93545 - Communication Laboratory (Lm) (G.E)

Learning outcomes

The lab, entitled "Electoral Campaigns in Italy", aims to provide students with both theoretical and practical skills in the field of electoral communication, with particular reference to the Italian context. At the end of the workshop, students: 1) have an in-depth knowledge of how the way of running electoral campaigns in Italy has evolved over time; 2) master the main techniques of electoral persuasion, with particular attention to the communicative and media context in which they are applied.

Course contents

  The lab (consisting in ten lessons of three hours each), dedicated to the study of "Electoral Campaigns in Italy," is divided into three parts. The first part (6 hours: week 1), conducted through the traditional "lecture" method (albeit lightened by continuous student engagement in discussing the proposed topics), consists of two introductory lessons dedicated to a broad overview of the Italian republican political system and the main theoretical-analytical tools of political and electoral communication.

The second part (18 hours: weeks 2-3-4) features a more seminar-style and, above all, practical approach: in this case, each week is divided into an initial session where a brief theoretical-analytical introduction to the historical period under study (specifically: 1946-1974; 1975-2005; 2005-2022) is provided, followed by student presentations on the same period based on previously assigned readings. The second session involves group exercises conducted directly in the classroom, focusing on creating electoral speeches and spots, as well as self-candidacies and political memes.

Finally, the third part (6 hours: week 5) includes two additional group exercises to be carried out again in the classroom: students are asked to collect empirical data (lesson 9), which they will then present in a report to the class (lesson 10), concerning social media communication by a certain number of Italian political leaders, analyzed from a comparative perspective over a specific time frame.

Readings to be presented in class: These are readings that complement what the teacher presents at the beginning of the lecture; each student will present their reading in no more than 10 minutes to allow for concluding discussion.

Class exercises: The same groups that will later analyze the social media communication of Italian political leaders during the final week are asked to produce:

• Electoral speeches: Each group (ideally composed of three people) is tasked with writing a speech of at least five minutes, to be delivered in class, impersonating a national politician from one of the First Republic parties (DC, PCI, PSI, PSDI, PRI, PLI, MSI).

• Electoral spots: Each group (ideally three people) is asked to create a campaign spot of about two minutes, impersonating a national politician from one of the Second Republic parties (Forza Italia, Lega, Alleanza Nazionale, Democratici di Sinistra, Margherita, Italia dei Valori, Rifondazione Comunista).

• Self-candidacies and memes: Each group (ideally three people) is asked to produce a three-minute video of a self-candidacy for parliamentary primaries, impersonating a candidate from Fratelli d’Italia, M5s, Lega, Pd, or Forza Italia. Alternatively, each group can produce a meme (possibly with the help of artificial intelligence) for each of the aforementioned parties, with a freely chosen theme.

Final work groups: The same groups that previously completed the exercises are also asked to analyze the social media communication style of one of the following nine Italian political leaders: Giorgia Meloni, Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte, Antonio Tajani, Matteo Salvini, Angelo Bonelli, Nicola Fratoianni, Carlo Calenda, Matteo Renzi. Specifically:

• Coding of posts published on Facebook during two random weeks of 2025 versus the last two weeks before the 2024 European elections (to verify the hypothesis of a permanent election campaign).

• Analysis dimensions include: a) popularized vs. non-popularized posts; b) political themes addressed in non-popularized posts; c) type of popularization for popularized posts; d) tone of the post (positive, negative, neutral); e) any targets of negative campaigning.

Readings/Bibliography

Novelli E. (2018), Le campagne elettorali in Italia. Protagonisti, strumenti, teorie; Laterza.

Teaching methods

The lab is conducted using multiple and varied teaching methods: from the traditional "lecture" format (first part), to more seminar-style approaches (second part), and practical applications, with a particular focus on classroom exercises through group work (second and third parts). Additionally, classroom discussions will also focus on viewing a significant number of electoral television spots, as well as posters, speeches, debates, and statements on social media produced by the main Italian political leaders during the republican period.

Assessment methods

Eligibility will be achieved by attending at least seven out of the ten scheduled lessons, as well as by submitting an additional reading to the class and completing and presenting the group work planned for the final exercises (thus, participation in lessons 9 and 10 is mandatory).

Teaching tools

The lessons will be supplemented with PowerPoint presentations, as well as the viewing of television commercials, posters, speeches, and debates with electoral purposes.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Pritoni