Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Cultural Communication and Information

Cultural Communication and Information
3
10671
1
Second term
OB
Main language of instruction: English

Introduction

Implementing the correct communication strategy is crucial for the success of a cultural project. A communication campaign ensures visibility, as well as the understanding and engagement of the audience. Since the implementation of the Internet, communication tools are evolving in an exponential way, significantly changing the format, speed and relationship between the institution or the creator and the audience. At the same time, print formats and more traditional ways of interacting with the audience are still effective in communication campaigns.


Identifying which are the most suitable among the overwhelming number of communication tools is one of the challenges of this course, which combines practical training with a series of talks given by an outstanding expert in the fields of art and photography, the lecturer will discuss his experience in communication campaigns and exchange ideas with the alumni.

 

FACULTY

Inés Martínez Ribas (Barcelona, 1968). Communication consultant. Journalist and Sociologist. Master’s in Journalism (1996, El País-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). One-year course in Research Techniques (1996, University of East London). Bachelor of Political Science & Sociology (1996, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). Bachelor of Information & Media Studies (1995, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). She has worked for the Spanish newspapers El País, La Vanguardia, and El Periódico de Catalunya; Head of Cultural Press at ”la Caixa” Foundation (2001-2008); Head of Press and Public Relations at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, MACBA (2008-2012). Author of the novel Caribdis. En mar de nadie (Distrito 93, 2020).

GUEST LECTURER

Manolo Laguillo (Madrid 1953). Spanish photographer. University Professor since 1996. Visiting professor of photography at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste (Higher School of Fine Arts) in Braunschweig, Germany (1986-1992). Doctoral thesis on the concept of authorship in photography (1987). Degree in Philosophy and Germanic Philology (University of Barcelona, 1975). He has translated into Spanish to Walter Benjamin, Franz Hessel and Siegfried Kracauer. Main individual exhibitions: Barcelona, 1978-1997, Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona (MACBA), 2007; Reason & City, ICO Museum in Madrid, 2013; Manolo Laguillo. Projects, 1983-2020, La Virreina Image Center, Barcelona, 2020-2021, and Museum University of Navarra (MUN), Pamplona, 2021-2022. More information: www.manololaguillo.com 

Objectives

  • To understand and have a good command of the essential communication tools in cultural activities.
  • To be able to design and organise a communication strategy for a cultural project.
  • To develop a critical approach to social media and digital communication.
  • To examine and identify specific communication strategies for each of the cultural sectors (Design, Heritage, Debates and Publishing).

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

Basic competencies 

Knowing how to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and ultimate reasons that support them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.

General competencies

Lead, coordinate and work interdisciplinary teams.

Ability to communicate, share and mediate in relation to different agents who participate in a project, program or cultural service.

Transversal competencies

Design, direct, produce and evaluate projects, programs, strategies, policies or cultural activities where various professional profiles, actors and institutions are involved.

Specific competencies

  • Understand and know cultural communication in all its areas.

  • Learn the basics, methodology and application of communication techniques in different cultural sectors.

  • Establish and maintain a smooth and effective communication relation with the media through the development of dossiers and press releases and organizing press conferences. Recognizing which are the essential and most performative communication tools.

  • Being able to design and organize a basic communication strategy for a cultural project.  
  • Developing a critical approach and a practical knowledge of social media and digital communication in culture

Learning outcomes of the subject

The students knows:

  • It communicates its conclusions and the ultimate knowledge and reasons that support them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
  • He leads, coordinates and is part of interdisciplinary work teams.
  • It communicates, stimulates and mediates between the different agents involved in a cultural project, program or service.
  • Designs, directs, produces and evaluates projects, programs, strategies, policies or cultural actions in which varied profiles of professionals, agents and institutions are involved
  • Analyzes, applies and evaluates marketing strategies in different sectors, institutions and cultural projects and organizes a basic communication strategy for a cultural institution or project.

 

Syllabus

PART I. INTRODUCTION

Two sessions. The Methodology of the Course: Program, methodology, bibliography, guest lecturers and evaluation. Communication tools: The different Departments of Cultural Communication & Information according to the personality of each institution. Communication versus Information.

PART II. VISUAL AND WRITTEN CULTURE

Three Sessions. Which kind of language and images can we use? Objective or subjective? Visual or textual? How can we compose a text and an image? Does visual Illiteracy exist? The audience… matters? When is it appropriate to use print formats or online formats? The importance of images: photographs, audiovisuals. Books, flyers, invitations, projections, wall texts.

PART III. PRESS DEPARTMENTS

Seven Sessions. How to build news. Relation with the Medias. Press Kits and Press Releases. Press Announcements. Press Conferences. Exclusives. Communication Crisis. Success and failure cases. Press Clipping. The importance of language and translations. Public Relations. Openings. The medium is the message. The emergence of social media networks and peer to peer communication. Organizing and broadcasting conferences and debates. Fostering critical thinking today. The importance of content.

PART IV. COMMUNICATION PLANS

Six Sessions. How to develop a strong and compelling strategic communication plan.

  

Session

Day

Month

Time

Lecturer

Hours

PART I

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Session 1

Tuesday

10 January

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 2

Thursday

12 January

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

PART II

 

 

 

VISUAL AND WRITTEN CULTURE

 

Session 3

Tuesday

17 January

6:30

Manolo Laguillo (guest lecturer)

2

Session 4

Thursday

19 January

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 5

Tuesday

24 January

4:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

5:30-6:25 pm. *Flyer (1 hour class time to work on the exercise)

2

PART III

 

 

 

PRESS DEPARTMENTS

 

Session 6

Thursday

26 January

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 7

Tuesday

31 January

6:30

Manolo Laguillo (guest lecturer)

2

Session 8

Thursday

2 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 9

Tuesday

7 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 10

Thursday

9 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

5:30-6:25 pm. **Press Release (1 hour class time to work on the exercise)

2

Session 11

Tuesday

14 February

6:30

Manolo Laguillo (guest lecturer)

2

Session 12

Thursday

16 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

***Press Conference attendance in class + 1 hour class to work on the exercise.

2

PART IV

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION PLANS

 

Session 13

Tuesday

21 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 14

Thursday

23 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 15

Tuesday

28 February

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 16

Thursday

2 March

6:30

Manolo Laguillo (guest lecturer)

2

Session 17

Tuesday

7 March

6:30

Inés Martínez Ribas

2

Session 18

Thursday

9 March

6:30

Class group meetings (not regular class). Preparation of the Oral Presentation (Annual Project Communication Plan).

2

Exam: Oral Presentations

Tuesday

21 March

4:40 / 8:30

Communication Plan - Annual Project.           By group.

4

 

Teaching and learning activities

In person



 

 

 

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



EVALUATION SYSTEM

Class attendance and participation. 34% of the final grade.

Class individual short exercises. 33%. Three exercises: (i) Flyer, (ii) Press Release and (iii) Press Conference. Students will have one hour of class to complete each short exercise (more explanations in page 4 of this document). The subject of the Flyer and the Press Release will be the annual project (the teacher will provide an alternative for students who do not complete an annual project). The Press Conferencewill be the same for all the students and will take place in the classroom.

Exam-Group Oral Presentation-Communication Plan-Annual Project. 33%.

 

Exercise completion and submission dates

Students will have one hour of class to complete each short exercise (more explanations in page 4 of this document).

*Flyer. Completion of the exercise in class: 1 hour (24 January, 4:30 to 6:25 pm). Submission: 30 January before 2 pm by email (imartinezr@uic.es). The subject will be the annual project (the teacher will provide an alternative for students who do not complete an annual project).

**Press Release. Completion of the exercise in class: 1 hour (9 February, 4:30 to 6:25 pm). Submission: 13 February before 2 pm by email (imartinezr@uic.es). The subject will be the annual project (the teacher will provide an alternative for students who do not complete an annual project).

***Press Conference. Press Conference attendance in class + 1 hour class time to work on the exercise (16 February, 4:30 to 6:25 pm). Submission: 20 February before 2 pm by email (imartinezr@uic.es). The subject will be the same for all students.

 

EXCERCISES

1. Design a flyer + distribution strategy

Completion of the exercise in class: 1 hour (24 January, 4:30 to 6:25 pm). Submission: 30 January before 2 pm by email (imartinezr@uic.es). The subject will be the annual project (the teacher will provide an alternative for students who do not complete an annual project).

Individual exercise. Subject: a specific activity (e.g., launch, activity, event, new season, pilot plan…). Definition of a flyer: a small handbill advertising an event or product. Explain shortly the distribution strategy: Social Media? Tourism offices? Digital or paper? Issues? Print or Online format or both. Try to be creative.

2. Write a Press Release

Completion of the exercise in class: 1 hour (9 February, 4:30 to 6:25 pm). Submission: 13 February before 2 pm by email (imartinezr@uic.es). The subject will be the annual project (the teacher will provide an alternative for students who do not complete an annual project).

Individual exercise. Subject: a specific activity (e.g., launch, activity, event, new season …).   Keep it under 500-700 words. Choose the proper format (font, size, logos…). Important elements: headline, date, city, state, location, boiler plate, press contact, additional press images… Hierarchize the information. Include useful quotes. Add other details in descending order of importance. Find the angle of your institution. Do not forget facts and data. Remember the 5 W: Who is the story about? What is happening? Where is it going on? When will it occur? Why is it important? Try to be original.

3. Press Conference

Press Conference attendance in class + 1 hour class time to work on the exercise (16 February, 4:30 to 6:25 pm). Submission: 20 February before 2 pm by email (imartinezr@uic.es). The subject will be the same for all students.

Individual exercise. You will have to attend a press conference in class. Then you will have to choose ONE option (A or B) in relation to the announcement of the press conference:

  • Option A. Build a compelling news story ready to be published in a newspaper or magazine (paper or digital, max. 800 words) or to be broadcast in TV or radio or social media (2 minute max.). Find the proper angle and language of your target audience. The subject must be related to the press conference you have attended.
  • Option B. Analyze and explain in 800 words max. the press conference strategy. The opportunity of the press conference, the angle of the institution, the facilities in the press room, the speeches, the reactions of the journalists, the impact in the medias the next hours and days, the information and material of the press kit, the press clipping and if the results were as expected.  

 

 

Bibliography and resources

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES.

AZOULAY, Ariella (2012) Civil Imagination. A Political Ontology of Photography. Translated from Hebrew by Louise Bethlehem. London / New York: Verso.

BARTHES, Roland (1957) Mythologies. Paris: Editions du Seuil.

COLEMAN, Kevin + JAMES, Daniel, edit. (2021) Capitalism and the Camera. Essays on Photography and Extraction. London / New York: Verso. Especially the text by Christopher Stolarski Marketing the Socialist Experiment: Soviet Photo-Reportage between the World Wars.

EAGLETON, Terry (2000) The idea of Culture. London: Blackwell Manifestos.

JENKINS, Henry + FORD, Sam + GREEN, Joshua (2013) Spreadable Media: Creating value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. New York: New York University Press.

SENNET, Richard (2005) The Culture of the New Capitalism. New Heaven: Yale University Press.

WILLIAMS, Raymond (1976) Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society. London: Fontana.

Teaching and learning material


Print version