Resum

Training in law and duty-based ethics in curricula for content curators

Objective: To examine the training offered in law and duty-based ethics in higher education curricula for the content curator, currently one of the most sought after professionals in the Spanish digital content industry.

Methodology: The article analyses the curricula of the Bachelor's Degree in Information and Documentation and the Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, the two degrees which provide the most relevant training for students wishing to pursue a career in content curation. In Spain, Information and Documentation is currently taught in eleven public universities and one private institution, while Journalism is taught in eighteen public universities and eighteen private centers. During September and October of 2015, the writer analyzed the curricula for these two degrees as they appeared in the web pages of all of the universities concerned. For both degrees, the analysis considered the name of the subjects dedicated to content curation and their status as basic, compulsory or optional subjects. It also considered the overall programming of these subjects in the academic year and their study load. The description of the subject content was obtained from the official course guides, prospectuses or subject profiles when and where these had been made accessible to the public.

Results: Although duty-based ethics are understood to be essential for professional excellence, the curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree in Information and Documentation provides little specific training in this subject and the students' contact with it is transversal, through other subjects. On the other hand, this degree does offer specific training on the subject of intellectual property. In the case of the Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, there is a greater presence of subjects offering training in law and duty-based ethics.