PATHWAY DESCRIPTION
The pathway Risk Communication and Crisis Journalism focuses on the ways media and public, private, or non-governmental organizations communicate about present, emerging, and evolving risks. Combining the methodical engagement with the rich theoretical and case study research literature with a hands-on coverage of current crises and emergencies, the pathway explores the best practices in dealing with peace and war, environment, science, and public health, through strategic communication and crisis management methods to confront disinformation and hate speech.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Graduates specializing in Risk Communication and Crisis Journalism can develop the following skills:
1) Appreciate the value of risk communication in contemporary global society,
2) Select and apply the appropriate form of communication in a variety of risk situations,
3) Have critical perspective of the challenges and demands faced by independent crisis journalism,
4) To exercise high-level research, analytical and informational skills in crisis and risk coverage from a methodical and socially responsible point of view.
PATHWAY CORE COURSE
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.
PATHWAY ELECTIVE COURSES
This unit covers in detail the practice of research methods in the field of communication. Students will become familiar with developing the research question(s), formulating the research questions and hypotheses of their study, selecting participants and instruments. Moreover, they will explore the various designs that are used in quantitative (e.g. experimental and quasi experimental design, correlational design, surveys) and qualitative
(e.g. interviews, focus groups) research. During these sessions students will learn how to select the appropriate research design depending on the area they wish to study and the analysis that is required for each set of data (quantitative or qualitative). A great emphasis is also given to the ethical issues in research methods.
The course aims to introduce students to the conceptualization, design, and difficulties of qualitative research methods used in media and communication studies, including participant observation and digital ethnography, depth interviews, focus groups, historical analysis, discourse, thematic, visual and content analysis.
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of migration within the European Union (EU) and the critical role of communication research methods in understanding and addressing the complexities of migration. The course combines theoretical perspectives with practical research skills, enabling students to analyze migration trends, policies, and their societal impacts through the lens of communication studies.
The course seeks to introduce students to the concepts of peace, conflict and violence, and analyze the role that media/journalists can play in conflict resolution and peace-building. Through a number of case studies, it examines how journalism can create opportunities to consider and value non-violent responses to conflict. In so doing, not only does it compare war journalism (the dominant paradigm, which generates a simplistic perception of significant events) to peace journalism (an alternative approach), but also examines techniques on how the reporting of war and violence (direct, structural, cultural) can be made more accurate and more useful by seeking the roots of conflict and highlighting possible solutions.
To learn about journalism as a writing activity, as a profession, and as a social force. To develop an awareness of the history and changing currents of environmental journalism and conservation politics as revealed in the mainstream media. To encourage students to take a sharper and more alert scrutiny of the world around them.
The course provides an overview to health communication research. Its primary goal is to discuss how communication can change health risk behaviors. It has a theoretical and a practical focus. Theoretically, it employs a psychological perspective by focusing on the psychological processes underlying the formation and change of health-related attitudes and behaviors. Theories are conceived as the essential tools we use to implement successful communication campaigns. Practically, the course employs an empirical approach to evaluation of health communication: students will design an empirical study, collect and analyze data, and write up a paper on a health communication issue, which, unavoidably this year, will be the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covering crises presents some of the biggest challenges in today’s media. This course examines how the international broadcast, print and Web news media cover wars and other humanitarian crises. The course aims to introduce the students to the techniques of journalism in reporting war crises and offer the necessary conceptual and practical tools to understand the rapid changes in the field.
PREPARATORY COURSES
This advanced English course focuses on news (both hard and soft) and feature story writing for the print media. By combining theory and practice it introduces students to headline language, news story format, leads, the Associated Press stylebook and news writing techniques. The students also have the opportunity to practice their interviewing skills and to write personality features for the print media.
This course is designed to help graduate students with academic writing by developing the skills necessary to produce high quality work in term-papers and the end-of-year dissertation. The lectures, tasks and activities are richly varied, ranging from small-scale language points to studying the discourse of journalism, media, and communication. Topics to be dealt with include: writing expository and argumentative texts, writing summaries, introductions and conclusions, discussion of data, citing and attributing sources, researching and creating bibliographies. Students receive feedback on their writing and are expected to engage in self-editing and peer-reviewing. The course is highly recommended for students with little experience in writing academic papers and for those who need to brush up their skills in academic writing.
