Managing Strategic Risk and Crisis Communication - Interactive curriculae of TU Ilmenau

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You can find all details on planned lectures and classes in the course catalogue.

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module properties Managing Strategic Risk and Crisis Communication in degree program Master Media and Communication Science 2021

module number

200816

examination number

2500573

department

Department of Economic Sciences and Media

ID of group

2555 (Resarch in Public Relations and Communication of Technology)

module leader

Dr. Andreas Schwarz

term

summer term only

language

Englisch

credit points

on-campus program (h)

self-study (h)

128

obligation

elective module

exam

alternative examination performance

details of the certificate

Assignments include (a) oral presentations, (b) practical exercises, and (c) a final paper.

link to Moodle course

https://moodle2.tu-ilmenau.de/enrol/index.php?id=1339

teacher

Dr. Schwarz, Andreas

signup details for alternative examinations

Dieses Modul enthält mindestens eine alternative semesterbegleitende Abschlussleistung. Bitte beachten Sie, dass diese in der Regel schon zu Beginn des Semesters, in dem diese angeboten wird, angemeldet werden muss.
Über die Details und Zeiträume dazu werden Sie vom Lehrenden und/oder dem Prüfungsamt informiert. Fragen Sie gegebenenfalls unbedingt beim Lehrenden nach.

This module contains at least one alternative exam part. Please note that this must usually be registered at the beginning of the semester in which it is offered.
The lecturer and/or the examination office will inform you about the details and time periods. If necessary, be sure to ask the lecturer.

maximum number of participants

previous knowledge and experience

This course requires a basic knowledge in the field of communication and media studies and a basic understanding of strategic communication and management practice.

learning outcome

Upon course completion, students understood principles and elements of an ongoing approach to the strategic management of risk and crisis communication. They developed abilities to apply findings of crisis communication
research/theory in an organizational and managerial environment, including
private companies, governmental authorities and non-governmental
organizations. Students learned about measures and mechanisms to prevent and to detect crises. They acquired an understanding of sustainable and effective crisis preparation tools in an organizational environment. Moreover, participants increased their skills of applying effective risk and crisis response strategies (form and content). They understood core mechanisms of post-crisis communication, crisis learning, and crisis communication evaluation. Students finally deduced trends and future challenges of crisis communication from
recent cases and research (e.g., international dimensions of crisis
communication).

content

By examining crisis communication from the perspective of an ongoing
approach to the strategic crisis management (Coombs, 2019) course
participants get an overview on each step of the management process
including crisis prevention, crisis preparation, crisis response, and
crisis learning/evaluation.

Students are introduced to the international state of research in
risk and crisis communication (concepts, theories, findings) and understand
basic principles of an evidence-based crisis communication practice.
This includes current trends and future challenges of crisis
communication such as international crisis communication, internal
crisis communication or innovative crisis communication technologies.
The course offers a broad perspective on crisis communication practice
in different organizational environments (e.g., companies, government,
NGOs) and different crisis types (e.g., human-error accidents, product
recalls, natural disasters, mega damages, etc.).

Course participants are organized in small 'crisis teams'. Each team is
working on real-world crisis cases and assesses them on the basis
of core research-based recommendations for effectively managing
organizational crises. The course includes practical exercises such as
risk assessment, crisis planning, and a spokesperson training. In addition,
students write their own case study at the end of the course.

media of instruction and technical requirements for education and examination in case of online participation

Laptops, Presentation software

literature / references

All relevant course materials will be made available on the online learning platform Moodle.

Furthermore, the course is based on the following list of recommended readings:

Coombs, W. T. (2019). Ongoing crisis communication. Planning, managing, and responding (5th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.
Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (eds.). (2010). The handbook of crisis communication. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Fearn-Banks, K. (2016). Crisis communications. A casebook approach (5th ed.). New York: Routledge.
George & C. Pratt (eds.), Case studies in crisis communication: international perspectives on hits and misses. New York: Routledge.
Ulmer, R. R., Sellnow, T. L., & Seeger, M. W. (2017). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

evaluation of teaching