aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

and new virtual places (blogs, chat rooms, social networks,
online shops, peer-to-peer platforms), shaped around our
wants, though often perceived/imposed as “needs.” Following
a two-step program, the student will learn about causes and
effects of the digital revolution: first analyzing features and
functions of all main digital communication devices (and
places), then discussing their influence on us as citizens, artists,
professionals, individuals.
Introduction to Journalism
COM 185 F; Dual listed: WRI 185 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Journalism covers a huge range of output across all media
and is an influential form of communication in almost every
country of the world. Journalism involves the sifting and
editing of information and events; it is about putting ideas
and controversies into context, and it is about the assessment
of the validity and truthfulness of actions or comments. This
course will offer an introduction to the history and practical
skills of print and broadcast journalism. Students will be guided
in researching and interviewing techniques and in writing news
articles, reviews and features for a variety of media. They will
also have hands-on experience in preparing, recording and
editing a radio program or webcast.
Introduction to Visual Semiotics
COM 192 F; Dual listed: GRA 192 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course examines the problems associated with perception,
understanding, interpretation and creation of visual
representations. In other words, it explores how it is possible to
improve the way we perceive and understand all the messages
that we receive constantly, messages based mostly upon visual
patterns. Signs and their meaning, the construction of reality,
codes and codification, mythology and ideology, semiotics of
art and mass media will be the topics raised by this course.
The course includes an introduction to the language of
representation, through the analysis and comprehension of
concepts such as rhetoric, narrative, stereotype and genre.
Advertising Principles
COM 204 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Advertising is not a simple or random combination of images in
an ad. The task of advertising is to build a positive perception
of the product in the consumer’s mind. Every commercial,
every ad in magazines, every TV advertisement is designed
to deliver a particular message to a particular audience. This
course will deal with contemporary advertising and also with
the media and graphic modes used to convey it. Topics include
the philosophy of advertising and its role in society; how
advertising relates to life, society and economy; current trends
in advertising as viewed from the creative, marketing and
media standpoints; the stereotypes that advertising proposes
to us and the reaction of our society to these suggestions; how
advertising is made, created and projected.
Prerequisites: COM 180 Mass Communication, or BUS 150
Introduction to Marketing, or equivalents
the working path coherent with individual expectations and
capacities.
Event Planning
COM 232 F; Dual listed: BUS 232 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course introduces students to special event planning
processes and techniques. Emphasis is on creating, organizing,
identifying sponsors for, marketing and implementing largescale
community events, as well as show rooms and trade
shows to photoshoots and fashion shows. We will explore this
very detail-oriented field as it deals with vendors, contracts,
fundraising, budgeting, ethics, and other aspects. Students
will research product, competition and target market to
determine best possible exposure and success. As part of the
course students may organize a real event in interdisciplinary
collaboration with other departments (Graphic Design, Jewelry
Design, Photography and/or Interior Design).
Media Ethics
COM 245 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Today’s communications are so complex and the problems
they encounter happen so suddenly that we may not have time
to consider all of the ethical implications. Journalists, editors,
professionals in advertising and public relations are called upon
to weigh up potential benefits and harm by their actions in
covering stories, in revealing facts that might otherwise be kept
private, and in respecting conflicting loyalties. They also find
themselves confronted by situations in which they must choose
between actions that seem equally right, or equally wrong.
Wartime and peacetime propaganda, the Western world’s
information system, the PR industry, digital convergence and
new frontiers for mass communication: everyone encounters
ethical dilemmas. The goal of this course is to train you to face
what you will inevitably face in your professional careers and in
your private lives.
Integrated Marketing Communication
COM 262 F; Dual listed: BUS 262 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Marketing communication is one of the most exciting and
stimulating areas in modern marketing. Its importance has
grown dramatically in the recent decades. The means through
which we communicate all around the world have been
affected by the new technological advances. These advances,
such as the Internet, have enabled and eased interaction on a
global scale. Therefore, marketers are looking for new means of
communication that can better gain the attention of customers.
This course will examine the theory and techniques applicable
today to all the major marketing communication functions: ads,
direct marketing, sales promotion, public relations, personal
selling and the Internet. It will allow students to research and
evaluate a company’s marketing and promotional situation and
use this information in developing effective communication
strategies and programs.
Prerequisites: BUS 150 Introduction to Marketing, or equivalent.
Recommended: COM 180 Mass Communication, or equivalent
School of Arts & Sciences FLORENCE
Body Language and Communication
Techniques
COM 212 F; Dual listed: PER 212 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course teaches students to use the body to achieve greater
professional and social success by increasing the relational and
communication capacities of every student, preparing them
to enter the working world. The training is aimed at acquiring
transversal expertise linked to communication, verbal and non
verbal, working in groups, motivation, and body language
control. The “learning by doing” methodology is very practical
and involves the student in a pro-active way, through exercises
and improvisation, testing individual attitudes and personal
capacities. Neutral mask and participative and creative
techniques will be employed, from a theatrical approach to non
verbal communication, team building, self-presentation, body
language exercises, movement, and motivation, guiding each
student to discover his or her strengths, and to better identify
Crosscultural Communication in the
Workplace
COM 271 F; Dual listed: BUS 270 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
People from more than one culture increasingly have to work
together, work side by side, or collaborate on international
projects, both at home and abroad. How easy is it to step
outside our own cultural expectations? This is an intercultural
communication course aimed specifically at understanding
intercultural interactions in business or in the workplace from
both theoretical and practical standpoints. On a practical
level, this course will involve the students’ active participation
in role play exercises and observations, and will help them to
predict and manage intercultural misunderstandings both in
the workplace and in more informal social settings. Business
practices in different countries, in particular Italy and the USA,
and individual case studies will be assessed and discussed
according to these frameworks.
LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014
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