Course 2017-2018 a.y.

Classes: 31 (II sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: SIMONE AUTERA

The course is primarily designed for students who wish to pursue a career in media industries, or who are planning to work in or create companies that advise or support the sector. It may also be of interest to students seeking to complement their knowledge of strategy and management with an understanding of cultural, social role of media industries in the context of a challenging, rapidly changing, and increasingly globalized and digital environment.

By the end of the course, we aim at being able to:

• identify strategic principles that drive the industries of imaginaries in the global setting
• understand what we mean when we talk about global cultural markets
• understand the way digital technologies are reshaping these industries
• analyse the role of these industries in creating and shaping social imaginaries
• build a nuanced understanding of how global coexist with local, mainstream with niche, dominant culture with subcultures

In terms of pedagogy, the course will test your abilities in

• problem setting, entrepreneurial attitude and ability to read contemporaneity (field projects)
• information selection and analytical and elaboration skills in complex settings (individual essay 1)
• complex issues elaboration and synthesis (individual essay 2)
• constructive and active participation (class participation)

Sessions will be devoted to either theoretical analysis, case discussion, meetings with managers and practitioners from the field and student group work and presentations.

In this course, we focus on the global industry(-ies) of imaginaries (TV, movies, publishing, music, advertising).

In the first part, we examine and discuss what drives the competition within and among these industries in the wake of digital and cultural convergence, the emergence of global cultural markets and the principles guiding firm-level strategies in this increasingly complex arena.

In the second part, working on specific case studies, we will discuss some critical issues related to the imaginaries and the representations fostered and put in place by these industries.

Evaluation differs for attending and non-attending students.

Attending students participate to class activity, and prepare all required tests (as detailed below). The status of attending students is valid until June session of exams. Students not completing all requirements will automatically become non-attending students.
Non-attending students are either students who participate to class activities but opt for final written exam only, or students who do not complete ALL requirements needed to be considered attending.
Non-attending students are required to take a final written exam only, indeed.

Exam textbooks will be available at the beginning of the course.
Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)