ELE 3766 Social Networks and Communities
ELE 3766 Social Networks and Communities
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.
Project paper
Students will write a paper in small groups in which they have to imagine that they are communication consultants, experts on one of the central modules covered in the lecture. They will consult a specific organization and develop an Internet- or social media-based strategy for that organization. Their analysis should be based on four key questions:
- Be convincing: What is the relevance of the topic for today’s business world? Why is it necessary to address the topic? Why does it make good business sense?
- Be informed: How well does today’s business world address the topic? Do you find any signs that it already systematically addresses your topic? Are there signs that businesses need to catch up on their efforts?
- Be creative: What are opportunities for improvement? How can businesses become even better at addressing your topic? What new, exciting measures would you propose? How could they benefit from your suggestions?
- Be rigorous: Why should business believe you? How can you ground your assumptions in theory, as it pertains to your particular topic, based on the literature handed out to you as well as additional (scholarly) material?
The length of the paper should not exceed 20 pages and shall correspond to general scientific requirements. With the paper students are also required to hand in a short presentation summarizing their approach to the topic, not exceeding 10 slides. It is taken for granted that students prepare for the lectures and play an active role within the course.
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.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Covid-19
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.
There are no formal prerequisites.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 40 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 4) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Exam code: ELE37662 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Presentation Weight: 30 Grouping: Group (1 - 4) Duration: 20 Minute(s) Exam code: ELE37662 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 30 Grouping: Individual Duration: 2 Week(s) Comment: Students will be asked to complete short assignments based on the reading material distributed for the course. These assignments will each consist of one specific essay question related to this material, to be completed individually and meant to be a reflection task on the material. The assignments will be short, students are not expected to hand in anything more than one written page per assignment. The assignment will be weekly starting from the second course week, with three assignments in total. Exam code: ELE37662 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
| 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.