COMS425-21S2 (C) Semester Two 2021

Campaign Planning with Social Data Analysis

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 19 July 2021
End Date: Sunday, 14 November 2021
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 1 August 2021
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 1 October 2021

Description

This is a course about planning media campaigns, in particular, it focuses on the use of social data analysis in planning campaigns. The course will introduce what campaigns are, their purposes and effects, their importance in the society, and the strategies of developing a media advocacy plan. A significant portion of the course will be about the use of social data analysis, including big data and social network analysis, in informing and evaluating campaigns. Students will be given opportunities to manage social data and develop their campaign plans according to their interests based on the data. Such plans can be related to social policies, public health and safety, human rights, etc., and can be delivered through different communication channels including traditional mass media and social media. Controversies around the ethical uses of social data for campaign planning will be discussed, and students will need to identify ethical practices of using the data.

The course will start with the basic procedures of planning a campaign, and then it will focus on social data collection and analysis methods that can be applied for different campaign planning purposes. You will need to complete the take-home assignments to show you have understand these methods. By the end of the semester you will need to write a brief proposal to suggest a new campaign plan, which includes using at least one social data analysis method to provide useful information for the plan.

Learning Outcomes

- Understand the role of data mining in planning effective campaigns
- Identify the use of social data to obtain useful information for a media campaign plan
- Acquire skills to conduct formative and evaluative research with social data and analyse the data
- Demonstrate the use of theoretical principles and models in setting up a campaign plan
- Acquire professional skills to develop and write a media campaign plan
- Develop a critical mind towards your own/others’ campaign plans
- Apply the social data mining skills learned in this class in the future career to provide useful information for the organization you work for
- Identify ethical ways of using social data for campaign planning

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Employable, innovative and enterprising

Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Engaged with the community

Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.

Globally aware

Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Course Coordinator

Janice Leung

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Participation 5%
Individual presentation 8% Each student is required to look up one to two examples in the real world related to uses of data in strategic communication by organizations. Cases in daily lives from TV news, magazines, online sources, etc., instead of academic sources, are highly encouraged. Try to look for some fun cases that will interest your classmates.
2 Online quizzes 7%
2 assignments 40% Two assignments will be given to cover the important topics in our class. Details of each assignment will be posted on LEARN. You can work either individually or with another student for each assignment.The two assignments will be due on 13 September and 15 October.
Final Project 40% Topic outline 5%; Campaign Proposal 25%; Poster Presentation 10%

Textbooks / Resources

All required readings are posted on Learn. You are expected to read the materials as part of the learning experience of this course.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,905.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All COMS425 Occurrences

  • COMS425-21S2 (C) Semester Two 2021