Communication

This course examines major issues related to new topics in Spanish media. It is divided into two parts. Part one focuses on the representation of Spain through both traditional and new media. The second part explores how fiction, whether on television, cinema, or social media, is capable of describing in detail the reality of Spain.

This course examines the development, management and control of marketing communications, both locally and internationally. Topics include advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and other elements of the communications mix. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of integrating promotional efforts, and on the marketing manager's role in planning, implementing and evaluating marketing communications. Students develop an understanding of the operational and creative elements involved in developing promotional campaigns and the strategies used to communicate with target audiences as well as the underlying principles behind these approaches. Students engage with alternative persuasion techniques and potential problems with their adoption, and the proper selection, interpretation, and use of alternative measures of promotional effectiveness. On completion of the subject, students have developed a strong practical and critical grasp of the different forms and strategies employed in marketing communications.

This course introduces the key concepts, issues, challenges and trends essential to understand the cross-border multidirectional flows of information. More specifically, this course provides an overview of the changing paradigm of global communication by studying the interrelation between cultural, economic, political, social, and technical dimensions of media and communication in the contemporary world, as well examining the changing nature of power and the process of power diffusion in the information age. This is a three-part interdisciplinary course, which covers the essential theories and concepts ranging from media and communication studies, political science, international relations, economics and psychology. The first part, Week 2 and 3, introduces key concepts related to the study of global communication, including media economics, world-systems theory, electronic colonialism, soft power, constructivism, and cultural change. The second part, Week 4 to 8, studies major global communication actors – multinational media conglomerates (MMCs), social media platforms, news agencies, advertisers and marketers. It applies the tools from Part 1 to study how each of them as a system (structure and flow) works, as well as some of the contemporary debates in each sector. The third part, Week 9 to 13, looks at major issues of global communication in the digital age, such as misinformation and artificial intelligence, identity politics and polarization, inequality and global conflicts.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a unique feature of the education provided at Maastricht. This educational system focuses on guiding students to become independent and enterprising problem-solvers. To achieve this goal, teaching must extend beyond the traditional individual studying and attending lectures. Students work in small groups on concrete problems from the field. As a team, they analyze problems, attempt to understand the underlying theories, and learn to apply knowledge to recognizable, realistic situations. To perform well in this educational system, it is vital for students to have knowledge of the background and central elements of this system. During this course, students learn and practice the skills needed to be successful in tutorial group meetings. First-year students familiarize themselves with Problem-Based Learning and communication skills essential for learning in groups. One session will be completely devoted to teambuilding.

Corresponding practicals for Skills I are: Introduction UM Systems and Library Introduction.

Focusing on recent developments in computational communication science (CCS), this class primarily emphasizes the interplay of “communication science perspectives” and “computational approaches” of statistical/analytic techniques. The course examines the concepts and approaches behind computational social science techniques and their relevance to communication research, it covers various elements of computational communication science (CCS) research methodology, and critically evaluates and synthesizes interdisciplinary CCS research.

Prerequisites: A basic understanding of R statistical language and social science statistics

This course examines the influence of American culture, specifically the American media model, on media in the Czech Republic after the fall of communism in 1989. The course focuses on all aspects of the media, presenting specific examples. It begins with an introduction to American cultural influence on European culture and how this developed after the end of World War II in Western Europe, and after 1989 in Central Europe. It briefly covers the subject of life under communism in order to understand the contrast between the East and the West in Europe. It also focuses on the different existing media models. Students create an “American media model” with its specific characteristics. Students study literature and news items in both the United States and Europe (with an extra focus on the Czech Republic). Upon completion of the course, students understand and articulate American cultural influence in Europe, specifically in Central Europe after 1989; demonstrate their knowledge about both the American and Czech media based on the literature they studied and the examples they have seen and discussed in class and apply this knowledge in their own research; show and explain, in class discussions and in their work, the difference between the media in these two countries and the way this influences the way the news and facts are presented in both countries.