Course program
The course will be articulated into three parts.
In part I we will compare different definitions and objectives of advocacy, social change and consumer culture. We will explain the main steps necessary to design strategic affirmation and protection of rights and the communiction of “solidarity economy” solidale or the responsible enterprises’ practice (ie, fair trade, solidarity purchaising groups, responsible tourism, boycott campaigns and ethical finance).
Part II will explore innovative experiences and case studies of communication campaigns proposed by civil society organizations, the Third Sector and experiences of critical and responsible consumption. Activities conducted both on mass media (mediactivism) and social media (cyberactivism), subvertising and guerrilla-communication’s experiences and artistic and creative activism.
In part III, we will engage students in the construction and/or analysis of communication projects on one of the themes proposed, which will be achieved through simulation and workshops (case studies, role playing, etc..).
Prerequisites
- Deep knowledge of communication models and processes, of information techniques, as well as adequate methodological skills to process and use them.
- Understanding the role of culture and communication in the contemporary society, on the one hand through the study of the structural and phenomenological aspects of culture as a scientific object, on the other through the contribution that the various social sciences have given to the foundation of communication sciences and of culture.
- Knowledge of the analytical categories useful for reconstructing the evolution of mass media studies and theoretical models (personal influence, agenda setting, the spiral of silence, enconcoding/deconding, etc.) that have been elaborated to evaluate their effects.
- Knowledge of the design and planning processes and of the skills related to the analysis and planning of the mediated communication activities.
Books
NON-ATTENDING
1. Course text:
Marco Binotto, Comunicazione solidale. Storia e media del consumo responsabile e dei gruppi d’acquisto solidale, Guerini, Milano 2023
2. One book of your choice among:
- L. Leonini, R. Sassatelli (a cura di) Il consumo critico. Significati, pratiche e reti, Laterza 2008.
- Michele Micheletti, Critical Shopping. Consumi individuali e azioni collettive, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2010
- M. Lori, F. Volpi, Scegliere il "bene". Indagine sul consumo responsabile, Franco Angeli, 2007.
3 e 4. Experiences*. Two texts to choose from:
- Autonome a.f.r.i.k.a. gruppe, Luther Blisset Project, Comunicazione-guerriglia. Tattiche di agitazione gioiosa e resistenza ludica all'oppressione, Roma, DeriveApprodi 2002
- Franco Berardi (Bifo), Lorenza Pignatti Adbusters. Ironia e distopia dell’attivismo visuale, Meltemi 2020
- Wolf Bukowski, La danza delle mozzarelle. Slow food, Eataly, Coop e la loro narrazione, Edizioni Alegre 2015
- Fabio Ciconte L'ipocrisia dell'abbondanza. Perché non compreremo più cibo a basso costo, Laterza 2023
- Cyril Dion, Piccolo manuale di resistenza contemporanea. Storie e strategie per trasformare il mondo, Edizioni Ambiente, 2019.
- Antonello Mangano Lo sfruttamento nel piatto. Quello che tutti dovremmo sapere per un consumo consapevole, Laterza 2020
- Michele Micheletti, Critical Shopping. Consumi individuali e azioni collettive, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2010
- Tavolo RES (a cura di), Un’economia nuova, dai Gas alla zeta, Altreconomia Edizioni, Milano, 2013
- One of the non-selected books from point 2
Frequency
Attendance is not mandatory, but those who attend are expected to complete a project and a differentiated programme.
There is no attendance tracking system.
Exam mode
Oral examination and evaluation of the project.
ORAL EXAM: proof of the contents of the exam text(s) and, in the case of people who attended the course, about the contents of the lessons. Some of the relevant elements in the assessment are: the knowledge and understanding of the main contents, the logic followed by the student in their illustration, the ability to contextualize and apply them to other examples or fields or to link the skills acquired in other courses; the use of an appropriate language.
PROJECT: In the case of attending students, a written paper is required to illustrate the contents and the phases of conception and elaboration of the communication project realized during the course. The evaluation of the project is based both on the content of the paper and on the oral presentation made during the examination by the research group.
Some of the relevant elements in the assessment are
a) the ability to critically analyze the social issue/problem, and of other communication or advocacy activities related the same issue;
b) to clarify and identify the objectives of the project and the tools necessary to achieve them;
c) ability in creative ideation, project designing and planning;
d) the ability to present (written, audiovisual, performative or oral) the project idea and the description of the realization's phases of the project
Lesson mode
FIRST MODULE. RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND SUSTAINABILITY (20 hours)
- Italian society and responsible consumption: Definition and research
- Analysis of consumption and its meaning
- Critical and responsible consumption: origins, boycotts and other forms of involvement
- Sustainability and social innovation: experiences and definitions
Teaching methods: lectures. In order to illustrate the main trends and research in Italian society and the history and practices of critical and ecological consumption and social innovation.
SECOND MODULE. COMMUNICATION ACTIONS AND CREATIVE ACTIVISM (12 hours)
- Subvertising: origins and history - Guerrilla communication: definitions, principles, techniques and examples
Teaching methods: lectures. To illustrate the main techniques and related theories of action promoted by social actors.
THIRD MODULE: CRITICAL CONSUMPTION, GAS AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY (20 hours)
- Origin and history of solidarity purchasing groups (GAS)
- Solidarity economy: communication of GAS, networks and districts
- The narrative of critical consumption: frames and scripts
Teaching methods: lectures. In order to illustrate the main techniques and related theories of action promoted by social actors.
FOURTH MODULE: EXERCISE (20 hours)
Teaching methods: lectures, exercises, group work, project presentations. In order to introduce and analyse the main issues together with heuristic techniques for their identification and mapping; discourse analysis.
