COMM 430 – Fashion, Media and Communication

  • Discipline(s): Communication & Journalism, Fashion, Media Studies

  • Credits: 3

  • Available: spring semester 2026

  • Instructor: Cecilia Rinaldi, Laura Vinti

  • Taught in: English

  • Course Fee: TBA

Course Description

Fashion and media are two fickle, ever-changing, and highly interconnected industries. Both have seen tremendous upheaval over the past decade with the global changes introduced by social media, increasingly demanding Internet-age consumers, the digital sphere’s democratization of information, growing concerns about sustainability and ethical business practices, and “influencer” culture. And the space where the two industries merge most concretely—the hybrid discipline of fashion journalism—is even more in flux. Where to begin?

The Fashion, Media and Communication course will equip students with the fundamentals of writing about the fashion industry by diving deep into the craft of storytelling and the key tools and skills involved in onsite reporting. We’ll examine what’s happening in Florence’s fashion world as a microcosm of trends and shifts in the global industry, and use our local context as a springboard for story ideas. We’ll learn how to take a seemingly “local” issue or story and transform it into something with broad reach and international relevance. This training will be enhanced by individual and group storytelling projects throughout the semester.

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • Cultivate an ability to discern, analyze and manage attention to fashion;
  • Understand the practices of fashion communication (visuals and journalism);
  • Spot a “seed” of an idea or notice a trend and then develop it into a fully fleshed-out story;
  • Ask the right questions in fashion reporting by developing familiarity with many of the key topics being discussed today;
  • Develop their competencies and confidence in speaking, interviewing, and networking in order to prepare them for the highly relationships-based industries of media and fashion;
  • Strengthen their overall writing and communication skills, telling stories effectively and engagingly in a variety of formats and for a range of different channels.

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.

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