Risk Communication and Crisis Journalism

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RIC 301 Risk Communication

10

Course Description

This module examines an array of transfrontier: risks, threats, crises or disasters and global challenges. The aim is to clarify key concepts such as ‘risks’, resulting in disasters and to distinguish them from productive, ‘effective risk taking’. It focuses on their implications, past or ongoing, on predictable collateral damages, in the short and long term, feither acing humanity in part, or as a whole, at global or glocal levels. Vast disasters affect life, security, public health and environmental sustainability. The course presents case studies and relevant governance approaches or policy initiatives, undertaken at supranational level (UN agencies or the EU). It focuses on corresponding national or regional policies, but also on powerful reactions against them by vested interests. Key UN protocols and international law steps aiming to preempt or curb climate risks are discussed. Emphasis is on themes and guidelines for action, adopted by UN M-S and brought to prominence and public attention globally, f.ex. by the Rio Summit on Sustainability, or the Protocols of Montreal and of Kyoto, aiming to preemt environmental disasters such as ‘global warming’ or to remedy them.

Course Objectives

Familiarize with concepts of ‘environmental risk’, ‘social crises’, ‘global public goods’
Distinguish diverse categories of interlinked risks and challenges
Grasp consequential irreversible impact of environmental risks / crises on large populations
Elaborate with notions of ‘normative journalism’ for global awareness and rescue
Come to terms with non-partisan, activist types of journalism.

Learning outcomes

Identify environmental risks and their concrete impact on society
Capacity to analyze risks critically from a multi-stakeholder perspective
Ability to compare risks and stakes between competing interests of various kinds, while considering and defending the ‘public interest’
Construct proactive journalism methods: defending ‘global public goods’ and the universal common interest
Approach humanity’s welfare risks beyond borders or nationalistic scope

Class and learning activities

Lectures, workshops, in situ study-visits, group simulation workshops, in-class presentations, literature study, written assignments.

Workload

Type of work	Description	Hours
Lectures	Thirteen 3-hours lectures	39
Simulation of roles in group work	Coordination of role play-acting and group work	20-25
Independent study	Study of required and optional literature	40-45
Research	Off- and Online research	35-40
Written assignments-Presentations	Written assignments in-class oral presetantion and defense of main assignment submitting of the written essay of 3000 words (plus/minus 500)	120-140
	Total workload	254-289

Assessment

Type of assessment	Learning outcome	Impact on final grade	Date of assessment
Participation in group work and discussion	1-5	20%	Regularly
Preliminary Oral Presentation (of written) assignment	1-5	20%	8th-12th week
Simulating of Roles workshops	3-4	20%	5th-8th week
Submit written assignment (essay)	1-5	40%	14th week

Bibliography – required reading

Beck Ulrich, (1991), ‘Risk Society’, Cambridge, Polity Press,
Beck Ulrich, (2007), ‘World at Risk’, Cambridge, Polity Press
in Maxwell R. et al. ‘Media and the Ecological Crisis’, (eds), New York, Routledge
Kaul, Inge, Isabelle Grunberg & Mark A.Stern, (eds), (1999) ‘Global Public Goods’, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Maxwell Richard, Jon Raundalen, Nina Lager Vestberg, (2014), ‘Media and the Ecological Crisis’, (eds), New York, Routledge
Sophia Kaitatzi-Whitlock, (2014), ‘E-waste, Human Waste, Infoflation’,
Stig A. Nohrstedt (ed), (2010), ‘Communicating Risks: Towards the Threat Society?’, Gothenburg, NORDICOM

Additional Essay-supporting Reading List

Beck Ulrich, (1988), ‘What Is Globalization?’ Polity Press, Cambridge
Crenson A. Matthew (1971), ‘The Unpolitics of Air Pollution’, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore & London
European Union, Commission, (2008), ‘A sustainable Future in Our Hands: guide to the EU’s sustainable development strategy’, CEC, Luxembourg
George Soros, (1998), ‘The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered’, New York, Public Affairs
Gorz Andre, (1980), ‘Ecology as Politics’, South End Press, Boston
Habermas Jurgen, (2003), ‘The Future of Human Nature’, Cambridge, Polity
Löfstedt Ragnar & Boholm Åsa, (2009), ‘Risk’, (eds), London, EarthScan Publishing
Martin Rees, (2003), ‘Our Final Century: will the human race survive the twenty-first century?’, London, Heinemann
Naomi Klein, (2008), ‘The Shock Doctrine’; Toronto, Random House Limited
Ralston Saul John (1995), ‘The Unconscious Civilization’ , New York, Free Press