Spring 2017 Advertising: Words and Images Ling./Soc. 383
Emory University
Rhetoric is the art … that deals with the use
of discourse … to persuade … an
audience… Ad-writers are some of the
most skilled rhetoricians in our society.
Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors
Roberto Franzosi
Office Room No. 212 Tarbutton Hall
Email
Lectures Tu–Th 4:00–5:15 Tarbutton Hall
218 Office Hours Tu–Th 2:30–4:00 or by appointment
(please, use email for contacts)
TA Katharine Tatum
Email
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course aims to provide an introduction to the study of advertising. The course deals
with contemporary societies, althought it does trace the historical development of
advertising and its role in consumer society. The course focuses on how to “read”
advertisements (rhetorically, linguistically, semiotically). Students will put into practice
what they learn in the course in individual presentations of specific advertisements (case
studies) and in a group research project on a comparative analysis of a set of
advertisements.
Learning outcomes
By the end of term, students are expected to be able to:
1. Interpret the role of colours, structure, and position of objects in space in an
advertisement
2. Identify the relation between text and pictures
3. Identify the difference between open and closed texts
4. Spot intertextual frames
5. Interpret an advertisement in terms of both text and con.text (i.e., with text, Latin
cum)
6. Spot ouvert and covert meaning in advertising messages
, Franzosi – Advertising: Words and Images (Ling. 383/Soc. 2
383)
7. Identify and recount the story told in an advertisement
8. Identify the type of story told (e.g., tragedy, comedy)
9. Identify the rhetorical figures used in an advertisement
10. Recognize the possible sexist, racist, nationalist nature of an advertisement
11. Be aware of the historical embedment of advertising (and of the importance of
history)
12. Be aware of the cultural embedment of advertising
13. Be aware of the ideological embedment of advertising
14. Find answers to the question: How else could it be?
15. Find answers to the question: Who benefits (cui prodest?)?
In addition, students will learn:
1. To work in teams
2. To work with cases
3. To make public presentations before an audience
4. To view things from different perspectives
5. To develop critical thinking
6. To design and carry out a research project aimed to test specific hypotheses
7. To write a research report
8. To be aware of the implications of different rhetorical strategies for writing a text
More generally, you will also learn how to read and write, how to ask questions, how to
behave in a classroom, to manage your time. Hadn’t I told you all the things you learn in
this course you would have most likely missed them. In my days, no one told you these
things in a syllabus and you spent an entire term learning absolutely nothing. What a
waste of time universities used to be! Aren’t you lucky you came to Emory now?
Welcome to the world of Max Weber’s bureaucratic rationalization. And, yes, by
all means, add to the list: “students will learn the use of irony” (one of the
fundamental tropes of rhetoric, something you will also learn in the course).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Requirements
The course requires students:
1) To attend and participate in the class;
2) to take an exam;
3) to carry out a group research project, present it in class, and write a
project report.
Deadlines and important dates
First day of class January 10
, Franzosi – Advertising: Words and Images (Ling. 383/Soc. 3
383)
End of Add/Drop/Swap January 17
Group composition List of participants due January 22, at midnight
Project description Project description due February 5, at midnight
Spring break March 6-10
Last day of class April 24
Take-home exam Exam due April 9, at midnight
Project presentations April 18, 20, 20, 23 (20 mins each)
Grading
Grading will be based on the following items:
1. Bonus points. Extra points can be gained for students who want to present and
discuss an ad in front of the class. To receive bonus points, ads must be
selected according to the week’s topic and contextualized in the week’s
readings. Bonus points will only be used to help students who are
borderline between final grades.
2. Take-home exam (45%). Students are expected to take an exam based on the
readings, lectures, in-class discussions, and documentaries. The exam is a take
home and will most likely require you to comment on a commercial or
advertisement. The essay should not exceed five double-spaced pages
(excluding references and figures). The advert should be discussed with
references to the readings done for the course (and only those!). 10 to 20
scholarly citations are expected to be discussed coming from different
weekly topics of the syllabus. Without a deep discussion of the scholarly
literature your grade will not go above a C.
3. Participation (10%). Students are expected to contribute to class discussions and
will be evaluated on their participation.
4. Group research project (45%). Students are expected to work in groups (for a
total of 10 groups of 4 students each) on a research project dealing with any of the
topics covered in the course.
a. A one-page project description detailing the problem, the contextual
literature, and data (in particular, the ad sources) and methods used will
be due at the end of week 4.
b. The final report should not exceed 10 double spaced pages
maximum (excluding references and figures). Without a deep
discussion of the scholarly literature your grade will not go above a
C.
For the group project, each group will need to submit a statement where they
outline the contributions made by each member of the group (e.g., Paula:
attended 1 meeting out of 4; read and summarized 3 journal articles; Kevin:
attended 4 meetings out of 4;coded the data collected; Tracy: attended 4
meetings out of 4; wrote the first draft; Alexandra: never attended meetings;
edited the final draft) and the percentage of effort expended by each in
relation to other members (e.g., Paula 90%, Kevin 100%, Tracy, 100%,
Alexandra 20%). Individual grades for the group project will reflect
individual effort.
Emory University
Rhetoric is the art … that deals with the use
of discourse … to persuade … an
audience… Ad-writers are some of the
most skilled rhetoricians in our society.
Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors
Roberto Franzosi
Office Room No. 212 Tarbutton Hall
Lectures Tu–Th 4:00–5:15 Tarbutton Hall
218 Office Hours Tu–Th 2:30–4:00 or by appointment
(please, use email for contacts)
TA Katharine Tatum
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course aims to provide an introduction to the study of advertising. The course deals
with contemporary societies, althought it does trace the historical development of
advertising and its role in consumer society. The course focuses on how to “read”
advertisements (rhetorically, linguistically, semiotically). Students will put into practice
what they learn in the course in individual presentations of specific advertisements (case
studies) and in a group research project on a comparative analysis of a set of
advertisements.
Learning outcomes
By the end of term, students are expected to be able to:
1. Interpret the role of colours, structure, and position of objects in space in an
advertisement
2. Identify the relation between text and pictures
3. Identify the difference between open and closed texts
4. Spot intertextual frames
5. Interpret an advertisement in terms of both text and con.text (i.e., with text, Latin
cum)
6. Spot ouvert and covert meaning in advertising messages
, Franzosi – Advertising: Words and Images (Ling. 383/Soc. 2
383)
7. Identify and recount the story told in an advertisement
8. Identify the type of story told (e.g., tragedy, comedy)
9. Identify the rhetorical figures used in an advertisement
10. Recognize the possible sexist, racist, nationalist nature of an advertisement
11. Be aware of the historical embedment of advertising (and of the importance of
history)
12. Be aware of the cultural embedment of advertising
13. Be aware of the ideological embedment of advertising
14. Find answers to the question: How else could it be?
15. Find answers to the question: Who benefits (cui prodest?)?
In addition, students will learn:
1. To work in teams
2. To work with cases
3. To make public presentations before an audience
4. To view things from different perspectives
5. To develop critical thinking
6. To design and carry out a research project aimed to test specific hypotheses
7. To write a research report
8. To be aware of the implications of different rhetorical strategies for writing a text
More generally, you will also learn how to read and write, how to ask questions, how to
behave in a classroom, to manage your time. Hadn’t I told you all the things you learn in
this course you would have most likely missed them. In my days, no one told you these
things in a syllabus and you spent an entire term learning absolutely nothing. What a
waste of time universities used to be! Aren’t you lucky you came to Emory now?
Welcome to the world of Max Weber’s bureaucratic rationalization. And, yes, by
all means, add to the list: “students will learn the use of irony” (one of the
fundamental tropes of rhetoric, something you will also learn in the course).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Requirements
The course requires students:
1) To attend and participate in the class;
2) to take an exam;
3) to carry out a group research project, present it in class, and write a
project report.
Deadlines and important dates
First day of class January 10
, Franzosi – Advertising: Words and Images (Ling. 383/Soc. 3
383)
End of Add/Drop/Swap January 17
Group composition List of participants due January 22, at midnight
Project description Project description due February 5, at midnight
Spring break March 6-10
Last day of class April 24
Take-home exam Exam due April 9, at midnight
Project presentations April 18, 20, 20, 23 (20 mins each)
Grading
Grading will be based on the following items:
1. Bonus points. Extra points can be gained for students who want to present and
discuss an ad in front of the class. To receive bonus points, ads must be
selected according to the week’s topic and contextualized in the week’s
readings. Bonus points will only be used to help students who are
borderline between final grades.
2. Take-home exam (45%). Students are expected to take an exam based on the
readings, lectures, in-class discussions, and documentaries. The exam is a take
home and will most likely require you to comment on a commercial or
advertisement. The essay should not exceed five double-spaced pages
(excluding references and figures). The advert should be discussed with
references to the readings done for the course (and only those!). 10 to 20
scholarly citations are expected to be discussed coming from different
weekly topics of the syllabus. Without a deep discussion of the scholarly
literature your grade will not go above a C.
3. Participation (10%). Students are expected to contribute to class discussions and
will be evaluated on their participation.
4. Group research project (45%). Students are expected to work in groups (for a
total of 10 groups of 4 students each) on a research project dealing with any of the
topics covered in the course.
a. A one-page project description detailing the problem, the contextual
literature, and data (in particular, the ad sources) and methods used will
be due at the end of week 4.
b. The final report should not exceed 10 double spaced pages
maximum (excluding references and figures). Without a deep
discussion of the scholarly literature your grade will not go above a
C.
For the group project, each group will need to submit a statement where they
outline the contributions made by each member of the group (e.g., Paula:
attended 1 meeting out of 4; read and summarized 3 journal articles; Kevin:
attended 4 meetings out of 4;coded the data collected; Tracy: attended 4
meetings out of 4; wrote the first draft; Alexandra: never attended meetings;
edited the final draft) and the percentage of effort expended by each in
relation to other members (e.g., Paula 90%, Kevin 100%, Tracy, 100%,
Alexandra 20%). Individual grades for the group project will reflect
individual effort.
