In the minor programme ‘Communication: Building Communities’ you will get acquainted with to the possibilities of creative communication. We challenge you to utilise communication to create sustainable and mutual relations with individuals and public they will have to address in their career. Creative thinking and acting form the heart of this programme. Students will be introduced to various techniques and methods to develop new ideas and concepts.
The curriculum of the programme is built up around four principal subjects:
Subject
Description
Communities
Organisation, business, cultural group, demographic, neighbourhoods and streets, virtual communities.
Creativity
The ability to devise innovative and creative solutions.
Change
Changes through internal dynamics or forced by external factors.
Communication
Knowledge of the ways people in communities share information and experiences. Ability to form ideas and realise goals.
All knowledge and skills, and possibly the products of the theory modules can be utilised in two project modules. The final products are:
Project
Description
Plan
A strategic communication plan for an organisation or brand chosen by the student from his or her own major field of studies.
Campaign
A campaign with one or more communicative tools (i.e. a magazine, an informative film or advertisement, a brand event) based on a clear and well-defined concept.
The programme can be accomplished in a semester, so every module takes a period of 4 to 5 weeks. At the end of each module you are expected to hand in a completed assignment. You are expected to have gathered enough knowledge and skills during the lectures, workshops, tutor meetings, skill trainings and excursions to be able to complete the assignment. The project modules may be completed individually or with a team, preferably simultaneously with the theory modules.
Outline of modules
This programme aims to introduce communication skills into the professional field of your elected major studies, so that they can be applied and utilised. Starting from broad analysis and with knowledge of communicative processes, you will learn to develop a strategy for communication, and how to translate this into a creative concept.
Module 1: Building Bridges
Focus: Communication
In this module we focus on all aspects of co-creation in communication. How does communication work and how does one party influence another? What are the trends in society and what are the relevant issues? How can we utilise creative thinking and recognise opportunities? We will find an answer to these and other questions.
At the end of this module you will produce an actor/factor/issue analysis, accompanied by a visual impression.
Module 2: Treasures and Mines
Focus: Communities
People function in networks, in “communities” that appear in many different forms. For example: neighbourhoods, cities, schools, companies. But also book clubs, gaming clans, etc.
To be able to engage your target audience in a dialogue, you must be able to chart them and be aware of cultural influences and trends.
This module will be completed with the production of a brand document, in which the desired visual identity is presented utilising a digital moodboard.
Module 3: Out of the Box
Focus: Creativity
To be able to develop truly original ideas for communication, you must dare to break conventional thought patterns and be able to find new ways of conceptualisation. In this module we focus on a wide spectrum of creative techniques.
This module will be concluded by an innovative presentation about a new concept for a brand or organisation.
Module 4: Telling the Story
Focus: Change
Because change is a constant factor for organisations and brands, we study the processes of change. How can one create communication campaigns and what role do stories and images play in them? How do you build a corporate story?
The final product of this module will be a surprising corporate story in the form of a drama script, a game, playing cards, posters, etc.
