Digital media, Journalism and Political communication

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide knowledge and skills related to the role of digital platforms in the production, distribution and consumption processes in the field of journalism.
Through a variety of teaching methods that will include face-to-face lectures, meetings with guests, project work, case study analysis and other activities based on active participation of the students, the course aims to analyze the impact of digital media and the implications of the operating mechanisms of platforms, algorithms and artificial intelligence on actors and processes in the informational media ecosystem, with reference to various topics including: power relations between publishing companies, journalists, platforms and other actors; practices of the journalism profession; formats of information products; consumption practices; business models and economic sustainability of journalistic enterprises and publishing initiatives promoted by different actors.

Educational objectives

GENERAL EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course unit aims to equip students with appropriate levels of KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, as well as ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL DYNAMICS AND CONTEMPORARY POLITICS in reference to the news-information field and the role of the journalistic profession, in contemporary Italy and in relation with the international context. It is therefore to investigate the evolution of journalism within the more general context of the cultural industry up to the 21st century. The focus analysis will be on the "Italian case", but to better understand the social, communicative and professional trends that intersect in the formation of the contemporary journalistic field, we will analyze the different news-information models in a comparative perspective and themes related to changes of the profession in the digital age and the role of journalism in the production and dissemination of news from a “framing perspective”.
The Course unit is in turn composed of four thematic Modules corresponding to different EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES, both GENERAL and SPECIFIC.
1. History of Italian journalism.
The aim is to equip students with tools of KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING the historical evolution of Italian journalism, in particular by analyzing the most significant players and the dynamics of connection between social and technological changes in the profession, as well the main historical and political events from the 19th century to today. The reconstruction of the historical framework will allow students to APPLY such KNOWLEDGE to the particular Italian context, as well as to exercise specific CRITICAL AND JUDGMENT CAPACITIES in reference to the socio-political and economic factors that led to the current Italian news-information model.
2. Journalism Models
Students will also be able to deepen and UNDERSTAND the modalities of the formation of the "model" of Italian journalism, this in constant reference with the developments of the European and US news-information systems, also in order to develop an adequate COMPREHENSION and APPLICATION of the comparative method. In fact, the students will be asked to APPLY the main theoretical models on journalism to different national cases, through reports on simulations for case studies whose dynamics will also be highlighted in a CRITICAL perspective.
3. Changes in the journalistic profession.
At the end of the course the students will also be able to UNDERSTAND and analyze the main dynamics that affect the professional field of journalism, also with reference to an in-depth KNOWLEDGE of the evolutionary dynamics imposed by the processes of digital convergence.
4. Framing and analysis of news-information.
Finally, the students will UNDERSTAND and analyze the methods of construction and treatment of the news, particularly studying the “framing perspective” as an interpretive key in the analysis of news-information flows and the role of different actors in the production, dissemination and use of news. This will allow to exercise CRITICAL AND JUDGMENT CAPACITY on the dynamics of construction and mediated representation of reality, through student reports on in-depth studies and case histories.

Educational objectives

The student will obtain adequate knowledge of the peculiar features of Italian television and media entertainment industries, and its positioning within the media entertainment ecosystem, by understanding similarities and differences in relation to the television cultures and industries of other countries (in particular the European ones).
This knowledge must guarantee the student the critical and interpretative capacity to be revealed through the analysis of audiovisual texts, necessary to identify the specific national influences, the evolution of the markets and the interrelation between national and trans-national factors.
The course of study solicits the student the ability to analyse the television markets also in relation to their target audicence and their placement in the digital ecosystem.
The Laboratory, which is an integral part of the course, aims to provide students the interpretative tools for the critical analysis of the TV market in Italy, with particular attention to the production and distribution of contents.
At the end of the course and the workshop phase the student will be able to:
• Critically apply knowledge of the television and national entertainment market positioning within international media markets;
• Know and apply the features of television genres and their evolutionary paths;
• analyse, also with the help of ratings, the behaviour of the public in the national and international audiovisual market;
• create, through the project work, television formats suitable for the national and international entertainment market;
• illustrate, through multimedia tools, audiovisual clips, ad hoc events and social strategies, the results of the design work for television and audiovisual;
• An overview of the cultures and industries of television will guarantee the student the opportunity to face the complex dynamics of the ideation, production and distribution of a complex transmedial product on the interpretative level and the applicative one.
Therefore, at the end of the course the student will be able to recognize the needs of the audiovisual markets, also updating autonomously his/her own knowledge and skills and actively participating in the production of culture and communication.

Educational objectives

The course aims to offer an in-depth analysis of the field of media politics. Starting from a reflection on the transformations of the political and media system, a number of thematic clusters focusing on the relationship between media and democracy, electoral campaigns, political journalism, the impact of media on voting behavior and opinion formation, and the current ways of activating political participation will be presented and analyzed. Particular attention will be paid to exploring the dynamics of shaping and defining issues on the public agenda, in the current media context in which the phenomenon of hybridization has made the range of actors increasingly broader and the task of identifying the contribution made by multiple actors (media, politicians, citizens, influencers, etc.) more complex.
By the end of the course, students will have acquired an adequate understanding of the:
- dynamics of public space construction: processes of mediatization of politics and their consequences; citizens’ consumption of political information; information abundance understood as both opportunity and risk; strategies deployed to capture attention (the battle over identity issues, polarization and the use of political incivility);
- dynamics of political activation: political participation after social media, the subtle difference between expression and participation, intermittent participation, organizing participation, the role of digital media, digital audiences, political fandom and digital folklore, dark participation, i.e., how to create opportunities for disruption and harm to democracy;
- dynamics of consensus activation: the construction of electoral campaigns, the phenomenon of personalization/leadership, mechanisms of intimidation and privatization, supporter engagement between entertainment and polarization, the going public, news management.
Students will also have developed the capacity for critical analysis and empirical research on the communicative and political strategies of actors in the public sphere. This ability will be further implemented through the presentation of concrete case studies and investigative tools and methods useful for developing exercises (individual or group), aimed at designing communication campaigns relevant to issues of political relevance.
The acquisition of this knowledge/skill is aimed at building a “toolbox” capable of enabling the student to construct solid research/reflections on the phenomenon of political communication.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to carry out research and design activities in the context of the user experience. The theoretical bases and the processes commonly adopted in the professional community will be discussed, for research, prototyping and validation phases, also supported by dedicated professional tools.

a) Knowledge and understanding - the course will provide the student with a theoretical framework to evaluate the role of the user experience in contemporary design and business activities. The evolution of concepts and techniques will be discussed, emphasizing their multidisciplinary structure. Through exercises, debates and workshops, students will be stimulated to apply these interpretative tools to the products and services that surround them in daily life, with a particular focus on digital environments.

b) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding - the course will offer the student the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge within a research and design project, according to specific business goals. Students will be challenged to solve a design problem: they will be dealing with analysis and design techniques, receive feedback from UX professionals, discuss problems and solutions, create documents and prototypes, manage task assignments and deadlines. In this process, students will develop communication and organizational skills, and will develop a mindset helping them to “diverge” in idea generation and then “converge” towards specific solutions.

c) Autonomy of judgment - students will be asked to set up their own project by drawing on the theoretical and technical tools they received. They will co-design solutions and collaboratively take decisions to proceed with the project plan, according to deadlines and constraints

d) Communication skills - throughout the course, students will create documents corresponding to the main deliverables of service design, UX research and UX design practice. They will be solicited to share the results of their work with colleagues and UX professionals.

e) Learning skills - students will have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake advanced study paths and position themselves on the job market.

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide the theoretical and methodological tools to analyze the transformation of social behavior on the net through the evolution of the concept of digital identity, online communication and the phenomena derived from a hyper-connected society;
A) Knowledge and understanding - the course will provide the student with basic knowledge of the technical, philosophical and psychological themes and concepts on which the evolution of the digital self is based thanks to the support of reference texts, exercises and debates that will be held in class in order to develop an understanding and analysis of the network company and of the problems relating to the management of online security, data privacy and personal safety;
B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding - the course will offer the student the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge in a reflective way through exercises and practical tests of secure “online identity management”. During these learning opportunities, the argumentative and narrative skills of the technical and social innovations typical of the teaching sector will be developed;
C) Autonomy of judgment - students will be able to orient themselves among the reference theories to analyze and interpret the data useful for developing autonomous knowledge paths aimed at acquiring independence of analysis and critical Thinking with respect to the changing legal and technological scenario;
D) Communication skills - the exercises and debates that will be held during the lessons will give students the opportunity to acquire technical and communication skills aimed at creating illustrative media products;
E) Learning skills - students will have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake advanced study paths.

Educational objectives

The course aims to address cinema as a matrix and crossroads of the contemporary iconosphere. Starting with the definition of the “iconic turn” that gave rise to the transdisciplinary field known as visual culture studies and Bildenwissenschaft, the course will analyze the specific role of cinema as a point of intersection of different iconic codes – from classical figurative traditions to advertising, from photography to archaic symbolism, from fashion to contemporary art – and as a generator and depository of images capable of shaping the iconic landscape in which we are immersed.
By the end of the course, the students will have acquired the following notions and skills:
1. Knowledge and understanding skills
Basic concepts and tools of visual culture studies, ability to understand the cultural dimension – technically, socially and historically determined – of the images and of the gaze.
2. Applying Knowledge and Understanding
Ability to analyze film images from a transdisciplinary perspective, and to look at film history as part of a more complex media ecology.
3. Making judgments
Cultivation of a critical reflection on the gaze, on its technical devices and on its psychological, sociological and cultural dimensions. Part of the course will include discussions under the guidance of the teacher.
4. Communication
Scholarly and academic writing skills on cinema and visual culture. For the final exam, students will be asked to present and discuss a written paper;
5. Lifelong learning skills
Ability to pursue study independently, following the bibliographic and filmographic guidelines provided during the lessons.

Educational objectives

The course is designed for second-year students enrolled in the Degree Course of Media, Digital Communication and Journalism.
This course aims to offer a wide and thorough study on Italian radio, based on the most important moments of its history, on the specific features of the medium as a form of communication, and on the new perspectives for radio relating to production, technology and culture. The general objective is to supply students with the cognitive and critical tools for understanding Italian radio broadcasting in its industrial and cultural dimension, and for using these knowledge in the activities of design and/or analysis of radio products.
Particularly, the course aims to acquire:
1) knowledge and understanding, on the one hand, of the current Italian radio scene (the companies, the offer of formats and contents, the audience’s orientations) and its perspectives of transformation, also regarding new technological and multimedia contexts; on the other, of the symbolic and cultural dimension of the radio product, as a form of communication that expresses meanings through its genres, programs and contents;
2) ability to apply knowledge and understanding, in a competent and reasoned manner, in the field of radio production (creation of a radio format) and scientific research (analysis of a radio program), through ongoing implementation of specific “project work”;
3-4) making judgements, written and spoken communication skills, through the realization and presentation in the classroom of "project work", viewing/listening and critical analysis of audiovisual documents, moments of confrontation in the classroom with external guests;
5) learning skills, based on the knowledge and skills developed during the course

Educational objectives

The course of Data Journalism – Tools and application for digital media aims to offer theoretical, methodological and practical tools for data analysis and data visualization in the digital era. The course delves in the development of journalistic practices, conventions and routines that journalists can pursue with the open data support. Generally speaking, the course offers the ability to deal with the principles data analysis and data visualization tools. The methodological approach proposed to study and enhance digital insights is that of digital methods.

In particular, the objectives to be achieved will be:

1. From a theoretical point of view, the student will acquire knowledge of journalism models in the digital age, understanding the challenges of today's journalism and the opportunities offered by "new journalism", with particular reference to investigative journalism through open data.
2. The student will be able to apply methods of cleaning, analysis and visualization of secondary data and carry out a journalistic investigation data-driven.
3. Application of methodological knowledge in practical and laboratory activities. The student will have the opportunity to bring into play the skills acquired during debates with experts in the field, who will be involved during some lessons.
4. During the course the student will be engaged in the creation of one or more data journalism articles (project work) which will allow him to develop editorial skills in the fields of investigative and data-drive journalism.
5. Through the aforementioned laboratory - useful to master the main resources of data journalism (dataset processing, geodata-mapping tools, data visualization) for the preparation of the project work- the student will be able to reach a basic autonomy to improve his ability in the data journalism field.

Educational objectives

The course of Data Journalism – Tools and application for digital media aims to offer theoretical, methodological and practical tools for data analysis and data visualization in the digital era. The course delves in the development of journalistic practices, conventions and routines that journalists can use with the open data support. Generally speaking the course offers the ability to deal with the principles data analysis and data visualization tools.

Through the workshop module the course aims to offer an adequate mastery of the application tools with which the discipline carries out an inquiry and whatchdogging function. In particular, the objectives to be achieved will be:

1. From a theoretical point of view, the student will acquire knowledge of journalism models in the digital age, understanding the challenges of today's journalism and the opportunities offered by "new journalism", with particular reference to investigative journalism through open data.
2. The student will be able to apply methods of cleaning, analysis and visualization of secondary data and independently carry out a survey of data journalism, with relative online dissemination.
3. Application of methodological knowledge in practical and laboratory activities. The student will have the opportunity to bring into play the skills acquired during debates with specialists in the field, who will be involved during some lessons.
4. Through exercises in the classroom, which will represent a moment of exchange between the research groups, hand in hand engaged in the implementation of a survey of data journalism (project work).
5. Through the aforementioned laboratory - useful to master the main resources of data journalism (dataset processing, geodata-mapping tools, data visualization) for the preparation of an investigation (project work) - the student will be able to reach a basic autonomy for starting the profession of data journalists.

Educational objectives

The course of Data Journalism – Tools and application for digital media aims to offer theoretical, methodological and practical tools for data analysis and data visualization in the digital era. The course delves in the development of journalistic practices, conventions and routines that journalists can use with the open data support. Generally speaking the course offers the ability to deal with the principles data analysis and data visualization tools.

Through the workshop module the course aims to offer an adequate mastery of the application tools with which the discipline carries out an inquiry and whatchdogging function. In particular, the objectives to be achieved will be:

1. From a theoretical point of view, the student will acquire knowledge of journalism models in the digital age, understanding the challenges of today's journalism and the opportunities offered by "new journalism", with particular reference to investigative journalism through open data.
2. The student will be able to apply methods of cleaning, analysis and visualization of secondary data and independently carry out a survey of data journalism, with relative online dissemination.
3. Application of methodological knowledge in practical and laboratory activities. The student will have the opportunity to bring into play the skills acquired during debates with specialists in the field, who will be involved during some lessons.
4. Through exercises in the classroom, which will represent a moment of exchange between the research groups, hand in hand engaged in the implementation of a survey of data journalism (project work).
5. Through the aforementioned laboratory - useful to master the main resources of data journalism (dataset processing, geodata-mapping tools, data visualization) for the preparation of an investigation (project work) - the student will be able to reach a basic autonomy for starting the profession of data journalists.

Educational objectives

The Course is aimed at:

1. making knowledge of the role played by media in building gender identites and the categories of diversity, especially those provoked by sessism, racism, ableism, speciesism. (I.D. 1)
2. acquiring skills to project and do gende-sensitive and inclusive media (I.D. 2)
3. increasing knowledge of the political implications and ethical responsabilities of media (I.D.3)
4. fournishing competence to a critical use of images (I. D. 3)
5. promoting a language sensible to the minorities and discriminated categories (I.D.4)
6. increasing skills of public speaking, especially in presenting and discussing project (I.D.4)
7. stimultanting the deep understanding of current issues, by the use of journalistic and scientific text in foreign language. (I. D. 5)

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide knowledge and skills related to the role of digital platforms in the production, distribution and consumption processes in the field of journalism.
Through a variety of teaching methods that will include face-to-face lectures, meetings with guests, project work, case study analysis and other activities based on active participation of the students, the course aims to analyze the impact of digital media and the implications of the operating mechanisms of platforms, algorithms and artificial intelligence on actors and processes in the informational media ecosystem, with reference to various topics including: power relations between publishing companies, journalists, platforms and other actors; practices of the journalism profession; formats of information products; consumption practices; business models and economic sustainability of journalistic enterprises and publishing initiatives promoted by different actors.

Educational objectives

GENERAL EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course unit aims to equip students with appropriate levels of KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, as well as ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL DYNAMICS AND CONTEMPORARY POLITICS in reference to the news-information field and the role of the journalistic profession, in contemporary Italy and in relation with the international context. It is therefore to investigate the evolution of journalism within the more general context of the cultural industry up to the 21st century. The focus analysis will be on the "Italian case", but to better understand the social, communicative and professional trends that intersect in the formation of the contemporary journalistic field, we will analyze the different news-information models in a comparative perspective and themes related to changes of the profession in the digital age and the role of journalism in the production and dissemination of news from a “framing perspective”.
The Course unit is in turn composed of four thematic Modules corresponding to different EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES, both GENERAL and SPECIFIC.
1. History of Italian journalism.
The aim is to equip students with tools of KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING the historical evolution of Italian journalism, in particular by analyzing the most significant players and the dynamics of connection between social and technological changes in the profession, as well the main historical and political events from the 19th century to today. The reconstruction of the historical framework will allow students to APPLY such KNOWLEDGE to the particular Italian context, as well as to exercise specific CRITICAL AND JUDGMENT CAPACITIES in reference to the socio-political and economic factors that led to the current Italian news-information model.
2. Journalism Models
Students will also be able to deepen and UNDERSTAND the modalities of the formation of the "model" of Italian journalism, this in constant reference with the developments of the European and US news-information systems, also in order to develop an adequate COMPREHENSION and APPLICATION of the comparative method. In fact, the students will be asked to APPLY the main theoretical models on journalism to different national cases, through reports on simulations for case studies whose dynamics will also be highlighted in a CRITICAL perspective.
3. Changes in the journalistic profession.
At the end of the course the students will also be able to UNDERSTAND and analyze the main dynamics that affect the professional field of journalism, also with reference to an in-depth KNOWLEDGE of the evolutionary dynamics imposed by the processes of digital convergence.
4. Framing and analysis of news-information.
Finally, the students will UNDERSTAND and analyze the methods of construction and treatment of the news, particularly studying the “framing perspective” as an interpretive key in the analysis of news-information flows and the role of different actors in the production, dissemination and use of news. This will allow to exercise CRITICAL AND JUDGMENT CAPACITY on the dynamics of construction and mediated representation of reality, through student reports on in-depth studies and case histories.

Educational objectives

The student will obtain adequate knowledge of the peculiar features of Italian television and media entertainment industries, and its positioning within the media entertainment ecosystem, by understanding similarities and differences in relation to the television cultures and industries of other countries (in particular the European ones).
This knowledge must guarantee the student the critical and interpretative capacity to be revealed through the analysis of audiovisual texts, necessary to identify the specific national influences, the evolution of the markets and the interrelation between national and trans-national factors.
The course of study solicits the student the ability to analyse the television markets also in relation to their target audicence and their placement in the digital ecosystem.
The Laboratory, which is an integral part of the course, aims to provide students the interpretative tools for the critical analysis of the TV market in Italy, with particular attention to the production and distribution of contents.
At the end of the course and the workshop phase the student will be able to:
• Critically apply knowledge of the television and national entertainment market positioning within international media markets;
• Know and apply the features of television genres and their evolutionary paths;
• analyse, also with the help of ratings, the behaviour of the public in the national and international audiovisual market;
• create, through the project work, television formats suitable for the national and international entertainment market;
• illustrate, through multimedia tools, audiovisual clips, ad hoc events and social strategies, the results of the design work for television and audiovisual;
• An overview of the cultures and industries of television will guarantee the student the opportunity to face the complex dynamics of the ideation, production and distribution of a complex transmedial product on the interpretative level and the applicative one.
Therefore, at the end of the course the student will be able to recognize the needs of the audiovisual markets, also updating autonomously his/her own knowledge and skills and actively participating in the production of culture and communication.

Educational objectives

The course aims to offer an in-depth analysis of the field of media politics. Starting from a reflection on the transformations of the political and media system, a number of thematic clusters focusing on the relationship between media and democracy, electoral campaigns, political journalism, the impact of media on voting behavior and opinion formation, and the current ways of activating political participation will be presented and analyzed. Particular attention will be paid to exploring the dynamics of shaping and defining issues on the public agenda, in the current media context in which the phenomenon of hybridization has made the range of actors increasingly broader and the task of identifying the contribution made by multiple actors (media, politicians, citizens, influencers, etc.) more complex.
By the end of the course, students will have acquired an adequate understanding of the:
- dynamics of public space construction: processes of mediatization of politics and their consequences; citizens’ consumption of political information; information abundance understood as both opportunity and risk; strategies deployed to capture attention (the battle over identity issues, polarization and the use of political incivility);
- dynamics of political activation: political participation after social media, the subtle difference between expression and participation, intermittent participation, organizing participation, the role of digital media, digital audiences, political fandom and digital folklore, dark participation, i.e., how to create opportunities for disruption and harm to democracy;
- dynamics of consensus activation: the construction of electoral campaigns, the phenomenon of personalization/leadership, mechanisms of intimidation and privatization, supporter engagement between entertainment and polarization, the going public, news management.
Students will also have developed the capacity for critical analysis and empirical research on the communicative and political strategies of actors in the public sphere. This ability will be further implemented through the presentation of concrete case studies and investigative tools and methods useful for developing exercises (individual or group), aimed at designing communication campaigns relevant to issues of political relevance.
The acquisition of this knowledge/skill is aimed at building a “toolbox” capable of enabling the student to construct solid research/reflections on the phenomenon of political communication.

Educational objectives

Educational goals:

The course aims to provide students with the essential conceptual and methodological tools for a critical understanding of the evolution of political phenomena and the processes of transformation of public space in the contemporary age. The general objective of the course is to transfer to the student the ability to problematise and contextualise, within a long-term framework, the dynamics of transformation of contemporary politics, stimulating a constant and close comparison between the historical method and the disciplines that contribute to widening the viewing angle and enriching the analytical-conceptual instrumentation: mainly, the social and cultural sciences, the economic sciences and the political, philosophical and legal sciences. A more specific objective of the course is to provide students, within the framework of the more general knowledge and multidisciplinary vision described above, with an adequate basic knowledge of the history of the public sphere in the contemporary age centred on a twofold reading key: the interaction between the domestic political order and the international order and that between political institutions/cultures and socio-economic institutions.

A) knowledge and understanding

The student will develop knowledge and skills relating to the theoretical and historiographical field of politics, with particular reference to the dynamics of interaction between political institutions and the socio-economic dimension and the links between the domestic political order and the international order.

B) applying knowledge and understanding

the student will be able to produce autonomous reflections and analyses applicable to specific contexts and phenomena of the contemporary public sphere and political communication

C) making judgements

the student will acquire the theoretical-conceptual and historiographical tools necessary to understand sources, documents, texts, research products concerning contemporary politics, also in order to develop an autonomous and critical capacity to read political phenomena and the dynamics of transformation of the public sphere

D) communication skills

The student will acquire the ability to communicate what has been learnt through the promotion of collegial discussion initiatives in the classroom and the drafting of texts, will develop oral and written communication skills, learning a style of divulgation with a profile appropriate to the educational level of the LM

E) learning skills

Through examples of organisation of materials and sources, and support in the realisation of projects and reports, the student will learn knowledge and skills functional to the acquisition of autonomy in future study

Educational objectives

Objectives of the course:
- knowledge of the classics of political philosophy;
- Analysis of political categories;
-The study of concepts for understanding political processes.

The course offers:
- to provide critical skills for the autonomous interpretation of classical texts of political thought;
- critical use of the theoretical categories in the analysis of modern political institutions.
-comparative analysis of the variety of phenomena that are included in category of populism

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide knowledge and skills related to the role of digital platforms in the production, distribution and consumption processes in the field of journalism.
Through a variety of teaching methods that will include face-to-face lectures, meetings with guests, project work, case study analysis and other activities based on active participation of the students, the course aims to analyze the impact of digital media and the implications of the operating mechanisms of platforms, algorithms and artificial intelligence on actors and processes in the informational media ecosystem, with reference to various topics including: power relations between publishing companies, journalists, platforms and other actors; practices of the journalism profession; formats of information products; consumption practices; business models and economic sustainability of journalistic enterprises and publishing initiatives promoted by different actors.

Educational objectives

GENERAL EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course unit aims to equip students with appropriate levels of KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, as well as ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL DYNAMICS AND CONTEMPORARY POLITICS in reference to the news-information field and the role of the journalistic profession, in contemporary Italy and in relation with the international context. It is therefore to investigate the evolution of journalism within the more general context of the cultural industry up to the 21st century. The focus analysis will be on the "Italian case", but to better understand the social, communicative and professional trends that intersect in the formation of the contemporary journalistic field, we will analyze the different news-information models in a comparative perspective and themes related to changes of the profession in the digital age and the role of journalism in the production and dissemination of news from a “framing perspective”.
The Course unit is in turn composed of four thematic Modules corresponding to different EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES, both GENERAL and SPECIFIC.
1. History of Italian journalism.
The aim is to equip students with tools of KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING the historical evolution of Italian journalism, in particular by analyzing the most significant players and the dynamics of connection between social and technological changes in the profession, as well the main historical and political events from the 19th century to today. The reconstruction of the historical framework will allow students to APPLY such KNOWLEDGE to the particular Italian context, as well as to exercise specific CRITICAL AND JUDGMENT CAPACITIES in reference to the socio-political and economic factors that led to the current Italian news-information model.
2. Journalism Models
Students will also be able to deepen and UNDERSTAND the modalities of the formation of the "model" of Italian journalism, this in constant reference with the developments of the European and US news-information systems, also in order to develop an adequate COMPREHENSION and APPLICATION of the comparative method. In fact, the students will be asked to APPLY the main theoretical models on journalism to different national cases, through reports on simulations for case studies whose dynamics will also be highlighted in a CRITICAL perspective.
3. Changes in the journalistic profession.
At the end of the course the students will also be able to UNDERSTAND and analyze the main dynamics that affect the professional field of journalism, also with reference to an in-depth KNOWLEDGE of the evolutionary dynamics imposed by the processes of digital convergence.
4. Framing and analysis of news-information.
Finally, the students will UNDERSTAND and analyze the methods of construction and treatment of the news, particularly studying the “framing perspective” as an interpretive key in the analysis of news-information flows and the role of different actors in the production, dissemination and use of news. This will allow to exercise CRITICAL AND JUDGMENT CAPACITY on the dynamics of construction and mediated representation of reality, through student reports on in-depth studies and case histories.

Educational objectives

The student will obtain adequate knowledge of the peculiar features of Italian television and media entertainment industries, and its positioning within the media entertainment ecosystem, by understanding similarities and differences in relation to the television cultures and industries of other countries (in particular the European ones).
This knowledge must guarantee the student the critical and interpretative capacity to be revealed through the analysis of audiovisual texts, necessary to identify the specific national influences, the evolution of the markets and the interrelation between national and trans-national factors.
The course of study solicits the student the ability to analyse the television markets also in relation to their target audicence and their placement in the digital ecosystem.
The Laboratory, which is an integral part of the course, aims to provide students the interpretative tools for the critical analysis of the TV market in Italy, with particular attention to the production and distribution of contents.
At the end of the course and the workshop phase the student will be able to:
• Critically apply knowledge of the television and national entertainment market positioning within international media markets;
• Know and apply the features of television genres and their evolutionary paths;
• analyse, also with the help of ratings, the behaviour of the public in the national and international audiovisual market;
• create, through the project work, television formats suitable for the national and international entertainment market;
• illustrate, through multimedia tools, audiovisual clips, ad hoc events and social strategies, the results of the design work for television and audiovisual;
• An overview of the cultures and industries of television will guarantee the student the opportunity to face the complex dynamics of the ideation, production and distribution of a complex transmedial product on the interpretative level and the applicative one.
Therefore, at the end of the course the student will be able to recognize the needs of the audiovisual markets, also updating autonomously his/her own knowledge and skills and actively participating in the production of culture and communication.

Educational objectives

The course aims to offer an in-depth analysis of the field of media politics. Starting from a reflection on the transformations of the political and media system, a number of thematic clusters focusing on the relationship between media and democracy, electoral campaigns, political journalism, the impact of media on voting behavior and opinion formation, and the current ways of activating political participation will be presented and analyzed. Particular attention will be paid to exploring the dynamics of shaping and defining issues on the public agenda, in the current media context in which the phenomenon of hybridization has made the range of actors increasingly broader and the task of identifying the contribution made by multiple actors (media, politicians, citizens, influencers, etc.) more complex.
By the end of the course, students will have acquired an adequate understanding of the:
- dynamics of public space construction: processes of mediatization of politics and their consequences; citizens’ consumption of political information; information abundance understood as both opportunity and risk; strategies deployed to capture attention (the battle over identity issues, polarization and the use of political incivility);
- dynamics of political activation: political participation after social media, the subtle difference between expression and participation, intermittent participation, organizing participation, the role of digital media, digital audiences, political fandom and digital folklore, dark participation, i.e., how to create opportunities for disruption and harm to democracy;
- dynamics of consensus activation: the construction of electoral campaigns, the phenomenon of personalization/leadership, mechanisms of intimidation and privatization, supporter engagement between entertainment and polarization, the going public, news management.
Students will also have developed the capacity for critical analysis and empirical research on the communicative and political strategies of actors in the public sphere. This ability will be further implemented through the presentation of concrete case studies and investigative tools and methods useful for developing exercises (individual or group), aimed at designing communication campaigns relevant to issues of political relevance.
The acquisition of this knowledge/skill is aimed at building a “toolbox” capable of enabling the student to construct solid research/reflections on the phenomenon of political communication.