Introductory description

This module aims to equip the student with a knowledge of the concepts and theories of communication and representation that pertain to “engagement” (of the public sphere and the public; of markets and consumer groups; of brand and new modes of global identity). The module will attend to theories of groups, classes and collectives (the people, the mass, the mob, the multitude, the crowd, citizenry, comrades, the public) and how they emerge and change through industrialisation and post-industrialisation, making institutionalised media and culture politically problematic – from dissent, protest, class-based representation to identity politics and the segmentation (through marketization) of society.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The course features three themes, which re-emerge in the group work practice component. The themes are the subject of the lecture-content, which in turn form a framework for practice.
Theme A: Governing engagement
1: The public sphere and the engaged citizen: the ‘thematisation’ of the ‘group’ throughout modernity.
2: The dissenting mass and the changing social formations of protest: the crowd, mob, workers, cultural sub-cultures.
Theme B: Curating engagement:
1: The cosmopolitan consumer – culture, media and the impact of market globalisation.
2: The new audience – culture and the people in the age of digital strategy
Theme C: Branding Engagement:
1: Culture and celebrity – the new social landscape of mega-MOMAS, biennales and the ‘festivalisation’ of cities.
2: Promoting the future global civil society – solidarity and group interests in the age of global capital, development crisis and Human Rights.

This module is characterised by 6-7 weeks of historical-theoretical exploration, then 3-4 weeks of practical/applied project. The final Theme D is entitled Creating engagement: students will select one of the above historical-theoretical frameworks, derive from it a critical vocabulary and strategic tools, and devise a communication strategy appropriate to a chosen social “group”. A detailed briefing will [relevant to the cohort, course trajectory and updated each year -- and so not specified on this form] be delivered.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Appreciate the significance and scope of “engagement” as a paradigm shift in understanding communication in all its forms.
• Develop analytical ability to understand theories and derive from them a critical vocabulary for use in criticism and analysis.
• Establish interpretative competencies in relation to public, audience or consumer behaviour setting the conditions and parameters for communication.
• Demonstrate academic skills in primary and secondary research, critical and interpretative writing.
• Develop professional skills in team work, project organisation, and the creative application of theoretical and empirical knowledge.

Indicative reading list

Indicative References
Appiah, K. A. (2006) Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, London: Allen Lane.
Bignell, J. (2000) Postmodern media culture, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Brown, S. (1993) "Postmodern Marketing?", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 27 Issue: 4, pp.19-34.
Calhoun, C. ed. (1992) Habermas and the Public Sphere, Cambridge, Mss.: MIT.
Güliz, G., Belk, R.W. (1996) ‘I'd like to buy the world a coke: Consumptionscapes of the “less affluent world’, Journal of Consumer Policy, Volume 19, Issue 3, pp 271–304.
Hebdige, D. (1979) Subculture: The Meaning of Style, London and New York: Routledge.
Lury, C., Boden, D., Scott, L., (2007) Global Culture Industries, Cambridge: Polity Press.
McClelland, J. S. (1989) The Crowd and the Mob: From Plato to Canetti, New York and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Moscovici, S. (1985) The age of the crowd: a historical treatises on mass psychology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
O'Reilly, D. ed. (2010) Marketing the Arts: A Fresh Approach, New York and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Shankar, A.,Cova, B., Kozinets, R. (2007) Consumer Tribes, New York and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Tomlinson, J. (1999) Globalisation and Culture, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.

Subject specific skills

Interpreting and Explicating Cultural Theory 

Conducting textual analysis
 Identifying ideas and their relevance

Composing and communicating a presentation

Transferable skills

Identifying a lexicon of appropriate analytical terms

Managing multiple texts and research sources

Interconnecting theoretical ideas with real world problems 

Using interpretative frameworks to generate solutions
 Group creative work

Composing and delivering presentation