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B1685 - Logics of Information and Publishing (LM)

Academic Year 2026/2027

                
                        Docente:
                        Anna Maria Lorusso
                    
                        Credits:
                        6
                    
                        SSD:
                        PHIL-04/B
                    
                        Language:
                        Italian
                    
                        Teaching Mode:
                        In-person learning (entirely or partially)
                        
                            Campus:
                            Bologna
                        
                            Corso:
                            Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                            Information, Cultures and Media Organisation (cod. 6701)

                                Also valid for
                                
                                    Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                                    
                                        Information, cultures and media organisation (cod. 6245)
                                    
                                    Course Timetable
                                
from Apr 05, 2027 to May 11, 2027

Learning outcomes

The course offers an overview of the Italian publishing world (in relation to the international one) by defining who are the key players, with what media and cultural policies, and according to which legacy and which renovation projects. It will be observed the worlds of newspapers and of book publishing, which often converge in large publishing groups, within a media scenario in which information and entertainment are increasingly intertwined, and in which print and digital techniques they coexist in an integrated media regime. At the end of the course the student: - knows the organization of the Italian publishing world; - knows the segments into which the publishing industry is divided; - will know how to analyze the relationships between production, distribution and the public; - knows how to have a critical look at the textual products that the publishing industry creates.

Course contents

The course aims to reflect on the logics that characterize the contemporary world of information and publishing, considering newspapers, books, radio, and audiovisual production and distribution.
The bibliography reflects these two branches: book publishing and information.

There will be two central themes:
- the concentration or editorial convergence between newspapers, book publishing, television, radio, etc. Cases of intertwining are numerous: from the Mondadori group to the RCS group to the GEDI group, to entities that occupy the space between film and publishing, such as Fandango, or between information and publishing, such as Chora Media. Naturally, not forgetting the giant Amazon.
- the transformation of the information and publishing world thanks to artificial intelligence (how have sources changed? How is content produced? Will books be written by AI in the future?).

Artificial intelligence will be present throughout the course as a central and ongoing theme; During the lessons, we will provide research examples using AI to reflect on its usefulness, its impact, and its limitations.

Readings/Bibliography

MANDATORY READINGS

-Irene Piazzoni, Il Novecento dei libri. Una storia dell'editoria in Italia, Carocci, 2021

-Matteo Mammoli, La grande concentrazione. Breve storia dei maggiori gruppi editoriali italiani, Unicopli, 2016

-rivista Il Mulino, 4/2025 (https://www.rivistailmulino.it/isbn/9788815392527)

+ i materiali che caricherò su Virtuale

Teaching methods

The courses will alternate between lectures and workshops.
While lectures will follow a more traditional methodology, the workshops will include meetings with experts from the publishing industry and small-group projects.
A detailed schedule of the various meetings will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Assessment methods

The instructor will hold six exam sessions: March, June, July, September, November, and January.
The exam will consist of an oral exam, which will assess the student's knowledge of the contemporary information and publishing landscape: the main players, activities, evolution, current interests, major successes and major failures.

FOR ATTENDING CLASSES, the oral exam may be replaced by a written paper only if it is presented in one of the last two classes.
The written paper may be a text of approximately 15,000 characters or a PowerPoint presentation; the topic must be agreed upon with the instructor. Limited, declared, and non-substantial use of AI for support activities (summary, reformulations) is permitted. Substantial use for completing parts of the exam is not permitted.

Students with learning disabilities or temporary or permanent disabilities.
Please contact the relevant University office [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it] promptly. They will be responsible for suggesting any adjustments to the students concerned. These adjustments must be submitted to the instructor for approval 15 days in advance, who will evaluate their suitability also in relation to the educational objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

All supplementary materials that will be part of the bibliographical material will be made available on Virtuale.
In addition, presentations, audiovisual materials, archive content, links, and online resources will be uploaded.

Office hours

See the website of Anna Maria Lorusso