicative project.

- Exercises in master classes (10 %). 

 The last two weeks will be dedicated to recovery activities, which can accomodate students who have made a minimum of 2/3 of all evaluable activities and have obtained a minimun score between 3,5 and 4,9. After a mandatory face-to-face individual interview and depending on the grade obtained, it will be decided which exercises can be repeated (Exam i/or seminars). In these cases student ca get a maximun of 5 an the note can not go down. 

Students who have obtained a grade of 8 can choose to upload the grade form an oral test. In this case, the final grade may go down. 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Exercises in master classes 10% 1 0.04 13, 12, 1, 3, 5, 2, 9, 11
Exercises in seminars 25% 1 0.04 13, 3, 4, 5, 2, 6
Laboratory practical 40% 3.5 0.14 13, 12, 1, 4, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
Written exam 25% 2 0.08 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11

Bibliography

- Huertas Bailén, Amparo (2015). Yo soy audiencia. Ciudadanía, público y mercado. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
- Marquez, Israel (2018). Móviles 24/7. El teléfono móvil en la era de la hiperconectividad. Barcelona: Editorial UOC. [https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2085367?lang=cat]
- Neria, Elena (2015). La otra pantalla. Redes sociales, móviles y la nueva televisión. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
- Quintas Froufe, Natalia i Gónzalez Neira, Ana. (2016). La participación de la audiencia en televisión: de la audiencia activa a la social. Madrid: AIMC [https://www.aimc.es/a1mc-c0nt3nt/uploads/2017/05/2016_01participacion_audiencia_tv.pdf]