72522 - Cultures of Entertainment (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to investigate the concept of entertainment in its complexity, focusing on the many implications that this notion contains. At the end of the course students: - know the concept of entertainment and its historical evolution; - are able to relate the concept of entertainment to the consumption habits of individuals and communities; - know how to relate the concept of entertainment to different cultures of taste.

Course contents

The course centers on the phenomenon of media franchises.

Specifically, it addresses the complexity of the phenomenon from four main points of view:

• Industry: multi-sectoral assets, policies and strategies of media conglomerates; economic principles of media franchises; management of intellectual properties; management of commercial worlds.
• Narratives: modes of storytelling and world-building in media franchises; paradigms of seriality.
• (Trans)Media: specificities, languages and needs of individual media in a franchise (film/television/platforms); transmedia narratives and synergies.
• Consumers: interaction between corporate strategies and practices of participatory cultures; grassroots activities of fandoms and influences in franchise evolutions.
  

Reading the phenomenon historically and then coming to a focus on the contemporary, the course brings to light the relational dynamics among these four dimensions, providing tools for the critical analysis of (trans)media franchises and the activities of the conglomerates that produce them.

Readings/Bibliography

ATTENDING STUDENTS

• Paola Brembilla, Franchise mediali. Industrie, narrazioni e pubblici, Pàtron, Bologna 2023
• Articles uploaded the Virtuale platform
• Slides and notes from classes
  

 

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

• Paola Brembilla, Franchise mediali. Industrie, narrazioni e pubblici, Pàtron, Bologna 202e
• Marco Cucco, Il film blockbuster. Storia e caratteristiche delle grandi produzioni hollywoodiane, Carocci, Roma 2010.
• Paolo Bertetti, Che cos'è la transmedialità, Carocci, Roma 2020.

Teaching methods

Lectures with slides, audio-visual materials, web resources, shared materials with students.

Assessment methods

ATTENDING STUDENTS: FINAL PAPER

The examination for attending students consists of a written essay on a topic of the student's choosing. The topic must be on theme with the course's contents.

The indications for the choice of the subject of the the paper, for the writing and deadline, as well as the evaluation criteria, will be explained at the beginning of the course and then uploaded to Virtuale.

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: WRITTEN TEST

Written test based in the three textbooks in the program, aimed at verifying the adequate study of the bibliography of examination.
The test will take place on EOL and last 90 minutes, in a classroom equipped with PCs. It will be composed of 6 open questions.

 

ATTENTION/1: It is necessary to register for the exams through AlmaEsami; it will not be possible to register students who cannot be registered because of delays in the study plan, payment of fees, etc..

ATTENTION/2: In order to rationalize time and space, it is advisable that students, if they decide not to show up, cancel themselves from the roll call list.

In both cases, the ability to expose the arguments in a way that is not only formally correct, but also critically aware, will be rewarded. A purely notional exposition will result in a fair evaluation. Lacunose knowledge expressed with uncertain or inappropriate language will lead to a result that will not exceed the sufficiency. The detection of important gaps both on the theoretical-critical and bibliographical level will lead to a negative evaluation.

Teaching tools

For those attending, the study material related to each lesson will be uploaded on the platform of support to teaching (Virtuale).

Class discussions will be stimulated and encouraged and will also be extended through digital tools as Mentimeter and Wooclap.

During the first class, all the teaching methods and tools used will be introduced.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Brembilla