Text and Image in News and Advertising

Course

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/L_NCMACIW022

Course Objective

To acquire knowledge of information processing of news and advertising; To acquire analytic insights in the interaction between texts and visuals in relevant genres; To practice methodological skills, specifically in content analysis and experimental design; To develop a scientific attitude towards the use of text and image in news and advertising.

Course Content

Visuals and texts interact in different ways, depending on genre and domain. Four phenomena in either news or advertising will be studied in this course: (1) In advertising, visual metaphors occur often in magazine advertisements. Text narrows down interpretations of those visuals. Although advertising messages tend to be quite straightforward, the interplay between visual metaphors and their messages is a complex topic. What are the effects on understanding, recall, or purchase intention? (2) Tv commercials may express visual rhetoric as well. Voice overs may have different roles towards the visuals shown. They may disambiguate what is presented, or present selling arguments independently of the visuals. We will try to find out which effects different interplays of commercials and voice overs might have. (3) In news broadcasts or on news platforms, news videos are structured in specific ways. The ways in which the narration (or: voice over) is connected to news events footage may differ between news organizations. What are the effects of different types of narration in news videos? What other structural differences occur between news videos? (4) In written news, especially online, headings with photographs try to attract readers’ attention. News photographs can encourage readership by showing more cruel aspects, or by presenting content that looks strange with regard to the presented news. The effects of text-photo variation on information processing will be studied.

Teaching Methods

Lectures and seminars, in total four hours per week.

Method of Assessment

Two assignments (50%) and a written examination (50%). All assignments and the written examination should be graded with at least 5 out of 10 points. Final grade must be 5.5 or higher.

Literature

Readings will be announced in Canvas.

Target Audience

MA Communication and Information Studies: Multimodal Communication. The course is also an elective for CIW: Schrijven en Vertalen, and for exchange students.

Recommended background knowledge

Knowledge of statistics is strongly advised. For the assignments statistics skills are presumed.
Academic year1/09/24 → 31/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Master