Learning Objectives:

At the end of this course students will be able to:  

1. Demonstrate an understanding of approaches to, and debates surrounding, the role of advertising in society, and apply theoretical issues to specific instances of advertising industry practice.
2. Show insight into the rise of the ad industry since the 19th century.
3. Describe the implications of corporate influence on public institutions, including journalism and education.
4. Describe the implications of consumer culture on social identities, including race, gender, and class.
5. Analyze print and audio-visual advertisements using semiotic and social semiotic methodologies, and relate semiotic content of advertisements to political-economic influences on their production. 

Intellectual Skills:

 

By the end of the course a successful learner will be able to: 

• Reason critically when discussing advertising.
• Demonstrate and exercise an independence of thought.
• Respond to issues identified by others in the course.
• Research, summarize and develop an argument.
• Deploy analytic strategies for interpreting ad texts.

Practical and Transferable Skills:

By the end of the course successful learners will have:

• Developed their skills of exegesis and critique.
• Developed a greater command of a range of presentation skills.
• Gained experience in conducting research, using at least one of a range of methodological approaches and drawing on a variety of sources, including academic and industry generated material.
• Learned to work both independently and collaboratively, effectively managing their time.

Schedule:

Week One:  Introduction/Early History        
Week Two: History of Advertising and Consumer Culture I  
Week Three: History of Advertising II/The Language of Ads
Week Four: Gender
Exam One 
Week Five: Political Advertising/ Policy/Journalism 
Week Six:  Race, Ethnicity, and Colonialism
Week Seven: Public Relations  
Paper One Due 
Week Eight: The Space of Consumption: from the Mall to the Globe
Week Nine: Youth I: Children and Teen Branding            
Week Ten: Youth II: Subcultures and Alternative Practices Week Eleven: Recent Developments: Stealth, Guerrilla, P2P, New Technologies, Niche 
Paper 2 due
Week Twelve:  Culture Jamming 
Weeks Thirteen & Fourteen: Group Presentations 
Final papers due

  

Assessment:

  

Objective 1: The final group project and presentation will synthesize the semester's historical and theoretical discussions, and will apply them to specific case studies. 

Objective 2: The first exam covers the emergence of the advertising industry and requires that it be placed in social and political contexts.  

Objective 3: The second paper focuses on the impact of consumer culture (including public relations and mall culture) on particular institutions and events.

Objective 4: The first paper gives students a number of ads that require race and gender analysis.  

Objective 5: The first paper as well as the final group project will primarily involve semiotic analysis of particular ads.

Required Texts:

Sivulka, Juliann.1997.  Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising.  Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition. # ISBN: 0534515932 

Klein, Naomi. No Logo.  Picador (April 6, 2002)# ISBN: 0312421435 

Stauber, John & Sheldon Rampton.  Toxic Sludge is Good for You! # Common Courage Press (September 1, 1995)# ISBN: 1567510604 

Grading:

 

Grades will be based on the following assignments: 

• Exam 1 - 20%
• Paper 1 - 15%
• Paper 2 - 20%
• Final Project (Group presentation individual paper) - 35%    
• Attendance/Participation/quizzes - 10%