Course Title: International Advertising: Ethnographic Exploration and Cultural Immersion
AOI: Global and Multicultural
Honors: cross-listed with Honors curriculum
How is course content and delivery enhanced by the international location?
The course requires ethnographic exploration and personal observation to understand
consumer behavior in the chosen locations and make educated comparisons. Unique comparisons
of similarities and differences of the cities in Poland to the cities in Germany are enhanced by
observing them in context of their individual histories. With an emphasis on the study of
consumerism since World War II this context includes the effects of the war on economies,
lifestyles, government, infrastructure, and more. Prague, CZ, was added to the itinerary to provide
additional contrast, which will be best understood by personal observation, as well as interaction
with students and others in a university, agency or corporate setting. Because students will have a
specific product category to follow and research, they will need direct observation to understand
promotion and consumer behavior around it. An added bonus of historical perspective will be to
visit and understand the sites described in the required reading in the book, The Zookeeper’s Wife.
How does the course propose to integrate students into the host culture?
Students will visit areas where local residents shop, eat, work, study and relax, not only
areas where tourists visit. Shopping areas will be particularly important and may include
neighborhood markets, “surburban” or urban malls, and trendy shopping areas. Students and
faculty will utilize mass transit, and each day a pair of students will investigate the best mode of
transportation and which stops to utilize, thus integrating the group to ways the local denizens
commute to work and school. Students will have sufficient time for individual exploration and
observation that will contribute to the research and reporting of each group. Students will write
blog reports individually and as a group for daily reflection in each city.
How do proposed excursions or site visits link to the learning objectives of the course?
With the focus of the course being a comparison of consumerism in the chosen countries
since WWII, understanding the scope and effects of the war is imperative. Excursions include
trips to a concentration camp, Jewish neighborhoods and museums, military history museum, etc.
that will give context to the plight of the residents of these countries.
Students will read and discuss The Zookeepers Wife before travel. The book is a true
story of a family in Warsaw who were the owners/caretakers of the zoo and their plight during the
war. The itinerary includes a site visit to the zoo as well as other sites mentioned in the book to
bring the reality of this one family’s situation to light.
Other site visits relate directly to advertising and consumerism including visiting at least
one ad agency with international ties, university visits where our students can meet with students
and attend a lecture, and visits to a variety of shopping venues and media outlets.
Tentative Itinerary
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| Warsaw: Wawel Castle and Wisla River, photo taken during JTerm Course 2013 |
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