COMMS 104G : Advertising and Society

Arts

2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

A critical examination of advertising and advertisements focusing on the role advertising plays in consumer culture. Advertisements from a diverse range of media are studied in order to analyse how advertisements construct and disseminate meaning. The course investigates how advertising engages with the logic of wider cultural and global transformations with consideration given to both consumer and industry perspectives.

Course Overview

Often dubbed the "art of capitalism", advertising has become one of the most profound and pervasive influences on our culture. An informed perspective on advertising is therefore crucial to an understanding of the workings of contemporary culture. 
 
In this course, you will learn to critically analyse examples of print, video and online advertising. You will be given tools to understand both the formal devices utilised by advertising to create meaning and how advertising shapes cultural notions of identity, gender, race, ethnicity, nationalism and sustainability. 

The course will provide a theoretical and historical overview of developments in advertising history from the print advertising of the early 20th century to the use of social media, with a focus on how these developments both contribute to and reflect socio-cultural trends. It will also offer different methodological frameworks that will equip you to explain and analyse individual advertisements and their relationship to society at large. 

Course Requirements

Restriction: FTVMS 110, 110G

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: University

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical development of advertising and its place within the culture of commodification (Capability 1)
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the key critical debates regarding advertising’s significance as a commercial tool and a cultural form (Capability 1, 2 and 4)
  3. Analyse formal devices and signifying practices used by print, television and online advertisements (Capability 1, 2 and 4)
  4. Critically assess the way that advertisements participate in discourses of politics, identity, gender, race and social mobility (Capability 1, 3, 4 and 6)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Tutorial Participation 10% Group & Individual Coursework
Quiz 10% Individual Coursework
Close Analysis Paper 20% Individual Coursework
Essay 20% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination
Your overall course mark is the sum of your assignments, exam and participation marks. There is no plussage on this paper. 

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials to receive credit for components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities may or may not be available as recordings, depending on the situation.

Attendance on campus is required for tests and examinations. 

Learning Resources

All readings, videos and other relevant resources will be available online. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 22/09/2021 01:39 p.m.