96373 - Television and Digital Media History. Fundamentals (1) (A-F)

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Docente: Luca Barra
  • Credits: 6
  • Language: Italian

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student: knows the fundamental notions of the history of television and digital media platforms from their origins to the contemporary years; understands the historical, economic, technological and social reasons that have influenced the development of television both as a digital media and a communication device; knows how to place representative products, genres and formats in their cultural context.

Course contents

The institutional part of the course will be dedicated to the evolution of television and digital platforms in Italy. The course will retrace the most significant stages of these processes, focusing in particular on the most relevant moments in the determination of the current structure of the media system, and will provide an articulated picture of the television and digital landscape from its origins to today. General notions (broadcasting, public service, programming, on-demand) will be added to the discussion, along with a comparison with television and digital media in Europe and the United States.

Readings/Bibliography

For this module, students must prepare the following bibliography:
- Irene Piazzoni, Storia delle televisioni in Italia. Dagli esordi alla web tv, Carocci, Roma 2014.
- Luca Barra, La programmazione televisiva. Palinsesto e on demand, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2022.

Attending students will study the books following the indications given during the lectures.

Teaching methods

The course includes frontal lessons with the support of slides, audiovisuals, digital sources, and other materials which will be shared with the students. The course also hosts meetings with experts in the television and media industry.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of a written test, during which the student’s knowledge of the history of television and digital media will be assessed. There will be no oral tests.

For non-attending students, the written test will consist of 21 multiple choice questions (1 point each) and 2 open questions (up to 5 points each).
* Important: for those who take the entire examination of “Television and digital media” (12 CFU) or “History of Radio and Television” (12 CFU), the evaluation of this part will be joint with that of the lab module, in a single test.

For attending students, the written test will include 31 multiple choice questions, in a reserved roll call at the end of the weeks of lectures.
* Important: for those who take the entire examination of “Television and Digital Media” (12 CFU) or “History of Radio and Television” (12 CFU), the grade will be averaged with that of the lab module.

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, and the ability to connect the history of media with the social and cultural context. It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of the discipline. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the history of media. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyse the subject.

To take the examination, students shall register in the list by AlmaEsami service. Non-enrolled students will be excluded from the test. The exam will be held in well-equipped computer classrooms: to rationalise their use, if students registered decide not to sit the examination, they are required to cancel their name from the exam list. Students are also required to sit the examination with their UniBo credentials and a recognition document.

Teaching tools

Presentations, projection of audiovisual material, use of clips and archival content, use of YouTube, Rai Play and digital platforms, links and resources available online, meetings with professionals.

Office hours

See the website of Luca Barra