Polit­ic­al Com­mu­nic­a­tion and Pub­lic Af­fairs

Course content

The purpose of the course is threefold:

• (i) to give students concepts and tools for analyzing the political dimensions of complex contemporary problems
• (ii) to equip students with knowledge needed to analyze public affairs in a global landscape and develop solutions to social problems
• (iii) to give students the tools needed for understanding and managing the digitalization and datafication of communication within and across organizations.

Specifically, the course gives insights into new sociological theories of politics and communication, and equips students to understand the possibilities, limits and ambiguities in political processes.

The course will address new developments in public affairs literature in order to observe how present challenges are articulated and influenced by actors in the global sphere and equip students to engage in research-based policy design and delivery, stakeholder identification, crisis management in a digital context, data ethics, strategic thinking, and effective presentation of data.

The course is structured based on three analytical frameworks: communication, types of digital media, and platforms and affordances.