General provisions

The course is offered in English.

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university, including at least 90 credits in the social sciences or a comparable field and an independent project of at least 15 credits. Proficiency in English equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student shall be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• independently identify and evaluate how changes in media and society influence contemporary organisations and their practices,
• independently and critically examine how organisations, through their communication strategies, relate to and handle the risks and uncertainties that arise from these changes,
• account for the current research in the area of organisational communication in relation to digital media.

Skills and abilities

• critically and creatively discuss how mediatisation and digitalisation influence organisations,
• discuss and critically reflect on how contemporary socio-cultural processes influence the structures and abilities of organisations to communicate their activities with their internal, as well as external, stakeholders,
• use the acquired knowledge about digital media and organisations to understand and plan communication in relation to processes of change,
• collect empirical material and use theories discussed in the course to analyse them.

Judgment and approach

• demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of science when applied to the course content, its role in society and people's responsibility for how it is used,
• demonstrate an awareness of the ethical aspects of research within these subject areas.

Content

The main learning outcome of the course is a deep understanding and critical review of the impact that digital media and socio-cultural changes have on contemporary organisations. The course focuses on examining the diversity of communicative activities through which organisations seek to handle and relate to their environments. A specific focus is placed on processes of change such as mediatisation and digitalisation and their consequences for contemporary organisations. Methodological awareness and skills on how to study and evaluate these processes are also part of the learning outcomes

Instruction

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment

The course is examined by active participation in seminars and a written exam.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator or a decision by the department's working group for study matters.