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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Advertising and Society by Duke University

4.7
stars
897 ratings

About the Course

This course examines the relation of advertising to society, culture, history, and the economy. Using contemporary theories about visual communications, we learn to analyze the complex levels of meaning in both print advertisements and television commercials. About the Course The course covers a wide range of topics, including the origins of advertising, the creation of ads, the interpretation of ads, the depiction of race, class, gender, and sexuality in advertising, sex and selling, adverting and ethics, and the future of advertising. The lectures will discuss theoretical frameworks and apply them to specific advertisements. Course Syllabus Week 1: What is advertising and where did it come from? Week 2: Am I being manipulated by advertising? Week 3: What’s in an ad beyond that which meets the eye? Week 4: How do ads get made? Week 5: What do ads teach us about race, class, gender, and sexuality? Week 6: Does sex sell? Week 7: What is the future of advertising? Recommended Background No background is required; everyone is welcome! Suggested Readings Although the lectures are designed to be self-contained, we recommend that students refer to the free online textbook ADTextOnline.org. Other free resources will be suggested for each week’s module. Course Format Most videos will be lectures with instructor talking. Each lecture will be illustrated with PowerPoint slides, print advertisements, and TV commercials. The videos for each week will consist of segments that add up to about an hour. Each week will have one quiz that will appear as stand-alone homework. All resources beyond lectures will be available online to students at no charge. Most of these will be from ADTextOnline.org. Others will be visits to the sites of ad agencies in the US and abroad, open access websites that deal with course topics, and open-access journal articles....

Top reviews

LV

Jul 27, 2022

I really enjoyed the course and will use the material I learned to create a month-long learning program as a foreign language teacher of English for the 8th grade students of my school, in Israel.

KD

Jun 14, 2018

What a great course! As an owner of an agency, a marketer and advertiser, I found it very eye opening and enjoyable. I learned a lot that I can apply to our business. Thank you Professor O'Barr.

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26 - 50 of 214 Reviews for Advertising and Society

By Manasvi S

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Apr 21, 2020

This was an extremely interesting course. I learnt about so many things in just a few days. I can never look at the ads without reading them from now on. This was the best and systematic study put together for a better understanding and the mission was successful. I loved it!

By Shalom C V

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May 16, 2020

My dream has always been to study sociology and although I couldn't, I enjoy remarkable courses like this one that are well assembled and that provide concise and valuable information to better understand the social milieu. Great course, it was addictive for me. Than you :)

By Saurabh M

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Feb 26, 2018

It's a wonderful course which talks about the fundamentals of advertisement and links them to the practical scenario in history and recent times. Advertisement is a vast field, but this course certainly provides the required basis to further gain the expertise in the field.

By Valeria L V

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Nov 11, 2023

The course is really very interesting and complete. It evaluates and explains all aspects of the advertising field, in order to have a very accurate general picture. The professor is friendly and professional, making the course enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

By Sofia P D M

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Nov 1, 2020

I enjoyed this course so very much!

Thanks to the amazing job of Prof. William M. O'Barr, he made it so interesting and easy going. If you have the time for it, you will for sure finish it super fast, as it captivates you and makes you want more and more of it!

By Denis P

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Jun 11, 2020

The course is very good, however the AdText needs more updates and care — some of the links at the website do not work (some external links from article need to be checked and updated).

Much time passed since 2014, and the course needs some updates, of course!

By Krew V

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Jan 15, 2021

This was truly an amazing class with a phenomenal professor. I enjoyed every second of it. It was very manageable and touched on everything you could imagine. I know without a doubt the way I view advertisements will never be the same. Highly recommend!

By Seohyeon J

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Sep 23, 2017

It was the most interesting mooc that ever took. I like a lot of cases that professor show. It was both interesting and informative leture. Thank you for making such mooc. I also like his teaching style. I hope I can see him in another mooc again.

By Yukio Y

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Apr 12, 2022

I absolutely love it. I have learnt so much on advertising, its history and its development throughout human history. I cannot ask for a better course on advertising than this. Thank you professor William for such a brilliant course. Bravooo

By Jay S

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Feb 21, 2023

It was really informative and intriguing. Great MOOC to participate in if you want to start discovering the world of advertising with a conceptual understanding with a lot of case studies. I loved how the energy of Professor William O'Barr.

By Maria A

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Mar 7, 2021

Great insight into the origins of advertising and how it relates to contemporary society, culture and the economy. Concise, informative lectures and lots of available resources / suggestions for further reading. Enjoyed every minute of it.

By nitish p

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Mar 14, 2022

I Throughly enjoyed listening to all the lectures and I learnt so many things including how ads are effected by social , economical , behavioural and other factors . Thankful to Coursera and ADvertising society for making this possible

By Ijeoma M

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Oct 23, 2019

Great course! it has opened my eyes to things that goes on behind every advertisement. More so, I learned how advert has evolved over the years and how the society at large is affected positively and negatively by it. T

By Theresa D

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Jul 5, 2023

This course was great! There were many visuals, illustrations of the material we covered. It was a fun and very interesting class, and I’m very glad I took it. I only wish there were a second course to follow!

By Dipanshu D

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Nov 22, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and gained good insights into the entire relationships that are between advertisement and society as we have known through the times and what might become of it in the future.

By Filip C

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May 13, 2020

It's an excellent introductory course for professionals and people looking to get into advertising alike. It gives an excellent historical and social aspects that new advertisers should definitely know.

By Sharuti

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Jun 3, 2020

This course is very helpful to know the actual meaning of the advertisement and society. Through this course I also know that what is the best thing to attract the society and attract the customer also.

By Liz V

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Jul 28, 2022

I really enjoyed the course and will use the material I learned to create a month-long learning program as a foreign language teacher of English for the 8th grade students of my school, in Israel.

By Kevin L D

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Jun 15, 2018

What a great course! As an owner of an agency, a marketer and advertiser, I found it very eye opening and enjoyable. I learned a lot that I can apply to our business. Thank you Professor O'Barr.

By Suchismita P

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Jun 13, 2017

I am really grateful to Duke University for offering this excellent course. I will never see an advertisement from now on like I used to. I will try to relate all the topics I have learnt.

By samuex

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Apr 14, 2022

This is one of the best free online Advertising Course I have attended. Some topics go into serious discussions and thought provoking and I really love the resources given to students.

By Devansh D

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Mar 20, 2019

Great course. This course has helped me a lot in getting better in Advertising field. I recommend this course to everyone those who are trying to build a non technical profile like me.

By Shahana N N

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Jul 9, 2020

This course was not too difficult, the lectures were straight forward and entertaining to watch with all the neat examples. Definitely makes me look at advertisements differently now.

By Erik O

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May 20, 2018

Great course if you're interested in advertising or work for a creative agency. Professor is very knowledgeable and he includes classic as well as modern examples of advertisements.

By carrie

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Sep 2, 2017

This course is so informative and interesting, making me think about pursuing advertising so much! The professor is great with explaining complex ideas to simple ones. Love it!