UCL - Communication, political marketing and lobbying

[SPRI2200]

[30h] 5 credits

Teacher(s):

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

At the end of this course, the student will be able to analyse, in concrete situations, the strategies of communica-tion and of influence of social (lobbies, special interest groups, movements social, economical operators), politi-cal (political parties as well as political representatives) and institutional (public administrations, public and para-public organizations, parliamentary and governmental institutions) organizations. He will also be equipped, from this decoding, to intervene in terms of consultancy.

Main themes

The course covers the following aspects:
1/ A brief theoretical re-examination: elements of marketing, communications theory, definitions of 'lobbying', the concept of "influence" and related concepts.
2/ Study, in contexts and at different levels (local, regional, national, European) from the communication and influence strategies of a number of interest groups or action groups:
- Social organizations (lobbies, special interest groups, social movements, economical operators);
- Political organizations (political parties), and individual political representatives;
- institutions (public administrations, public and para-public organizations, parliamentary and governmental institutions)
3/ Thinking about the "good practices" and the ethical rules, constricting or not, in terms of influence, lobbying and communication.

Content and teaching methods

For at least half the sessions, the course is taught ex cathedra. Concrete examples are moreover set and backed up with the intervention of some privileged witnesses. During the ex cathedra lessons, the teacher (or teaching staff) will give an analysis framework, which can be implemented to concrete cases. During the second half of the course, a range of sessions (still to work out) are organized by students, who present in small groups case studies, using the analytical framework presented during the ex cathedra sessions.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Open-book written exam, during which each student will use concrete cases to answer a range of questions.

Syllabus, printed materials (readings), primary research material (case studies)

Individual teacher or a teaching staff (configuration still to be worked out), as well as specific guest(s) depending on the studied cases