Communication System Structure
Code: 104721 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2503873 Interactive Communication | FB | 2 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Santiago Giraldo Luque
- Email:
- Santiago.Giraldo@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Other comments on languages
Teaching sessions will be in Catalan and Spanish. Some part could be done in English.Teachers
- Josep Maria Figueres Artigues
Prerequisites
The course has no mandatory prerequisites. However, the previous contents taught in the courses Digital Law and Law of ICT, and Theory and History of Interactive Communication, will be important for a better understanding of the course content. It is also recommended to follow up on current information related to the main topic of the course: the structure (political, economic, cultural, etc.) of the globalized communication system and related to technology and communication companies.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The main objective of the course is to introduce students to the knowledge of the political economy of communication, and how it is structured in contemporary society through companies, technology networks and global collaboration systems. The course offers a critical understanding at the basic rules of operation and economic organization established by the information society.
Likewise, the course analyzes the current markets for global interactive communication, and will emphasize theoretical and practical analysis on the impact of the internet (especially from 2008) on the redesign of the digitized mass communication system.
Competences
- Distinguish between and apply the principal theories, conceptual frameworks and approaches regulating interactive communication.
- Manage time efficiently and plan for short-, medium- and long-term tasks.
- Search for, select and rank any type of source and document that is useful for creating messages, academic papers, presentations, etc.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Learning Outcomes
- Cross-check information to establish its veracity, using evaluation criteria.
- Describe the regulation issues in the communications and new media market.
- Differentiate between the actors of communication structure in new media. .
- Distinguish the salient features in all types of documents within the subject.
- Interpret and discuss documents on the main theories of interactive communication and communication structure.
- Plan and conduct academic studies in the field of theory, history and structure of communication and photography.
- Present a summary of the studies made, orally and in writing.
- Submit course assignments on time, showing the individual and/or group planning involved.
Content
Part one: how we got here (yesterday)
1. Systemic logic. A biological system. A social system
2. Interactive systems as a system
3. Communication and the economy as systems
4. Economic history of the social structure: from the industrial society to the information society
5. Brief critical history of the Internet (and social networks)
Second part: the structure of communication and the digitized society (today)
1. Information is everything
2. The economy of attention and attention as merchandise
3. Monopolization, dating and technological alienation in communication
4. Cultural products and social homogenization
5. The world of work
Third part: the ethical framework of an interactive communication system (tomorrow)
1. Screens, consumption and free production
2. Entertainment
3. The meaning of interactive communication in the XXI century
Methodology
The course is developed in a theoretical-practical way. Alternate sessions and theoretical content with the development of seminars and practical work aimed at a better understanding of the course syllabus. In this way, the topics covered in the theoretical classes can be developed through innovative activities and practical analysis. The course will propose the resolution of cases in which the tutored group work will be requested, as well as the development of a final project of the course that must be carried out progressively during the semester.
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 course. In case of a change of teaching modality for health reasons, professors will make readjustments in the syllabus and methodologies.
The content of the course will be sensitive to aspects related to the gender perspective.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Practical seminars | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 4, 7, 5, 6, 8 |
| Theoretical sessions | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 2, 3, 7, 5, 6 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Continuous evaluation: practical work throughout the course | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 7, 5, 6, 8 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous work: reading and practical tasks | 50 | 2 | 1, 4, 3, 5, 6, 8 |
Assessment
The continuous evaluation of the course will be based on the qualification of each student in the following evaluation activities:
A. Course practices (40%). These are tasks in which the student, in groups or individually, carries out activities guided or supervised by the professor. Each of the practices has a specific mark in order to obtain the 40% corresponding to course practices. The course plans to carry out at least 4 scoring practices.
B. Book review (10%). Each student must submit, individually, a critical review of one of the books proposed in the course bibliography. The conditions and delivery dates of the review will be explained on the first day of class.
C. Course work (40%). During the practical classes, in addition to the realization of the course practices, the students, under the tutorship of the professors, will prepare -in groups of 4 people- a course work in which they will have to analyze in depth a company or interactive resource associated with the basic course syllabus. The conditions and delivery dates of the course work will be explained on the first day of class.
D. Involvement, attitude and participation in classes (10%). In addition to the attitude, involvement and proactivity of the students in the theoretical and practical classes, professors will assess the follow-up that each student makes throughout the course of news related to the course syllabus. Professors may carry out current tests during classes. These tests will compute in a weighted way (up to 50%) in the mark relative to involvement, attitude and participation.
Any written work that has five spelling errors and/or barbarisms (adding 5 errors in total) will get a zero mark. Any job with a plagiarism percentage that exceeds the usual rules of the authors' rights will also obtain a zero mark. To detect possible plagiarism, computerized procedures may be applied to the digital files of the submitted works, either by applying them to all or only to random samples. The student who makes any irregularity (copying, plagiarism, identity theft...) that may lead to a significant variation in the mark of an assessment act, will be rated 0 in this assessment act. In the event of several irregularities, the final mark for the course will be 0.
Revaluation
Students who fail the course in the continuous evaluation (result of the weighted sum of the evaluation activities) may choose to apply for a revaluation of the course. The revaluation test will consist of an oral (theoretical) exam on all the content taught throughout the theory and practice classes. In the revaluation test the professors will be able to ask about the current aspects of the course syllabus. Students will have the right to the revaluations of the subject if it has been evaluated from the set of activities, the weight of which is a minimum of 2/3 parts of the total mark for the course. To be able to apply for the revaluation of the course it will be necessary to have obtained a minimum average mark of 3.5.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book review | 10% | 1 | 0.04 | 3, 7, 5, 6, 8 |
| Course work | 40% | 4 | 0.16 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 7, 5, 6, 8 |
| Involvement, attitude and participation | 10% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 2, 4, 3, 7, 5, 8 |
| Practical activities | 40% | 4 | 0.16 | 1, 2, 3, 7, 5, 6, 8 |
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