ELE 3766 Social Networks and Communities - RE-SIT EXAMINATION
ELE 3766 Social Networks and Communities - RE-SIT EXAMINATION
A last re-sit examination will be offered in the autumn of 2022.
Understanding relationships is vital for organizations and is particularly critical to the success of marketing and/or public relations activities. However, new forms of communication and cooperation have made it more difficult for organizations to have an overview or control over their relationships. Analyzing and detecting social networks and communities allows organizations to make sense of the social and information networks arising from the pervasive availability of the Internet and new interactive applications whose use by consumers and other stakeholders can be a benefit for organizations but also can put their reputations at risk. The course introduces basic theoretical perspectives and research methods of social networks and their applications with a focus on communication networks.
Against this background the course will cover particular aspects of social networks and communities impacting corporate communication, marketing and other communicative aspects of product and service development, and reputation.
Target groups
Bachelor students with an interest in corporate communication (for example, public relations, customer relations, public affairs), marketing (especially advertising and branding), journalism, social media and technology. The course is ideal for students who intend to pursue a career in marketing and communication, but also in communication related tasks in consulting or strategy-related corporate functions.
After completing the course students should have gained a basic understanding of:
- What is changing in marketing and communications, but also why these changes are occurring.
- Major current economic, technological and social developments in the Internet, and the ensuing implications for enterprises in general and for marketing and communication in particular.
- Scientific and cultural backgrounds on the properties of social networks, the (sub-)culture of Internet communities, the characteristics of digital media to issues of transparency, attention and power
- Basic tools for researching and analyzing social networks
On completion of the course students are able to:
- Explain how organizations can reach their target audiences in an increasingly fragmented media environment
- Articulate social networks impact on the production, authorship and quality of messages and content
- Identify novel ways of creating and maintaining social capital to avoid reputational crises and activism
- Outline important innovations in addressing target groups
- Perform social network analysis
- Upon completion of this course students will have an understanding of current communication challenges, but also the requisite knowledge that will help them to fundamentally understand and anticipate social and organizational changes. These include the major economic, technological and social developments in the Internet, and the ensuing implications for businesses in general and for marketing and communication in particular.
- Defining social networks
- Creating and sustaining social capital on social media
- Principles and applications of the social Internet
- Social networks: analysis and applications
- Communities, peer production, crowdsourcing and online collaboration processes
- Trust on the Internet
- Attention economy - the future of content
- Communication implications of digital business models
- The (counter-) cultures of the Internet
- Engaging social networks online
The course will consist of the following elements:
- Formal lectures for basics of the topics and to provide a conceptual framework
- Exercises and cases for deepening knowledge of the management process, as well as for applying theoretical knowledge to real-world situations
Moreover, a collaboration/practice partner, in the form of a private company, public institution or NGO, presents their communication approach and social media strategy, preparing the students for the project paper.
Information about the Term Paper
Students will write a paper in groups or individually (1-4 students) in which they have to imagine that they are communication consultants and experts in social media. The task will be to come up with an idea how a practice partner can use digital technologies such as the Internet, social media, and mobile apps, to engage their stakeholders or a specific community among the stakeholders. Students will then have time until the deadline to hand in their written paper on their idea, maximum 20 pages long and written according to scientific standards. The paper should be both creative and employ the key concepts of the lectures. The BI template for take-home exams should be used for formatting. The task is going to have the following components:
Part I: Theoretical Frame
In the course, we will read academic papers on key concepts, which will help guide and narrow the approach to a possible idea for the practice partner. The solution should be framed within this specific theory. The text in bold is the primary reading for the assignment.
Part II: Analysis and Idea Development
- Audience segment
- Your idea on the audience segment side
- Your idea/value proposition
- Summary and Conclusion from steps 1 – 3.
Part III: Presentation Slide Deck
In addition to the term paper, the students are required to create a slide deck that would cover an oral presentation of the slide deck should contain between 5 and 10 slides. The groups will be the same as for the term paper (1 - 4 students).
For electives re-sit is normally offered at the next scheduled course. If an elective is discontinued or is not initiated in the semester it is offered, re-sit will be offered in the electives ordinary semester.
There are no formal prerequisites.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 100 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 4) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Exam code: ELE37662 Grading scale: ECTS |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 39 Hour(s) | Participation in teaching sessions, presentations. |
Feedback activities and counselling | 6 Hour(s) | Group work in class. |
Prepare for teaching | 60 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 45 Hour(s) | |
Submission(s) | 50 Hour(s) | Work on Project Paper. |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.
See further infomation under "Teaching and learning activities"