Strategic Communication in International Relations
Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies
Teaching language: English
EKA: B430013102
Censorship: Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master
Course ID: B430013101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 13-03-2018
Duration: 1 semester
Course ID
Course Title
Teaching language
ECTS value
Responsible study board
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
Offered in
Level
Offered in
Duration
Mandatory prerequisites
Recommended prerequisites
Students need competences in International Relations equal to those acquired in a bachelor degree in political science. Students must be prepared to participate actively in class discussions and group work.
Aim and purpose
Strategic communication has become a popular practice in international politics where diplomats and military staff alike increasingly incorporate communication tools as a deliberate part of their work. This course introduces students to central theoretical debates and practical approaches to strategic communication in international politics. Throughout the course, we develop a communication toolbox that will be applied to different relevant cases, e.g. NATO’s strategic use of communication in military conflicts, the EU’s Eastern enlargement and the Ukraine crisis, Danish nation branding, and the strategic use of disinformation in hybrid warfare by Russia.
The course introduces both theoretical elements from the field of Organizational Communication Studies and from International Relations. This gives the students the necessary knowledge of central concepts that help them analyze different aspects of communication in international politics. Furthermore, a practice-oriented approach will give the students insights into the actual work of military and diplomatic communication practitioners working with current European security dilemmas.
Content
-Strategic communication and strategic narratives
-Soft power
-International politics in a new media ecology
-Communication in warfare (case: NATO)
-Geopolitics as narratives (case: The Ukraine crisis)
-Nation branding and public diplomacy (case: Denmark)
-Disinformation and hybrid threats (case: Russia)
-The Communicative Constitution of Organizations (case: The EU)
-Organizational communication models: E.g. communication as plan, position and practice.
Learning goals
By the end of the semester, the students should be able to:
-Account for the fundamental theoretical implications of a communication perspective to the study of International Relations.
-Discuss the differences between various theoretical, e.g. rationalist and constructivist, approaches to strategic communication.
-Understand the communication models introduced during the course and apply them to illustrative cases.
-Take a critical perspective towards the role that strategic communication plays in current international affairs.
Literature
The course syllabus, together with links to relevant journal articles or e-books, will be available on Blackboard prior to the beginning of the course.
Teaching Method
The course will consist of a mix of lectures, group work, class discussions and individual assignments.
Students will participate based on the assigned readings and from time to time on small case study assignments. The students are therefore expected to come prepared to class.
8 lectures during fall 2018 comprised by 4 x 2 hours and 4 x 3 hours.
Workload
Examination regulations
Exam
Name
Exam
Timing
Ordinary exam in January, re-examination in February.
Rules
-3 is not allowed
Tests
Take home assignment
Name
Take home assignment
Form of examination
Take-home assignment
Censorship
Second examiner: None
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Exam number
Language
English
Duration
53 hours
Length
Max. 8 pages (2,400 key strokes including spaces, appendixes, and notes, but excluding table of content and list of references).
Examination aids
All allowed. Internet access necessary.
Assignment handover
Via "SDU assignment" on the course page in Blackboard.
Assignment handin
The paper must be handed-in in digital form and submitted via "SDU assignment" on the course page in Blackboard.
ECTS value
5
EKA
B430013102
External comment
The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
Courses offered
Offer period | Offer type | Profile | Education | Semester |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2018 | Optional | Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2018 | Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense | |
Fall 2018 | Optional | Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2017 | Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense | |
Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i statskundskab gældende for studerende optaget efter 1/9-15 | Master of Science (MSc) in Political Science | Odense | |
Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS: | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense |