Gender studies, cultures and policies for media and communication

Educational objectives

The course offers a critical introduction to the main theories on gender, their historical development, and their relevance within contemporary social contexts. It explores how gender shapes social relations both in the private sphere and in public life, with the aim of providing tools to critically interpret social transformations from a gender perspective.

Specific objectives are:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the main sociological approaches to the study of gender, reconstructing their theoretical, historical, and interdisciplinary developments.
Analyse gender as a social construction, a relational category, and a principle through which inequalities are organised.
Understand the relationship between gender, socialisation processes, institutions, cultural norms, power relations, and forms of subjectivation.
Become familiar with the main sociological debates on sexist stereotypes, gender-based violence, the sexual division of labour, gender gaps, representation, social participation, and gender justice.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

Apply concepts and tools from the sociology of gender to the analysis of social, communicative, cultural, and institutional contexts.
Use case studies and workshop-based activities to identify stereotypes, power asymmetries, forms of marginalisation, and mechanisms through which inequalities are reproduced.
Identify sociological research topics and problems related to gender, developing analytical pathways consistent with the main theoretical and methodological perspectives in the field.

Making Judgements:

Develop independent critical judgement regarding the social, cultural, and institutional processes through which gender differences and inequalities are produced and transformed.
Assess the social impact of initiatives, campaigns, and policies aimed at combating gender-based violence, overcoming sexist stereotypes, reducing gender gaps, and promoting equal participation.
Recognise the limits, ambivalences, and potential of contemporary public discourses on equality, inclusion, empowerment, and gender justice.
Develop critical interpretations based on scientific literature, data, audiovisual materials, concrete cases, and current social phenomena.

Communication Skills:

Present concepts, theories, and analyses related to the sociology of gender clearly, coherently, and using scientifically appropriate language.
Use informed and respectful language in the analysis and discussion of gender issues.
Communicate analyses and proposals effectively in relation to media content, campaigns, policies, and initiatives aimed at promoting gender equity.
Argue critically, both orally and in writing, by connecting theoretical references, empirical examples, and independent evaluations.

Learning Skills:

Develop tools for independently exploring the sociological literature on gender and on the relationship between gender, society, institutions, and inequalities.
Strengthen the capacity for critical updating with regard to the social, cultural, political, and communicative transformations that affect gender relations.
Acquire skills useful for pursuing independent research, analysis, and project work in social, communicative, and institutional contexts.
Integrate diverse sources, theoretical tools, and concrete cases in order to produce sociologically grounded analyses of gender-related phenomena.

Educational objectives

The course enables students to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the main sociological and political theories concerning the relationship between gender, power, political cultures, and democratic systems.
Analyse gender inequalities in decision-making processes, political participation, and representation from both historical and comparative perspectives.
Understand gender-based violence as a structural phenomenon rooted in socio-cultural dynamics, power relations, and political and institutional responsibilities.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

Apply theoretical and conceptual tools from political sociology to the analysis of the relationship between gender, power, and democracy.
Situate authors, theories, and schools of thought within a historical perspective, recognising their contribution to the analysis of gender inequalities.
Identify and deconstruct gender biases, stereotypes, and prejudices within political systems, institutional language, decision-making processes, and representations of men’s violence against women.

Making Judgements:

Develop independent critical judgement on the ways in which gender variables affect the exercise of power and the democratic quality of political systems.
Assess actors, institutions, policies, and decision-making processes in light of the principle of gender equity.
Recognise distortions, discrimination, and oversimplifications in the social, media, and institutional representation of gender-based violence.

Communication Skills:

Use the scientific vocabulary of political sociology appropriately to describe and analyse the relationship between gender and power.
Clearly present, both orally and in writing, concepts, theories, and case studies relating to gender inequalities in contemporary political systems.
Contribute to public debate on gender-based violence using appropriate linguistic and interpretative tools, avoiding stereotypes, victim-blaming, and reductive representations of the phenomenon.

Learning Skills:

Develop the ability to independently explore the scientific literature on the relationship between gender, power, democracy, and gender-based violence.
Strengthen the capacity for critical updating on contributions from political sociology and gender studies.
Identify useful, partial, or problematic contributions in public debate and the media to the understanding of the relationship between gender and power.

Educational objectives

This course aims to provide theoretical and critical tools for analysing the relationships between language, linguistic practices and gender, both in historical and contemporary perspectives. Specifically, it aims to develop the following competencies:

Knowledge and understanding

To acquire familiarity with the key concepts of the discipline, its specific terminology, and the main theoretical approaches to the relationship between language, discourse and gender.
To understand the main historical, cultural and political issues related to the use and evolution of language in relation to gender.

Applying knowledge and understanding

To critically apply the acquired theoretical tools to the analysis of texts, discursive practices and linguistic representations in different communicative contexts.
To apply acquired knowledge in the interpretation of bibliographic materials, documents and case studies.

Making judgements

To develop the ability to independently and critically reflect on the issues discussed, including current debates on inclusive language and linguistic sexism.
To gain awareness of the social, cultural and political implications of linguistic choices.

Communication skills

To be able to clearly and accurately articulate the acquired knowledge, using the appropriate terminology of the discipline.
To participate in academic and public discussions on language and gender in an informed and well-argued manner.

Learning skills

To develop autonomous study skills through engagement with specialised texts and bibliographic resources, with a focus on theoretical and critical sources.
To build individual pathways of in-depth study, connecting the course topics with broader academic and research fields.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide advanced training in the field of Gender and Media Studies through an approach that integrates theoretical perspectives with analytical and applied skills. It explores the relationship between gender and media across three key areas: media representations, production processes within cultural industries, and audience practices, both in traditional and digital media. The objective is to foster a critical understanding of the socio-cultural, technological, and political dynamics that shape gendered regimes of visibility.

The course enables students to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the main theoretical approaches in Gender and Media Studies, with attention to the development of the field, feminisms, queer theory, postfeminism, intersectionality, and critical algorithm studies.
Analyse the role of media in the construction of gendered subjectivities, regimes of visibility, cultural imaginaries, and the relationships between identity, power, and representation.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:
Apply concepts and tools from Gender and Media Studies to the critical analysis of media products, discourses, and practices across both traditional and digital media.
Analyse representations, platform affordances, algorithmic dynamics, and media consumption practices with reference to phenomena such as dating apps, hate speech, online activism, networked feminism, and LGBTQIA+ activism.
Use practical analytical tools, including in workshop-based activities, to examine media content and communication practices from a gender perspective.

Making Judgements:
Develop independent critical judgement regarding the ways in which media represent, produce, and hierarchise gendered subjectivities.
Identify and critically address stereotypes, processes of marginalisation, asymmetries of visibility, and forms of discrimination in media and digital environments.
Critically assess the relationship between gender, digital technologies, algorithms, and symbolic power.

Communication Skills:
Communicate concepts, analyses, and research findings related to gender and media clearly and in a theoretically grounded manner, both orally and in writing.
Develop gender-sensitive communication skills relevant to the analysis and production of textual, audiovisual, and digital content.
Reflect critically on language, representational practices, and the ethical implications of media and digital communication.

Learning Skills:
Develop the tools needed to independently engage with the scientific literature, empirical data, and case studies concerning the relationship between gender and media.
Strengthen the ability to keep up to date with media, technological, and cultural transformations that affect gender representations and practices.
Acquire skills useful for developing independent paths of research, analysis, and critical reflection in Gender and Media Studies.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide advanced training in the field of Gender and Media Studies through an approach that integrates theoretical perspectives with analytical and applied skills. It explores the relationship between gender and media across three key areas: media representations, production processes within cultural industries, and audience practices, both in traditional and digital media. The objective is to foster a critical understanding of the socio-cultural, technological, and political dynamics that shape gendered regimes of visibility.

Knowledge and Understanding
Students will become familiar with the theoretical tools of Gender and Media Studies, deepening their understanding of the field’s historical and conceptual evolution, key theoretical paradigms (feminist theories, queer theory, postfeminism, intersectionality studies, critical algorithm studies), and reflections on the role of media in constructing gendered subjectivities. The course promotes a critical approach to the relationship between media, identity, and power, with attention to truth regimes, discursive practices, and cultural imaginaries.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding
Through case studies and a research-based workshop, students will learn to apply theoretical categories to the analysis of media products, with a particular focus on digital environments. Specific competencies will be developed in the critical analysis of representations, the technical and social affordances of digital platforms, and algorithmic dynamics, with reference to phenomena such as dating apps, hate speech, and online activism (e.g., networked feminism, LGBTQIA+ activism, etc.).
The workshop component will focus on operational tools for analyzing media content and user practices from a gender perspective, with special attention to digital environments.

Autonomy of Judgment
The course equips students with tools to develop autonomous and critically grounded judgments about how media represent, produce, and articulate gendered subjectivities. Students will be able to identify and problematize forms of stereotyping and marginalization, and to critically examine the relationship between gender, algorithms, and visibility.

Communication Skills
Students will develop gender-sensitive communication skills, useful for creating media content (textual, audiovisual, digital) and for analyzing communication processes in both professional and academic contexts. The course will encourage critical reflection on language use, representational practices, and the ethics of communication in digital spaces.

Learning Skills
Through engagement with scholarly literature, empirical data, and media products, students will acquire tools to further explore issues related to gender and media independently. The course is designed to support continuous learning and the development of autonomous and reflective research paths.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide advanced training in the field of Gender and Media Studies through an approach that integrates theoretical perspectives with analytical and applied skills. It explores the relationship between gender and media across three key areas: media representations, production processes within cultural industries, and audience practices, both in traditional and digital media. The objective is to foster a critical understanding of the socio-cultural, technological, and political dynamics that shape gendered regimes of visibility.

Knowledge and Understanding
Students will become familiar with the theoretical tools of Gender and Media Studies, deepening their understanding of the field’s historical and conceptual evolution, key theoretical paradigms (feminist theories, queer theory, postfeminism, intersectionality studies, critical algorithm studies), and reflections on the role of media in constructing gendered subjectivities. The course promotes a critical approach to the relationship between media, identity, and power, with attention to truth regimes, discursive practices, and cultural imaginaries.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding
Through case studies and a research-based workshop, students will learn to apply theoretical categories to the analysis of media products, with a particular focus on digital environments. Specific competencies will be developed in the critical analysis of representations, the technical and social affordances of digital platforms, and algorithmic dynamics, with reference to phenomena such as dating apps, hate speech, and online activism (e.g., networked feminism, LGBTQIA+ activism, etc.).
The workshop component will focus on operational tools for analyzing media content and user practices from a gender perspective, with special attention to digital environments.

Autonomy of Judgment
The course equips students with tools to develop autonomous and critically grounded judgments about how media represent, produce, and articulate gendered subjectivities. Students will be able to identify and problematize forms of stereotyping and marginalization, and to critically examine the relationship between gender, algorithms, and visibility.

Communication Skills
Students will develop gender-sensitive communication skills, useful for creating media content (textual, audiovisual, digital) and for analyzing communication processes in both professional and academic contexts. The course will encourage critical reflection on language use, representational practices, and the ethics of communication in digital spaces.

Learning Skills
Through engagement with scholarly literature, empirical data, and media products, students will acquire tools to further explore issues related to gender and media independently. The course is designed to support continuous learning and the development of autonomous and reflective research paths.

Educational objectives

The overall goal of the course is to contribute to the education of future journalism professionals capable of fostering production routines and creating informational content that promotes gender equality and women's empowerment, thereby helping to address and reduce gender imbalances.

Specific objectives include:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the role of journalism in constructing, reproducing, or challenging gender inequalities.
Become familiar with the scholarly literature on the relationship between women, gender, and the journalistic profession.
Understand the historical contribution of women to journalism and to the transformation of professional cultures in news production.
Analyse how images, narratives, production routines, and news values may contribute to stereotypical or non-stereotypical representations of women and LGBTQI+ communities.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

Apply theoretical, conceptual, and analytical tools to the critical analysis of journalistic content from a gender perspective.
Use source research methods, databases, press office relations, and digital resources relevant to producing accurate information and supporting gender equality.
Apply fact-checking techniques in the context of disinformation, post-truth, and the digital circulation of news.
Produce journalistic texts, audiovisual content, and multimedia materials that adopt a gender-sensitive approach.

Making Judgements:

Develop independent critical judgement in assessing forms of journalistic representation related to gender.
Identify stereotypes, omissions, distortions, and forms of marginalisation in journalistic narratives concerning women, LGBTQI+ subjectivities, and gender-related issues.
Assess news production routines in light of the principles of accuracy, responsibility, inclusion, and the reduction of gender inequalities.

Communication Skills:

Use clear, accurate, and gender-sensitive journalistic language in verbal, audiovisual, and multimedia communication.
Produce news content suited to broadcast, digital, editorial, and institutional contexts, with attention to the accuracy of gender representations and narratives.
Develop communication skills relevant to designing campaigns, content, and informational materials aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Learning Skills:

Develop the tools needed to keep up to date independently with the literature, professional practices, and public debates on gender, journalism, and information.
Strengthen the ability to find, select, and verify reliable sources on gender equality issues.
Acquire skills useful for independently pursuing professional pathways in journalism, press offices, and communication roles within organisations working on gender equality policies.

Educational objectives

The overall goal of the course is to contribute to the education of future journalism professionals capable of fostering production routines and creating informational content that promotes gender equality and women's empowerment, thereby helping to address and reduce gender imbalances.

Specific objectives include:

- providing knowledge on how images and narratives can either reinforce or challenge gender inequalities;
- offering insight into the academic literature on the relationship between women and journalism;
- examining the historical contribution of women to the journalistic profession;
- equipping participants with the theoretical, conceptual, and analytical tools needed to independently evaluate journalistic representations related to gender, with particular attention to stereotypical and non-stereotypical portrayals of women and the LGBTQI+ community;
- developing gender-sensitive communication skills, both verbal and visual/multimedia, specifically applied to media contexts including broadcast and digital platforms;
- building knowledge and skills related to source research methods, database access, engagement with press offices, and use of digital tools that support gender equality initiatives;
- offering knowledge and skills in fact-checking within the context of disinformation and post-truth;
- developing the ability to produce gender-sensitive journalistic texts.

More broadly, the course aims to prepare media professionals capable of designing gender-sensitive communication campaigns, producing journalism that accurately represents and narrates gender-related issues, and working in press offices and communication departments within organizations committed to gender equality policies.

Educational objectives

The overall goal of the course is to contribute to the education of future journalism professionals capable of fostering production routines and creating informational content that promotes gender equality and women's empowerment, thereby helping to address and reduce gender imbalances.

Specific objectives include:

- providing knowledge on how images and narratives can either reinforce or challenge gender inequalities;
- offering insight into the academic literature on the relationship between women and journalism;
- examining the historical contribution of women to the journalistic profession;
- equipping participants with the theoretical, conceptual, and analytical tools needed to independently evaluate journalistic representations related to gender, with particular attention to stereotypical and non-stereotypical portrayals of women and the LGBTQI+ community;
- developing gender-sensitive communication skills, both verbal and visual/multimedia, specifically applied to media contexts including broadcast and digital platforms;
- building knowledge and skills related to source research methods, database access, engagement with press offices, and use of digital tools that support gender equality initiatives;
- offering knowledge and skills in fact-checking within the context of disinformation and post-truth;
- developing the ability to produce gender-sensitive journalistic texts.

More broadly, the course aims to prepare media professionals capable of designing gender-sensitive communication campaigns, producing journalism that accurately represents and narrates gender-related issues, and working in press offices and communication departments within organizations committed to gender equality policies.

Educational objectives

The course aims to develop advanced linguistic competence in English, with a focus on the comprehension and production of specialised texts in the field of gender studies.
In particular, the course enables students to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and understanding

To develop a solid understanding of English language structures at intermediate to advanced levels (from B2 to C1 of the CEFR).
To acquire specialised vocabulary and terminology related to gender studies, particularly in academic and professional domains.

Applying knowledge and understanding

To apply linguistic knowledge to the analysis and comprehension of specialised texts, such as essays, articles, and multimedia materials.
To use English effectively through practical exercises and both written and oral production tasks.

Making judgements

To develop a critical approach to the course content, especially regarding communicative practices related to gender issues.
To autonomously assess styles, registers, and linguistic choices in the texts under analysis, including from an intercultural perspective.

Communication skills

To strengthen the ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, through an interactive teaching approach.
To actively participate in discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities using appropriate and gender-aware language.

Learning skills

To develop tools and strategies for continuing the learning of specialised English independently.
To be able to engage with complex texts and adapt acquired competences to different contexts, including academic and professional environments.

Educational objectives

The course, structured into a theoretical module and a workshop-based module, enables students to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the main theoretical and empirical approaches in the sociology of digital media.
Analyse the relationship between web cultures, communication practices, and digital environments, with particular attention to social networking platforms.
Understand the formation of digital publics and specific social aggregates, such as networked publics and affective publics, and how they differ from traditional media audiences.
Become familiar with the main mechanisms that shape digital environments, including datafication, commodification, algorithmic selection, engagement, virality, and content circulation.
Understand the role of platforms, user practices, and algorithmic logics in the formation of echo chambers, filter bubbles, and processes of public opinion formation.
Become familiar with the main approaches to media activism, with particular reference to gender and intersectional perspectives, such as data feminism, hashtag feminism, and digital self-defence.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

Apply theoretical frameworks from the sociology of digital media to the analysis of case studies and publicly relevant phenomena.
Critically analyse communication practices, participatory dynamics, and forms of activist mobilisation in digital environments.
Recognise the role of gendered affordances and platform design in fostering or countering discrimination, marginalisation, and invisibilisation.
Analyse examples of media activism aimed at countering gender discrimination and other forms of inequality.
Use theoretical and practical tools to design, in groups, communication interventions and media activism projects on issues related to gender and intersectionality.

Making Judgements:

Develop independent critical judgement of digital media as social, cultural, economic, and political environments.
Assess the role of platforms in producing, selecting, and hierarchising public visibility.
Recognise the social, political, and ethical implications of algorithmic logics, datafication, and the viral circulation of content.
Critically assess the potential, limitations, and ambivalences of media activism in struggles against discrimination, stereotypes, and gender inequalities.
Develop critical interpretations grounded in scientific literature, empirical cases, digital materials, and participatory practices.

Communication Skills:

Present concepts, theories, and analyses related to the sociology of digital media clearly and using scientifically appropriate language.
Critically discuss cases of media activism, digital campaigns, and online mobilisation practices, using terminology appropriate to digital media studies and gender studies.
Work in groups to design and present content, campaigns, or media activism initiatives aimed at countering discrimination.
Communicate effectively, consciously, and responsibly on issues related to gender, digital platforms, online activism, and social justice.

Learning Skills:

Develop tools for independently engaging with the scientific literature on the sociology of digital media, platforms, and media activism.
Strengthen the capacity for critical updating in relation to technological, communicative, and cultural transformations in digital environments.
Acquire skills useful for pursuing independent research, analysis, and project work on digital media, gender, and activism.
Integrate theoretical knowledge, empirical analysis, and project-based skills in the critical interpretation of contemporary digital phenomena.

Educational objectives

The course consists of two modules that will proceed in synergy.

The first one, Sociology of Digital Media, is aimed at providing students with the theoretical and empirical frameworks of the sociology of digital media.

Particular emphasis will be given to gain knowledge regarding the interplay between:
a. web cultures and communicative practices connected to specific digital environments, focusing on social networking platforms;
b. the shaping of specific social aggregates [networked publics, affective publics] exceeding the characteristics of mainstream media audiences;
c. the mechanisms [on the platforms side: datafication, commodification, selection; on the users side: engagement, virality and content circulation], practices and algorithmic logics governing the generation of echo chambers and filter bubbles, which are functional for the understanding of the mechanisms of public opinion formation.

Based on these specific skills, the Laboratory on Gender and Media Activism and Gender Issues aims to investigate and develop concrete outputs based on theoretical frameworks to case studies and publicly relevant phenomena related to forms of media activism, with particular reference to gender and intersectional dimensions [e.g., data feminism, hashtag feminism, digital self-defense].

Based on the knowledge developed in the first module, the Lab will specifically explore:
1.    The role of "gender affordances" and platform design in fostering forms of discrimination, marginalization, and invisibilization
2. Examples of media activism aimed at countering discrimination.
The in-depth work aims to stimulate students' reflection and creativity by applying them to the creation of group projects that will address the topics covered in the Laboratory

Educational objectives

The course consists of two modules that will proceed in synergy. The first one, Sociology of Digital Media, is aimed at providing students with the theoretical and empirical frameworks of the sociology of digital media. Particular emphasis will be given to gain knowledge regarding the interplay between:
a. web cultures and communicative practices connected to specific digital environments, focusing on social networking platforms;
b. the shaping of specific social aggregates [networked publics, affective publics] exceeding the characteristics of mainstream media audiences;
c. the mechanisms [on the platforms side: datafication, commodification, selection; on the users side: engagement, virality and content circulation], practices and algorithmic logics governing the generation of echo chambers and filter bubbles, which are functional for the understanding of the mechanisms of public opinion formation.

Based on these specific skills, the Laboratory on Gender and Media Activism and Gender Issues aims to investigate and develop concrete outputs based on theoretical frameworks to case studies and publicly relevant phenomena related to forms of media activism, with particular reference to gender and intersectional dimensions [e.g., data feminism, hashtag feminism, digital self-defense].

Based on the knowledge developed in the first module, the Lab will specifically explore:
1.    The role of "gender affordances" and platform design in fostering forms of discrimination, marginalization, and invisibilization
2. Examples of media activism aimed at countering discrimination.
The in-depth work aims to stimulate students' reflection and creativity by applying them to the creation of group projects that will address the topics covered in the Laboratory

Educational objectives

Elective courses, totaling 12 ECTS, offer students the opportunity to customize their academic path in line with their research interests, professional goals, and personal inclinations. These activities may include courses offered within the master’s programme or from other degree programmes at the university, as long as they are consistent with the educational profile of the curriculum.

The inclusion of elective courses aims to achieve the following learning objectives:

- Expand and deepen knowledge in the fields of social sciences, media, law, communication, visual culture, or other related disciplines, adopting a critical and intersectional approach.
- Promote interdisciplinarity, enhancing the ability to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge from a gender perspective.
- Support students’ autonomy in designing their individual study plan, encouraging informed and responsible choices in line with their academic and professional development.
- Develop transversal and flexible skills that are useful for pursuing further studies (such as doctoral programmes) or for entering diverse professional contexts, in both the public and private sectors.
- Encourage critical reflexivity on the connections between gender, media, institutions, and socio-cultural contexts by exploring specific topics not always covered by core courses.

Educational objectives

The internship experience aims to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and understanding:

- Acquire concrete knowledge of organizational, cultural, and communicative dynamics within professional environments in the public, private, or non-profit sectors.
- Understand how theoretical skills acquired in gender studies and communication are applied in real-world work settings.
- Deepen understanding of how institutions, organizations, and companies operate in relation to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Applying knowledge and understanding:

- Apply analytical and operational tools learned during the academic programme to contribute to projects, activities, or assessments in host organizations.
- Collaborate on initiatives related to institutional or social communication, gender policies, event organization, or content production, adopting a perspective attentive to differences and inequalities.
- Use media, communication, and cultural studies skills to interpret and act within complex professional contexts.

Making judgments:

- Strengthen the ability to critically assess work environments, relational dynamics, and communication practices through a gender lens.
- Develop awareness of one's own skills, attitudes, and areas for improvement in relation to professional development.
- Formulate proposals, observations, or operational suggestions grounded in principles of equity, inclusion, and social responsibility.

Communication skills:

- Communicate effectively in diverse professional contexts, both in written and oral form, adapting the communicative register to different interlocutors.
- Write reports, summaries, or outreach materials in a clear, consistent, and professional manner.
- Actively participate in teamwork, demonstrating interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Learning skills:

- Develop autonomy in experiential learning, gaining insights from observation, practice, and interaction with professionals.
- Recognize and enhance transversal skills acquired during the internship, in preparation for entering the workforce or pursuing further academic development.

Educational objectives

The course provides theoretical, analytical, and project-based tools to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the main elements of brand communication, with reference to commercial, social, and institutional communication, its key actors, languages, and operating logics.
Understand the functions and social effects of advertising, with particular attention to how it contributes to the construction of imaginaries, desires, norms, identities, and symbolic hierarchies.
Understand the role of brand, social, and institutional communication in constructing, reproducing, or transforming gender imaginaries.
Become familiar with the main theoretical approaches to the study of gender representations in advertising, social communication, digital media, and visual content.
Analyse stereotypes, gender roles, sexualisation, objectification, empowerment, inclusion, invisibilisation, and marginalisation in communication campaigns.
Become familiar with phenomena such as femvertising, diversity branding, brand activism, gender washing, pinkwashing, and rainbow washing, assessing them primarily in terms of representational quality and symbolic coherence.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

Apply tools of critical and visual analysis to the study of advertising, social, institutional, and digital campaigns.
Deconstruct texts, images, videos, social media formats, narrative choices, and visual strategies in order to identify stereotypes, biases, symbolic hierarchies, and asymmetries of representation.
Analyse how bodies, identities, relationships, family roles, desirability, power, care, work, and leadership are represented in campaigns.
Assess the presence or absence of intersectional perspectives, with attention to gender, sexual orientation, age, class, racialisation, ability, embodiment, and cultural background.
Design rewritings of existing campaigns by working on copy, headlines, visuals, tone of voice, narrative, casting, and calls to action.
Develop gender-sensitive communication alternatives capable of overcoming stereotypes and reductive representations without losing communicative effectiveness.

Making Judgements:

Develop independent critical judgement in assessing gender representations in commercial, social, and institutional communication.
Recognise when a campaign produces substantive inclusion and when, instead, it relies on superficial, tokenistic, or opportunistic representations.
Distinguish between transformative representations, ambivalent representations, and representations that reproduce stereotypes or power relations.
Argue critical judgements based on theoretical categories, content analysis, audience data, and knowledge of the socio-cultural context.

Communication Skills:

Communicate critical analyses of campaigns and media content from a gender perspective clearly and rigorously.
Argue the choices involved in deconstructing and rewriting campaigns, explaining why a representation is problematic and how it can be changed.
Use specialised, informed, and respectful vocabulary when assessing and designing communication content.
Present campaign rewriting proposals, both orally and in writing, explaining the concept, target, insight, tone of voice, visual choices, and narrative solutions.

Learning Skills:

Develop tools for independently keeping up to date with studies on gender, media representations, advertising, social communication, and visual cultures.
Strengthen the ability to critically observe campaigns, public cases, and communication controversies related to gender, inclusion, and discrimination.
Acquire skills useful for pursuing independent pathways of analysis, research, and design of gender-sensitive content.
Integrate scientific literature, professional case studies, audience data, and rewriting practices in order to produce more informed communication analyses and interventions.
Consolidate a critical and reflexive approach useful in professional contexts where it is necessary to assess, revise, or design gender representations.

Educational objectives

The course enables students to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Understand the main theoretical frameworks concerning the concepts of group, social identity, self, and participation, with particular reference to ethnomethodological, socio-cultural, and discursive perspectives.
Understand the relationship between language, social action, and identity construction, with specific attention to the situated and discursive processes through which gender identity is constructed.
Understand the epistemological foundations of qualitative methods of observation, discourse analysis, and reflexive self-observation.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

Apply tools of ethnographic observation and discourse analysis to the study of social interactions, discursive practices, and identities in action.
Analyse how language contributes to the construction of social realities and identities across different contexts of participation.
Use reflexive practices, including autoethnography, to connect personal experiences, identity processes, and research practices.

Making Judgements:

Develop critical skills in assessing the processes through which individual and social identities are negotiated in interaction.
Evaluate the use of the qualitative methodologies learned in a reflexive and responsible manner.
Recognise the role of historical and cultural factors, social practices, and discursive devices in the construction of gender identities.

Communication Skills:

Present concepts, methods, and analytical findings clearly and effectively through collaborative activities, discussions, and written reports.
Use different communication tools and media in relation to research, observation, and reporting activities.
Develop inclusive, aware, and appropriate language for analysing social practices and identities.

Learning Skills:

Develop the skills needed to independently continue studying the main theoretical, methodological, and applied approaches to groups, interactions, and the social construction of identities.
Strengthen the ability to critically discuss the literature, qualitative methods, and group-based devices presented during the course.
Acquire tools useful for independently pursuing observation, analysis, and research on discursive practices and identity processes.

Educational objectives

The final examination enables students to achieve the following learning objectives:

Knowledge and Understanding:

Gain in-depth knowledge of the scientific literature related to the topic chosen for the thesis.
Understand the main theoretical, methodological, and applied approaches relevant to the subject of the final dissertation.
Situate their work within the educational objectives of the degree programme.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:
Critically process and analyse the available scientific literature, producing an accurate, up-to-date, and coherent literature review.
Apply research methods appropriate to the type of thesis chosen, whether theoretical, literature-based, or experimental.
In the case of an experimental thesis, progressively use scientifically sound methods for the collection, analysis, and presentation of original laboratory or clinical data.
Organise the thesis according to criteria of argumentative coherence, methodological rigour, and clarity of presentation.

Making Judgements:

Develop the ability to critically analyse the scientific literature related to the thesis topic.
Independently assess the relevance, reliability, and quality of the sources used.
Develop a research pathway based on informed theoretical and methodological choices.
Formulate final considerations that are consistent with the objectives of the study and the results achieved.

Communication Skills:

Present the contents of the final dissertation clearly, concisely, and using scientifically appropriate language.
Present the topic, objectives, theoretical framework, methodology, results, and conclusions in a well-structured manner.
In the case of an experimental thesis, accurately illustrate the aims of the study, the materials and methods used, the results obtained, and the final considerations.
Defend the final dissertation using language appropriate to the scientific and academic context.

Learning Skills:

Develop the ability to work independently.
Strengthen organisational skills, research aptitude, and the ability to plan and manage work.
Acquire tools useful for independently continuing study, scientific updating, and any further educational or professional pathway.