A strategic but, as yet, little established sector. The offer of political and public communications studies after the ministerial decree 270/2004

by Francesco Amoretti and Franca Roncarolo | Published in issue3 /
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Over the past decades, the sphere of Communications and Politics has undergone a notorious and profound transformation in Italy. The accelerated economic development of the media and advertising sector that began in the late 1970s was followed in the 1990s by experiments in new communication practices and by the introduction of new relationships between the political and media systems. These novel additions determined a particular process of ‘mediatizing’ Italian democracy.
Not surprisingly, these processes have also generated a substantial growth in courses aimed at training professionals in the sector. Beginning in the early 1990s with the creation of new degrees in Communication studies at the universities of Salerno, Siena, and Turin this growth has followed different lines of implementation and logics still to be investigated. What counted the most was the need to respond to new professional opportunities with an appropriate specialist degree offering. However, there have also been some significant considerations about the need to promote a culture of communications more suited to the challenges facing mediatised democracies. This situation has been further affected by the need to overcome the limits of an area of study which, until then, had consisted of only a few – however important – scientific contributions.
Meanwhile, there have been two university reforms: the decree 509/1999, which introduced the differentiation between the basic triennial degrees (BA) and the biennial specialisations (MA) and consequently prompted an increase in degree offerings; and then the decree 270/2004, which rationalised these offerings.
It is precisely the elements of novelty introduced by the latter, and the nature, at length little established, of university studies in communication which now require verification of the difficulties overcome and imbalances still present. This article aims to contribute to this assessment by reconstructing the academic regulations for Political Communication and Public Communication, following the reform redesigning the structure of degree courses..

Methodology and definition of the field of analysis

Our investigation examined all the State universities which first implemented the reform, beginning with the academic year 2008-2009. On the basis of the official information available from the database of the Ministry of University we analysed the degrees offered within four broad areas1: Politics and International Relations, Communication, Social Sciences and Public Administration (Table 1).

Table 1. Types of degrees analysed

. Triennial degrees (6 types) Specialisation degrees (10 types)
1 L-40 – Sociology LM92- Theories of communication
2 L-39 – Social services LM90 – European studies
3 L-37 – Social sciences of cooperation, development and peace LM88 – Sociology and social research
4 L-36 – Political science and international relations LM87 – Social service and social policies
5 L-20 – Communication sciences LM81 – Development and international cooperation
6 L-16 – Administration and organisation sciences LM63 – Public administration studies
7 . LM62 – Politics
8 . LM59 – Public and business communication, and advertising
9 . LM52 – International relations
10 . LM19 – Information and publishing systems

The use of two criteria (state universities and types of degrees where Political and Public Communications are most probably taught) has lead to the selection of 32 universities (Table 2)2.

Table 2. Territorial division of public universities with degrees relevant to this research

North 12 37.5%
Centre 9 28.1%
South 11 34.4%
Total 32 100.0%

The offer of triennial and specialist degree courses in communication

It has been necessary to exclude the faculties and degrees where there was no updated information at the moment of closing this investigation3. It was also decided that, despite being part of the same university, the Political Science Faculties in Bologna and Forlì would be considered as separate entities, because we felt that it would be useful to highlight specific elements of their academic offerings.

The first result to be mentioned is the unquestionable dynamism of this sector of studies. It appears to have grasped to the highest degree – and with greater readiness than other sectors – the opportunities offered by the reform. The types of triennial degrees in Communication Sciences passing from the old to the new regulations, effectively represent 28% of those examined (Fig. 1), an advantage of almost 10 percentage points compared to Political Science and International Relations (L-36), and of almost 20 compared to Sociology (L-40).
The decision to immediately focus, through specialised degrees, the study path of those who varyingly study communications, is very clear. It invites reflection on the significance of a choice which – according to the situation – can yield two contrasting risks: prematurely profiling the academic offering as a specialisation, thus depriving it of those interdisciplinary competences required by those working in this area; or, duplicating many of the courses which effectively offer such competences.

Impact of triennial degrees in communication Impact of triennial degrees in communication

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Impact of types of specialisation degrees in communication. Impact of types of specialisation degrees in communication.

The picture becomes clearer when specialisations degrees are considered. In this case, the study area of Communications dominates again, at least when we aggregate the three types where there is an offer of specialisation in this study area – LM-59 (Public, Business and Advertising Communications with 10 specialisation degrees), followed by LM-19 (Publishing Information and Systems with 8 degrees) and LM-92 (Theories of Communication with 9). The result is a nucleus which affects a quarter of the total, again with more – at least in this phase – than all the other degrees (Fig. 2). The Faculties of Literature and Philosophy and of Communication Sciences are the ones which have created the greatest number of triennial and specialisation degrees (respectively 41% and 50% of the overall offer).

Distribution of triennial degrees in Communications by type of degree and faculty

Triennial degrees Political Science Literature & Philosophy Communication Sciences Formation Sciences Sociology Human & Social Sciences Foreign Languages & Literature Cognitive Sciences Psychology Tot. Tot. (%)
L-20 2 10 3 6 1 1 1 0 . 25 26%
L-10/L-20 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 100%
L-20/L-24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 100%
Comm.Degrees (N) 2 11 3 6 1 1 1 1 1 27 28%
Impact on Total 4% 79% 100% 67% 10% 100% 100% 100% 100% 28% 0%
Total Degrees (N) 50 14 3 9 10 1 1 1 1 95 100%

Table 4 Distribution of specialisation degrees in Communications by type of degree and faculty

Specialisation degrees Polit. Sc. Lit.& Phil. Comm.Sc. Form. Sc. Human & Soc. Sc. Psych. Tot. Tot. (%)
LM59 4 2 3 0 1 0 10 9%
LM92 0 6 0 2 0 1 9 8%
LM19 1 5 0 2 0 0 8 7%
LM78/LM92 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1%
Tot. Comm. Degrees (N) 5 14 3 4 1 1 28 26%*
Impact on total (%) 8% 82% 100% 100% 100% 100% 26% 0%
Total Degrees (N) 63 17 3 4 1 1 108 100%

(*) This value takes into account the decimals of each individual percentage .

Undoubtedly, the data is unsurprising when one considers that the first degree titles in Communication Sciences were created by the faculties of Letters and Philosophy. However, it appears fairly striking that Political Science has decided to dedicate only 5 out of its 63 specialisation degrees to the training of professionals in communications (Tab. 4).
On the other hand, some criticism must also be raised regarding the relationship which emerges between triennials and specialisations. While the spirit of the decree – which for a single type of triennial degree course provides for up to three specialisations – would have lead to expect a tree-like structure with a branching out of the offer at specialist level, what effectively exists is an almost straight line which, in the case of the faculties of Communication Sciences and Literature and Philosophy, leads to an almost imperceptible increase (the 14 triennial degrees lead to just 17 specialisations).
Further elements for reflection on this situation’s implicit imbalances are provided by the analysis of the data relating to the courses’ territorial distribution (Fig. 3).

Distribution of communications degrees by geographic area and level of specialisation Distribution of communications degrees by geographic area and level of specialisation

The greater offer in Northern Italy – displaying an essential equilibrium between the level of basic study and specialisation – is countered by the more limited offer in the South where, unexpectedly, there does not appear to be a differentiated development between the two study levels. If, in the South, the model appears to focus mainly on the preparation of persons destined to be employed within the medium-low levels of the work market, the formula which favours specialisation is, on the contrary, the definite orientation of the Central Italian model where investment in education privileges specialisation degrees.

The subject offer in the area of Political and Public Communication

The limits which characterise university education in the field of Public and Political Communication are clear. These limits become evident when passing from the macro level of systemic analysis to the micro level, more specifically investigating the offer of individual subjects.
The first element highlighted refers to the very limited diffusion and to the low level of qualification of the teaching of Political Communication. Even using widely inclusive criteria4 in an attempt to overcome the difficulties caused by multiple labels, empirical evidence informs us that, within the 203 degrees examined, there are only 61 subjects which tackle political communication (and only 26 with a title that, in some ways, explicitly uses this label).
This seems even more critical when one considers that the offer is particularly lacking at the base level- the level which should complete the cultural education of young people and prepare them for the work market and/or subsequent specialisation. Within all of the 25 degrees in the faculties of Communication Sciences and the 18 in Political Science, only 9 and 3 courses, respectively, can be ascribed to the area of Political Communication. The fact that this occurs in the Italian system- , one in which media-politics interactions appears to be, from many points of view, a key element- is inevitably perplexing. Further increasing this perplexity is that at least with regard to Political Science, these 3 degrees are not even considered among those once defined as ‘fundamental’ to the formation of a graduate from that faculty – and are diminished to the elective category. The decision to include these amongst their triennial subjects, depends then on the students’ personal preferences rather than on evaluations by university bodies based on the assessment of future public employment opportunities, market requests or specialisation choices.
The data on the level of specialist formation confirms the essential undervaluing of the phenomena central to the analysis of Political Communication..
However, it is true that the offer of courses (with 69% of the courses and 72% of academic credits in Political Communication) appears to be considerably larger at this level than within triennials degrees.

Table 5 Offer of political communication courses in triennial and specialisation degrees

. Obligatory Elective . .
. N. of courses N. of credits N. of courses N. of credits Total courses Total credits
TRIENNIAL DEGREES .
Communication Sciences 8 68 1 6 9 74
Political Science 0 0 3 33 3 33
Social Service 0 0 1 6 1 6
Sociology 3 18 1 6 4 24
SPECIALISATION DEGREES .
Information and Publishing Systems 3 18 0 3 3 18
International Relations 0 0 1 9 1 9
Science of Public and Entreprise Communication and Advertising 15 99 4 21 19 120
Political Science 3 25 7 60 10 85
Public Administration Science 1 9 7 60 10 85
Sociology and Social Research 1 9 1 10 2 19
Theory of Communication 0 0 3 18 3 18
Total 36 258 25 190 61 448

Nonetheless, in more than 40% of the cases, the elective nature of the courses renders the offer less impressive. Again, the lack of investment by faculties, which it would be legitimate to expect to be more sensitive, is evident (Fig. 4).

Compulsory and elective credits in Political Communication by faculty Compulsory and elective credits in Political Communication by faculty

On the one hand is the model of faculties such as Political Science that make a wide variety of course offerings available to students, and one in which very few courses are obligatory. On the other hand is the pattern of ‘few courses, but for all’ adopted by Literature and Philosophy and Communication Sciences, which leaves little margin of choice to students, along with extremely limited availability.
A further significant fact emerges from a disaggregated analysis by subject types. A large part of the communication subjects available in the Political Science sector (Sps/04) – 16 out of 29 – are not obligatory, and depend on students’ choices.
This imbalance is even more evident when viewed in the context of other subject areas. As highlighted in Figure 5, Sociology of Cultural phenomena (Sps/08) stands out with a ratio of 7 obligatory to 2 elective courses in Political Communication; Sociology of Political Phenomena (Sps/11) with 6 to 2 and, lastly, General Sociology (Sps/07) with 3 to 1. Thus, while Political Studies, appears at first to attribute strategic importance to Political Communication, a closer analysis reveals that in reality, it continues to undervalue Political Communication.

Obligatory and elective credits in Political Communication by subject area Obligatory and elective credits in Political Communication by subject area

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The multiplicity of study areas in which Political Communication subjects are available represents a further element of fragility. While there is a substantial proportion of degrees considering this subject as one of the key Political Science sectors, there is effectively another half locating them within various areas, from Political Philosophy to General Sociology (Fig. 6).

Subject study areas with Political Communication courses Subject study areas with Political Communication courses

Less random but quantitatively much more limited – and highly profiled as a subject – is the offer of subjects relating to Public Communication. This is an area which has seen exceptional growth since the introduction in 1990 of the first regulations on the principles of transparency in administrative procedures (Law 241/1990) and the approval, eight years ago, of Law 150 concerning communication in public services. There has been so much growth that to the Italian Association for Public and Institutional Communication (founded in 1990), was added, for example, the Urp degli Urp network in 1994 (which provides a professional network for public communicators) and, ten years later, the European Federation of Public Communication Associations. It is quite surprising that – out of the (small) total of 448 credits offered in all State Universities in the field of Political Communications – just 212 credits are dedicated to illustrating the mechanisms of communication between public administrations and citizens. For the greater part, such subjects are obligatory but, despite the evident significance which they theoretically have in the education of graduates in Administration and Political Science, they are not part of Political Studies (SPS/04) and are mainly located in the study area of Sociology which deals with cultural and communication processes (almost 70% of credits relating to public communication belong to SPS/08, or Sociology of cultural processes).

Table 6. Obligatory and elective credits in the Public Communication area (% in brackets)

Types of subject Obligatory Non-obligatory Total
No sector 20 (11) 12 (33) 32 (15)
L-LIN/01 6 (3) . . 6 (3)
M-FIL/05 6 (3) . . 6 (3)
SEC-P/08 6 (3) . . 6 (3)
SPS/04 15 (9) . . 15 (7)
SPS/08 120 (68) 24 (67) 144 (68)
SPS/11 3 (2) . . 3 (1)
Total 176 (100) 30 (100) 212 (100)

It is true that public communication stands at the crossroads of different disciplines, amongst which Sociology undoubtedly had the merit of first grasping the importance of the communication process between administrations and citizens, yet the tardiness on the part of Political Science is, nonetheless, very apparent. This tardiness is even more significant when considering the pioneering role of authors such as Karl Deutsch who, already in the early 1960s, highlighted the importance of the circulation of messages within the social body and the strategic function of feedback processes. Clearly, this article is not about either establishing or disputing the primacy of one discipline over another; on the contrary, it attempts to highlight the imbalances rendering the development of a transversal attention with regard to public communication more difficult.

Conclusions

The emerging picture is perplexing. The weak establishment of the study paths examined and the lack of professional capacity are surprising when one considers the cultural and political coordinates within which they are applied. The generalised expectations for the growth of this sector of research – and of the related professional market – and the acknowledgement of their centrality in the functioning of democratic institutions have not found corresponding, coherent and consequent university policies, both at central and peripheral levels.
If Public Communications can boast of a more homogeneous and recognizable statute of studies – also thanks to the twenty years of work by the relevant professional associations at an institutional and cultural level – this does not mean that it is in good shape. Undoubtedly, the season of reforms, built around the legendary Copernican revolution in the relationship between public and citizen powers, has had some effect. So have some of the original sins which have rendered this study area inadequate and fragile, both theoretically and methodologically. Confining Public Communications to Sociology sectors has weakened its scientific profile, exposing it often to incursions on the part of purely business oriented studies, while political science based knowledge and/or methods have played a more limited role.
Even more problematical is what has occurred within the specific field of Political Communication. The multiplication of courses which, with different and often imaginative names, are related to this area of studies is not at all an expression of cultural vitality and institutional robustness. In the absence of a well structured, basic didactic offer, as indicated by the scarce presence of this subject in various study paths, the multi-coloured universe of communications studies often reflects the prevalence of particularistic academic interests and logics. If it has been difficult to deny the importance of Political Communication, it has been far too easy to make it exist in complete isolation or to define it in ways more congenial to variously prevailing cultural sensitivities and local academic interests than to a sound scientific interpretation. The effects have been often disastrous. Was this an inevitable and/or easily foreseeable outcome? We can’t be sure. What is certain, today, is that many are called upon to reflect on the causes of these imbalances and weaknesses and to devise strategies which could progressively eliminate these shortcomings. This group includes those same decision makers who had been responsible for the reform of the academic offer; but also includes those contributing, from different positions in the universities, and with various competences to the current situation.
With regard to the future, it is necessary to open a broad cultural and political discussion. The data provided here can be a stimulus. This is, undoubtedly, not an exhaustive work and will need to be reviewed and further examined, after the current reform process has been fully implemented. That is, unless another new reform forces us to review both these figures and our considerations.

Footnotes

1 Thanks go to Dr. Diego Giannone for his work in collecting and organising the data.

2 ISTAT criteria of geographical division. However, ‘North’ groups together ‘Northwest’ and ‘Northeast’ while ‘South’ includes ‘Southern Italy’ and ‘the Italian islands’.

3 On 15 November 2008, there were no outlines and/or guides to the Faculties of Political Science of the University of Sassari (4 degree), that of Letters and Philosophy of the University “Ca Foscari” in Venice (2 degree) and for the specialist degree in “Theory and design of the new media” (LM92) of the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Roma-Tor Vergata.

4 For example, subjects which cannot be ascribed to the area of Political Communication but which, in various ways, refer to the study of political language, public opinion, political journalism and e-democracy, etc., have been included.