Characteristics
- Course: Shaping Society: How organisations and the media influence public issues
- Programme: Master's in Communication Science
- Group size: 25 students
- Study load: 6 EC
- Year: Master's students (one-year regular Master's programme)
Course description
In the Master’s course Shaping Society, the interplay between private organisations (e.g. corporations), public organisations (e.g. governmental organisations), and the media in shaping and strategically influencing the public debate on issues is studied. With the IIS grant, teachers Sandra Jacobs and Irina Lock developed a consultancy track from scratch that runs alongside the theoretical part of the course. In the consultancy track, students work in groups on a case to outline actor positions and strategies to reflect on how key actors aim to shape society. Based on their critical analysis, they give practical strategic communication advice to the client. More specifically, students are expected to develop a professional consultancy attitude and to acquire the corresponding skills, such as making theory-informed analyses of practical problems and using academic insights to give evidence-based recommendations that are appropriate for the practical situation. As part of the consultancy track, students did an intake meeting with the client, they got a workshop about giving a professional pitch and insight into relationship management, and wrote a reflection paper to stimulate deep learning. A description of the consultancy track, including instructions and grading schemes for the consultancy report and reflection paper, can be found below.
We want to prepare our students for the future and give them academic-based practical skills to make them communication professionals with a broader look at society who can enrich the field with (much-needed) evidence-based practices.dr. I.J. (Irina) Lock