Advertising and Culture. The Role of Advertising in the Globalization of Culture: course description
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William. O’Barr, Duke University
This course is a broad interdisciplinary treatment of the role of advertising in society, culture, history, and the economy. It seeks to understand how advertising came into existence, how it has changed over time, and how it has expanded from industrial societies to become a global phenomenon. The course begins by considering a current social and political issue in America and Europe: the relationship of advertising imagery to ideas about gender and gender roles.
Then it examines ways in which advertisements can be decoded and interpreted in order to understand their psychological, social, and cultural meanings. It examines how advertisements are made and probes the differences between the viewpoints of external critics and those who produce ads. Several specific topics are examined: tobacco advertising, advertising to children, and depictions of foreigners and ethnic minorities.
The course will also examine the internationalization and globalization of advertising. Differences in the practice of advertising in different parts of the world will be examined with special attention given to Russia, China, India, and Brazil. Each student will work with advertising from Italy and from his/her home country.
This is an interactive class and will involve a variety of teaching methods including lectures, discussions of reading assignments, field trips, research via the Internet, and writing assignments. Five (5) papers of approximately 5 in length (plus copies of any adverts discussed) will be due at various points throughout the semester. Paper topics will be announced a week or more before the due date. Late papers will not generally be accepted. Each paper will be given one of the following evaluation marks: exceptional (no more than, say, four or five papers will receive this mark; it means that the paper is exceptionally good and stands out of the good papers in one or more ways that distinguish it), good (most papers that deal with the topic in a good and strong manner will receive this mark, it means well-done, good job, work done as requested and credit accorded), rewrite (given to papers that are in serious need of revision in one or more ways, student and professor will agree on a timetable for submitting the revised paper, otherwise no credit given for the paper), and no credit (this is a paper that has failed to meet the requirements, a missing paper, or a paper not revised when requested to do so). The amount of assigned reading will conform to VIU guidelines. However, sometimes additional suggested readings beyond the usual limit may be suggested. At the beginning of the course, students will be provided with the reading materials. A course pack will be available within the couple of weeks of the course and will contain readings for the remainder of the course. Some materials may be available via the Internet. 
