93560 - Information and Big Data (Lm)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to train students in a mixed approach to the analysis of digital data applied to the world of information and journalism. For this purpose, quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be proposed, with particular attention dedicated to the study of social networks as a support for a social investigation that is data-driven. At the end of the course, the student: - masters the methodologies of quantitative and qualitative analysis; - understands in depth the role played by big data in influencing and directing the flow of news; - knows how to analyse structured and unstructured data, adopt visualisation modes and main tools; - can apply theoretical skills in the context of the creation of data-driven journalistic products; - is able to filter, order and group data in the awareness of the importance of preliminary analyses.

Course contents

WARNING!!! This course will change its name and educational objectives next year. In this transitional phase, the title and educational objectives from previous academic years remain, but it is essential to read the contents of the programme.

The course will deal with the relationships between Politics and Media.

Firstly, the power and mutual conditioning relationships between political actors (leaders, political authorities and parties) and media institutions in democracies will be discussed.

Then, the transformation of political information content and generally of the discourse on politics when filtered by the complex integrated media system and shaped according to media logics and storytelling will be analysed.

Finally, specific attention will be paid to recent phenomena of post-truth and informational disorder and related narratives (such as populist and conspiracy narratives) also as a product of the relationship (or short circuit) between Politics and Media.

Readings/Bibliography

- Wolfsfeld, G. (2022). Making sense of media and politics: Five principles in political communication. Routledge.

- Seargeant, P. (2021), The Art of Political Storytelling Why Stories Win Votes in Post-truth Politics, Bloomsbury.

- Bentivegna, S. and Boccia Artieri, G. (2021). Voci della democrazia. Il futuro del dibattito pubblico, Bologna: Il Mulino, chapters 1, 3 and 4.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons and discussions on the topics covered and on the video material proposed by the teacher and analysed in class.

Assessment methods

Written exam. Attending students will have two hours to answer four questions on the topics discussed in class and explored in the texts.

Non-attending students will likewise have two hours to answer four questions on the contents of the texts.

Teaching tools

Power Point, video projector and other audiovisual tools.

Office hours

See the website of Sofia Ventura