The book economy in the 21st century: dematerialization and AI

lliv2115  2025-2026  Louvain-la-Neuve

The book economy in the 21st century: dematerialization and AI
5.00 credits
22.5 h
Q1
> Schedule
Teacher(s)
Engel Vincent;
Language
French
Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 Familiarise students with the professional book environment in which they will be doing their work placement, whether in a publishing house or bookshop.
 
2 To provide students with a synthetic and critical overview of the main themes underlying the profession of bookseller and publisher today. This involves knowledge of the economics of books, analysis of the publishing offer and its organisation, analysis of the customer base, and management techniques specific to the sector.
 
Content
With the help of specialists from various fields related to the book industry, students will gain in-depth knowledge of the industry and develop areas of research and innovation.
Teaching methods
The course will be organized into two joint seminars (November 7-8 and December 13), preceded by preparatory work in groups, according to the schedule below.
Attendance at these sessions is mandatory.
  1. PREPARATION FOR THE FIRST SEMINAR
    1. FORMATION of teams (depending on the number of students enrolled)
    2. RESEARCH October:
      1. research: draw up an overview of the book industry in French-speaking Belgium
      2. meetings with specialists
        1. creation
        2. publishing
        3. distribution and sales
        4. review
        5. law and protection
        6. library and heritage archiving
      3. Production: a report of no more than 10 pages, to be used as a presentation. This report must conclude with four questions, each relating to a specialization within the book industry. The report must be submitted by October 27 at the latest.
  2. 2-DAY SEMINAR - November 7 and 8
    1. DAY ONE: DISCUSSION WITH EXPERTS ON ISSUES RAISED IN THE ASSIGNMENTS
      1. Morning: Creation (creation - publishing - rights)
      2. Afternoon: Distribution (distribution - sales - reviews - archives)
    2. SECOND DAY: AI AND THE FUTURE
      1. Morning: AI workshop
        1. Presentation (2 hours max)
        2. Workshop
      2. Afternoon: avenues for innovation: identify areas for development in the various fields. These areas will then be divided among the groups for the next stage.
  3. PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND SEMINAR
    1. TEAM: each team (which may be different from the first ones) chooses an area and conducts in-depth research, highlighting all the positive and negative aspects, identifying problems and meeting with specialists to test their solutions.
    2. PRODUCTION: a presentation to be given during the second seminar. External speakers may be invited to contribute to this presentation.
  4. 1-DAY SEMINAR - December 13
    1. PRESENTATION: each group presents its project in the most dynamic way possible
    2. DISCUSSION: exchanges with specialists
  5. PERSONAL EVALUATION
    1. Based on these three days and two assignments, each student develops a personal project that will serve as a common thread throughout the two internships.
Evaluation methods
The assessment will be based on 
participation in the seminar days (25%)
group preparatory work (25%)
individual work (50%)
Online resources
The course does not use Moodle, but Teams.
Faculty or entity
> ELAL


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Master [120] in Ancient and Modern Languages and Literatures
LAFR2M
5
Master [120] in French and Romance Languages and Literatures : General
ROM2M
5