Communication Structure
Code: 103844 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501928 Audiovisual Communication | FB | 1 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Aida Martori Muntsant
- Email:
- aida.martori@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Teachers
- Mercedes Diez Jimenez
- Angel Castellanos Diaz
Prerequisites
Follow-up of news about the media system and the audio-visual industry is recomended.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course introduces students to the structural features of media systems and the communication and culture industries, with special attention on audiovisual sector. In order to understand the reasons for their configuration, the historical, economic, political, social, cultural and technological framework in which they develop is taken into account, as well as the political, economic and social actors that shape them with their behavior and strategies (regulatory bodies, communication groups, business and professional entities ...).
The focus is mainly on the Catalan and Spanish contexts, framing them in Western Europe and, particularly, in the Mediterranean countries, although the international and transnational spheres are also present.
The main objective of the subject is to develop a reflective attitude and the ability to critically analyze current events.
Competences
- Differentiate the discipline's main theories, fields, conceptual developments, as well as their value for 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
- Identify the fundamentals of theories and the history of communication.
- Identify the structural foundations of the audiovisual system.
- 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.
Content
The syllabus is organized into three blocks:
-The first clarifies the key concepts of the subject and the theoretical perspectives from which it has been studied.
-The second presents the actors that contribute to the articulation of the media systems and the communication industries, from the role of the state and the independent regulators, to the communication groups, the business associations, the measuring bodies or organized civil society.
-The third analyzes in a general way the media sectors and the communication industries with a current perspective, paying attention to the main trends in terms of the characteristics of the offer, the transformation of the consumer and business models or new services.
1. Introduction to the structure of communication
1.1. Object and perspectives of analysis
1.2. The articulation of media systems
1.2.1. Socio-political theories of the press
1.2.2. Comparative perspective of media systems
2. Actors
2.1. Institutional dimension: public actors
2.1.1. Regulation
2.1.2. Public media (financing and governance)
2.1.3. The economic impact of public resources on the media and communication industries
2.1.3.1. Subsidies
2.1.3.2. Institutional advertising
2.2. Corporate dimension: private for profit actors
2.2.1. Companies and communication groups
2.2.2. Advertisers and commercial advertising
2.3. Civilian dimension: citizens and non-profit non-governmental actors
2.3.1. Communication rights
2.3.2. Third sector media
2.4. The role of communication and audiovisual professionals
2.4.1. Professional organizations
2.4.2. Self-regulation and co-regulation
3. Sectors
3.1. Radio
3.2. Television and audiovisual platforms
3.3. Cinema
Methodology
Two thirds of face-to-face teaching will be developed with the full group and one third in seminars in small groups.
The sessions with the whole group will be carried out mainly from master classes focused on the thematic blocks pointed out in the section "contents". The doubts related to the compulsory readings that the students have to do and to the self-learning work will also be clarified.
In the seminars, in-depth activities will be carried out on the topics already discussed, based on a documented analysis of documentary resources (news, academic texts or others). In both cases, current issues will be discussed, to identify key elements regarding the evolution of media systems. The active participation of students will be encouraged, from a critical and reasoned point of view.
The approach of the subject will incorporate the gender perspective in all possible aspects, from the contents to the methodologies applied to the dynamics of work and student participation in the classroom, so as to facilitate an egalitarian interaction.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes | 34 | 1.36 | 5, 4, 1, 2 |
| Seminars: current debates, exercices and research activities | 14 | 0.56 | 5, 4, 3, 2 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 8 | 0.32 | 5, 4, 3, 2 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous study | 42 | 1.68 | 5, 4, 3, 1, 2 |
| Research activities | 42 | 1.68 | 5, 4, 3, 2 |
Assessment
Continued evaluation
The course consists of the following assessment activities:
1. Various exercises related to the questions treated in the seminar, that will suppose 30% of the qualification. Due to their current nature, these evaluation activities will not be recoverable.
2. Intervention in seminars. The intervention of the seminars will be valued qualitatively (10% of the final grade). This evaluation activity will not be recoverable.
3. Two partial examinations on the theoretical contents, each one of which represents 30% of the final qualification, and that are liberatory of matter.
To pass the subject it is necessary to pass these two exams. In the event of a suspension, you can take part in the recovery, as long as you have previously assessed the two midterm exams and at least one of the other two assessment activities.
If one of the two partial exams is not taken the final grade will be "not assessable".
In the event that the retake of one of the two exams is not passed, the final grade of the subject will be the one obtained in this exam (or the average, if both are failed).
The dates of the evaluation and recovery activities will be announced on the day of the presentation of the subject. The information will also be available on the virtual campus.
Single evaluation
This subject allows students to opt the single evaluation modality, through a reasoned request, according to the terms provided in the academic regulations approved by the Government Council on 7.7.2022, article 265. The request for the single evaluation involves waiving the continuous evaluation.
The assessment activities of the single assessment modality will be:
1. An exam on theoretical content, which represents 50% of the final grade.
2. Several exercises related to the issues discussed in the seminars, which will account for 30% of the final grade.
3. A work on the audiovisual sector that will be delivered on the same date as the two previous evaluation activities and that will be worth 20% of the final grade.
To pass the subject, it is necessary that the exam grade is equal to or higher than 5, and that the average is approved. If the exam is not passed, the final grade of the subject will be that of this exam. The only activity that can be reevaluated is the exam on the theoretical content.
The date of the evaluation and recovery activities will be announced on the day of presentation of the subject. The information will also be available on the virtual campus.
Plagiarism
The student who makes any irregularity (copy, plagiarism, identity theft ...) that could lead to a significant variation of the grade of an evaluation act will have a qualification of 0 in this act of evaluation. In case of various irregularities, the final grade of the subject will be 0.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partial exam 1 | 30% | 3 | 0.12 | 5, 3, 1, 2 |
| Partial exam 2 | 30% | 3 | 0.12 | 5, 3, 1, 2 |
| Participation to the seminars | 10% | 1 | 0.04 | 5, 2 |
| Seminar (practical activities) | 30% | 3 | 0.12 | 5, 4, 3, 1, 2 |
Bibliography
AGUADO-GUADALUPE, Guadalupe (2018). Las relaciones Prensa-Estado en el reparto de publicidad institucional en España. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodistico, 24(2), 993.
ALBORNOZ, Luis & GARCÍA LEIVA, Trinidad (eds.) (2017). Diversidad e industria audiovisual. El desafío cultural del siglo XXI. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
ALMIRON, Núria (2006). La financiarización de los grupos de comunicación en España: el caso del grupo PRISA. In: Pensamiento crítico, comunicación y cultura. I Congreso Nacional ULEPICC-España. Sevilla.
BIRKINBINE, Benjamin; GÓMEZ, Rodrigo & WASKO, Janet (2016). Global media giants. Londres; Nueva York: Routledge.
BUSTAMANTE, Enrique (2013). Historia de la radio y la televisión en España: una assignatura pendiente de la democracia. Barcelona: Gedisa.
CAGÉ, Julia (2016). Salvar los medios de comunicación:capitalismo, financiación participativa y democracia. Barcelona: Anagrama.
CAÑEDO, Azahara & SEGOVIA, Ana I. (2022). La plataformización de los medios de comunicación de servicio público. Una reflexión desde la economía política de la comunicación. In: Goyanes, Manuel & Campos-Rueda, Marcela (Eds.). Gestión de medios Públicos en el Entorno Digital (pp. 65-88). Valencia: Tirant Humanidades.
CIVIL i SERRA, Marta & LÓPEZ, Bernat (Eds.) (2021). Informe de la comunicació a Catalunya 2019-2020. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya. Col·lecció Lexikon Informes, 7: https://ddd.uab.cat/record/245270
CONSELL DE L'AUDIOVISUAL DECATALUNYA (2023). Informe 2022. L'audiovisual a Catalunya, Barcelona: Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya. https://www.cac.cat/sites/default/files/2023-06/Informe_sobre_l_audiovisual_a_Catalunya_2022.pdf
DÖNDERS, Karen (2019). Public service media between theory, rules and practice. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOYLE, Gillian (2018). Television and the development of the data economy: data analysis, power and the public interest. International Journal of Digital Television, 9(1), pp. 53-68.
FERNÁNDEZ, Isabel (coord.) (2017). Austeridad y clientelismo. Política audiovisual en España en el contexto mediaterráneo y de la crisis financiera. Barcelona: Gedisa.
FLEW, Terry; IOSIFIDIS, Petros & STEEMERS, Jeanette (eds.) (2016). Global media and national policies. The return ofthe State. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan.
GARCÍA SANTAMARÍA, José Vicente (2016). Los grupos multimedia españoles. Análisis y estretegias. Barcelona: Editorial UOC. Disponible en llibre electrònic: https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1991834?lang=cat
GUIMERÀ, Josep Àngel (2022). "Els anys perduts de l'audiovisual". El País, 25-6-22. https://cat.elpais.com/autor/josep_angel_guimera_orts
HALLIN, Daniel & MANCINI, Paolo (2008). Sistemas de medios comparados. Tres modelos de relación entre los medios de comunicación y la política. Barcelona: Hacer.
HAVENS, Timothy & LOTZ, Amanda (2012). UnderstandingMedia Industries. New York: Oxford University Press.
INNERARITY, Daniel & COLOMINA, Carme (2020). La verdad en las democracias algorítmicas. Revista CIDOB d'afers internacionals (124), 11-24.
JONES, DanielE. (2005). "Aproximación teórica a la Estructura de la Comunicación Social". Sphera Publica: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y de la Comunicación, núm. 5, pàgs. 19-39.
PARISER, Eli (2017). El filtro burbuja: Cómo la web decide lo que leemos y lo que pensamos. Barcelona: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial.
PEIRANO, Marta (2019). El enemigo conoce el sistema: Manipulación de ideas, personas e influencias después de la economía de la atención. Barcelona: Debate.
SÁNCHEZ-GEY VALENZUELA, Nuria. (2021). Historia y estructura de la producción audiovisual. Ediciones Pirámide.
ZALLO, Ramón (2011). Estructuras de la comunicación y la cultura. Políticas para la era digital. Barcelona: Gedisa.
ZALLO, Ramón (2016). Tendencias en comunicación. Cultura digital y poder. Barcelona: Gedisa.
ZUBOFF, Shoshana (2021). La era del capitalismo de vigilancia. Barcelona: Paidós Ibérica.
Butlletí de l’Observatori de la Producció Audiovisual. Universitat Pompeu Fabra. https://www.upf.edu/web/opa
Butlletí d'informació sobre l'audiovisual de Catalunya (BIAC). Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya https://www.cac.cat/acords-recerca/biac-%28-informes-del-sector-quadrimestrals-%29
Comunicació 21 http://comunicacio21.cat
During the course other complementary bibliographical references and online sources will be suggested to delve into the contents explained and to follow upon the news of the sector.
Software
There are no specific software requirements.