Unit rationale, description and aim
Professionals in all fields of practice will encounter crises and need to be able to develop strategies communicate clearly and convincingly. This unit will examine the role of communication at moments of political, economic, social and environmental upheaval. It will investigate the contemporary stresses in communication and the effectiveness of various forms of disseminating information. No longer the privilege of institutions or power centres, mass communication is democratised through a range of online platforms. This unit will examine the challenges this decentering brings to how information is spread and who accesses it, from political commentary and media reporting to disinformation campaigns and the fostering of conspiracy theories. The learning outcomes can be attained through a mixture of communications theory, in-depth research and case study analysis. This unit will examine how and why various techniques and forms of communication are more effective than others and investigate the crises that have altered communication itself.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify and analyse a range of communicative prac...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse the communication dynamics inherent in rea...
Learning Outcome 02
Synthesise and apply communication theory and stra...
Learning Outcome 03
Apply ethical perspectives in the creation and ana...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics may include:
· Historic case studies in which communication has caused, prevented or ameliorated crises
· Pre-emptive crisis writing
· Leadership and communication during conflict
· Community engagement: before, during, and after a crisis
· Inclusive communication and accessibility.
· Government and institutional communicative responses to disasters, pandemics, climate change and other crises
· Disinformation, conspiracies, fake news and the contemporary crisis in communication
· Ethical considerations
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment tasks in this unit are designed to scaffold the ability to use communication theory to understand the role of communication in conflict and resolution situations.
The first assessment will require students to carry out a basic analysis of the communication dynamics present in a series of classroom or online role play scenarios. Students will be introduced to issues such as power, gender, and race and consider them in the context of communicative acts.
The second assignment requires students to analyse an appropriate case study involving communication at a point of crisis and use communication theory to analyse the strategies and shortcomings involved. This will encourage employment of higher-order research and analytic skills.
The third assessment will require students to apply communication theory to several conflict or crisis situations.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: CRISIS COMMUNICATION SCENARIO The ...
Assessment 1: CRISIS COMMUNICATION SCENARIO
The purpose of this task is to help students gain practical experience managing a crisis scenario.
20%
Assessment 2: RESEARCH TASK The purpose of thi...
Assessment 2: RESEARCH TASK
The purpose of this assessment is to use communication theory to analyse the dynamics present in one case study.
40%
Assessment 3: SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT The purpose ...
Assessment 3: SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
The purpose of this assignment is to test students’ ability to apply communication theories to a range of contexts.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit immerses students in active learning and facilitates the development of an understanding of communicative strategies within real-world contexts. The unit engages students in inquiry-based learning, and a research-based strategy that actively involves students in the exploration of the content, issues and questions surrounding moments of crisis and the role of communication. Students in this unit will develop skills in applying a range of communication theories to case studies. There will be a chance to explore real-world scenarios and use theories to analyse what happened and what could be improved in the future.