Communication of Information

Code:

MCI0015

Acronym:

CI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Social Science

Instance: 2017/2018 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Informatics Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Information Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MCI	13	Plano de estudos oficial	1	-	6	56	162
MHP	2	MHP - Study Plan	1	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

1. Master the main concepts in Communication Sciences (redundancy/entropy, icon/symbol; denotation/connotation, …) and its applications in the spheres and professional activities of Communication;

2. Master the Communication Mix (branding, publicity, advertising) and the “life cycle” of the Communication Plan, applying scientific concepts and tools for strategic planning to practical situations;

3. Recognize the social, economical and cultural role of brands and their place in the marketing communication context, mastering concepts, dimensions and basic techniques for its creation, management and application;

4. Master strategic principles of Institutional and Marketing Communication concerning Social Media.

5. Know and apply a basic set of specific techniques for communication of information, namely in the areas of “strategy of the message”, briefing, publication of textual contents and organization of speech.

6. Question commonplaces and preconceived ideas about communication, speech and Media.

Learning outcomes and competences

Skills and Learning Outcomes: 

After the successful completion of this course unit, students should be able to: 

1. Define and to distinguish the principal schools and scientific models of Communication, differentiating the notions of information, meaning, communication and persuasion, and interpret some of its applications in the spheres and professional activities of Communication; 

2. Identify, describe and list the technical and professional extents of Institutional Communication and the phases of it’s “life cycle”, applying it to practical situations, scientific concepts and tools for strategic planning; 

3. Recognize the social, economical and cultural role of brands and their place in the marketing communication context , dominating concepts, dimensions and basic techniques for it’s creation, management and application; 

4. Know and apply a basic set of knowledge and specific techniques for communication of information, through the eyes of a “Manager of Information”, namely in the areas of the “strategy of the message”, of briefing, of the publication of textual contents and of the organization of speech. 

5. Apply strategic principles and professional technics of Institutional and Marketing Communication concerning Social Media.

Working method

Presencial

Program

I. Communication, its Sciences and Models

The mathematic/processing and semiotics schools and scientific models. The main double concepts of the Communication Sciences: redundancy/entropy, icon/symbol; denotation/connotation, metaphor/metonymy).

II. Communication and Brands

What is a brand? Semiotics and Branding. Development, management and application of a brand. The corporative identity in organizations. "Superbrand" – cases.

III. The Communication Plan: Institutional Communication and its “life cycle”.

Objectives and strategic positioning, target-groups, strategy of the message, the cycle of Communication’s management, the Communication Plan.

IV. The Communication Mix

Publicity and Advertising. Professional powers of Institutional Communication, organizational realities and the “market of communication”.

V. Social Media/Software. Facebook in the Institutional and Marketing Communication. Practices and risks.

VI. Presentation and discussion of group practical assignments.

Mandatory literature

John Fiske ; trad. Maria Gabriela Rocha Alves; Introdução ao estudo da comunicação. ISBN: 972-41-1133-4
Jon Miller & David Muir; O negócio das Marcas. ISBN: 978-972-8955-92-2
João Pinto e Castro; Comunicação de marketing. ISBN: 978-972-618-463-8
REGO, Arménio; Comunicação Pessoal e Organizacional, Edições Sílabo, 2010
LEVY, Justin R.; Facebook Marketing: Designing Your Next Marketing Campaign, Que Biz-Tech, 2010

Complementary Bibliography

Naomi Klein; No Logo. ISBN: 972-708-673-X
Joaquim Caetano, Luís Rasquilha; Gestão da comunicação. ISBN: 978-972-589-146-9
Nelson Traquina; Jornalismo. ISBN: 978-972-589-180-3
Marshall McLuhan; Compreender os meios de comunicação. ISBN: 978-989-641-029-2
BRETON, Philippe et PROULX, Serge; A Explosão da Comunicação, Bizâncio, 1997
Roland Barthes; A aventura semiológica
FIDALGO, António; Manual de Semiótica, UBI, 2005 (Versão electrónica disponível em http://bocc.ubi.pt/pag/fidalgo-antonio-manual-semiotica-2005.pdf), 2005
CASTRO, João Pinto; Marketing Ombro a Ombro, Texto Editores, 2011
Gonçalves, Gisela ; Introdução à Teoria das Relações Públicas , Porto Editora , 2010
Público; Livro de estilo. ISBN: 972-8892-37-3

Teaching methods and learning activities

The professor will plan specific sessions to foreign students (Erasmus programme) on the main contents of the course unit and supervise the individual research and practical group work.

keywords

Social sciences > Communication sciences > Public relations
Humanities > Philosophy > Semiotics
Social sciences > Communication sciences > Business communication
Social sciences > Communication sciences
Social sciences > Economics > Marketing > Publicidade Advertising
Social sciences > Economics > Marketing

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	56,00
Estudo autónomo	54,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students have to reach a minimum grade of 6 out of 20 in the continuous assessment component.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final Grade= 0.5CA + 0.5 FE

CA - Continuous Assessment
FE- Final Exam

Examinations or Special Assignments

1. Exam (50% of the Final Grade).
2. Execution of a practical assignment on a subject matter to be agreed with the professor. It is worth 50% of the Final Grade.

Classification improvement

Students may improve their grades by attending recurso (resit) exam.

Observations

Main Bibliography of the Course Unit, in English: 

FISKE, John, Introduction to Communication Studies (Studies in Culture & Communication),Routledge.

CHANDLER, Daniel, Semiotics: The Basics, Routledge.

MILLER, Jon & MUIR, David, The Business of Brands, Wiley.

MCLUHAN, Marshall, Understanding Media, Routledge.

LEVY, Justin R., Facebook Marketing: Designing Your Next Marketing Campaign, Que Biz-Tech, 2010.