Strategic Communication, Politics and Society

Code:

DCCI08

Acronym:

CEPS

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Communication Sciences

Instance: 2024/2025 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Communication and Information Sciences
Course/CS Responsible:	3rd Cycle of Studies in Communication and Information Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
DCCI	11	study plan	1	-	6	40,5	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

O1. To problematize and question the role of different agents in the formation of public opinion.

O2. Discuss and analyze the means and resources that power uses in democratic societies to control public opinion;

O3. Reflect and envision new models of strategic communication.

O4. Map and problematize the sibylline weight of the source of information in the construction of supposed realities;

O5. To promote critical thinking about the regulatory theory and practice of media, telecommunications, and communication.

s.O6. Analyze the functioning of the media ecosystem and its impacts on social dynamics, economic and technological policies.

O7. Enhance critical thinking about the conceptions of public policies for the diversity of contents and the cultural and creative industry.

O8. Identify the economic context, the competitive factors and the strategies of media and culture organizations to enhance the sustainability of activities and operations.

Learning outcomes and competences

- Understand in depth the main theoretical currents and the problematization of the Politics-Media-Citizens trinomial

- Develop critical skills that allow you to distinguish the different fields and operational models of Political Communication.

- Know the evolution and transformation of Political Communication paradigms throughout the history of Communication.

- Master the effects of Communication in public space, in particular the effects of traditional versus digital communication

- Understand and contextualize the reach of contemporary social theories in Public Opinion

- Develop and strengthen analytical capacity, both for professional application and scientific research.

Working method

Presencial

Program

CP1. The process of construction contemporary public opinion: The effects and actuality of the propaganda. Citizens, politics, and the media. Democracy, power, and persuasion. Contemporary media strategies.

CP2. The professionalization of communication: From the density to the superficiality of the message. The mutation and sophistication of the promotion practitioner.

CP.3 Strategic Communication Paradigms. The overlapping fields of public communication. Themes of the Marxist and liberal model.

CP4. The sources of journalistic information: The induction and the bias in the news construction process. The effects for democracy and society. The spin doctoring.

CP5. The media and communications system and institutions: Functions of media organizations and the public service as a pillar of information pluralism

CP6. Regulation of the communication and media industry: Regulatory and self-regulatory entities, concentration of ownership and diversity of voices.

CP7. Public policies and the role of the media in the context of the creative and cultural industry: State support, market failures and positive externalities.

CP8. Social, business, and technological dynamics in the media: Market structure and consumption of information and entertainment content. The media and the creative industry as companies, business models and technological challenges

Mandatory literature

Lippmann, Walter; Public Opinion, Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1922
Perloff, Richard M. ; The Dynamics of Political Communication , Routledge, 2020
Holtzhausen, Derina, & Zerfass, Ansgar; The Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communication, Routledge, 2018

Complementary Bibliography

Faustino, Paulo ; “Who Owns the World’s Media? Media Concentration and Ownership Around the World”, Oxford University Press, 2015
Tunez, M. et all ; Communication: Innovation and Quality, Springer, 2015
Ribeiro, Vasco; Os Bastidores do Poder: Manual de combate à manipulação política (2ª Edição), Almedina, 2018

Teaching methods and learning activities

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

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

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	12,00
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Trabalho de investigação	50,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Estudo autónomo	20,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Submission of a scientific article, with the rules for publication in the Prisma.com journal, on a schedule that will be defined by the professors.

Calculation formula of final grade

Delivery of the final assignment

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Deadline for submitting the article on a date agreed with the teachers, but always in compliance with the FLUP School Calendar.

Classification improvement

Submission of a scientific article, with the rules for publication in an international journal, on a schedule that will be defined by the professors.