Unit Outline 2014 Faculty of Arts & Design

Risk, Crisis & Communication

7545

Page 1 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

This Unit Outline must be read in conjunction with: a) UC Student Guide to Policies, which sets out University-wide policies and procedures, including information on matters such as plagiarism, grade descriptors, moderation, feedback and deferred exams, and is available at (scroll to bottom of page) http://www.canberra.edu.au/student-services b) UC Guide to Student Services, and is available at (scroll to bottom of page) http://www.canberra.edu.au/student-services c) Any additional information specified in section 6h.

1:
1a

General Information
Unit title: Risk, Crisis & Communication

1b

Unit number: 7545

1c

Teaching Period and year offered: Semester 1, 2014

1d

Credit point value: 3

1e

Unit level: Undergraduate Third Year level

1f

Name of Unit Convener and contact details (including telephone and email) Professor R. Warwick Blood. Phone: 2587 (02 6201 2587) E Email: Warwick.Blood@canberra.edu.au Note: Warwick Blood is normally on campus only on Wednesdays and Thursdays

1g

Administrative contact details Brooke Barnes 9C 6 Phone: 2475 (01 6201 2475) Email: FADadmin@canberra.edu.au

Page 2 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

2:
2a

Academic Content
Unit description and learning outcomes

This unit examines contemporary theories of risk and risk communication by drawing on the seminal ideas of Beck and Giddens. The central ideas of the risk society are examined including contributions from sociology, cultural anthropology, psychology and contemporary communication, media and cultural studies research. Models of risk communication are examined including the dominant technical or scientific approach, psychometric research on risk perceptions, and later models of reflexive practice that encompass broader social and cultural approaches. Case studies include risk communication practice in the environmental sciences, science and health communication, government and international communication, and crisis communication. Learning Outcomes: 1. A critical understanding of the central ideas in risk theory and contemporary models of risk and crisis communication; 2. Critical awareness of issues in risk communication research; 3. An understanding of the ethical, cultural, political and social issues in the field; 4. An understanding of the link between risk communication models and professional practice.

2b

Generic skills:

The unit further develops generic skills in analytical inquiry, including evaluation of published research, communication (including oral presentation) and problem-solving. Given the nature of the unit, a key component involves further developing the capacity to use professional knowledge and skills ethically and responsibly for the benefit of others and the environment. See: Generic Skills and Attributes of UC Graduates of Coursework Programs: UC Generic Skills 2c Prerequisites and/or co-requisites

7003 Communication & Media Research or permission of Unit Convenor

3:
3a

Delivery of Unit and Timetable

Delivery mode:

On campus in standard semesters one 1.5 hour lecture each week, and one 90 minute tutorial, as shown in the schedule below.

Page 3 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

3b Timetable of activities: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 1: Lecture: Topics: 17 21 February 19 February - Welcome to the globalized risk society Preliminary ideas about globalization & risk Charting epistemological, ontological & methodological perspectives.

Readings on E-Reserve: Alaszewski, A. (2005). Risk communication: identifying the importance of social context. Health, Risk & Society, 7(2): 101-105. Lupton, D. (1999). Risk. London: Routledge; Chapter 2, Theorizing Risk, Tutorials: No tutorials in Week 1

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 2: Lecture: Topics: 24 28 February 26 February From environmental catastrophe to terrorist threat Our contemporary preoccupation with risk

Readings on E-Reserve: Mythen, G. (2004). Ulrich Beck: A critical introduction to the risk society. London: Pluto Press; Chapter 1, Mapping the risk society. Tutorials: Orientation & tutorial format Getting started on the Risk and News Annotated Bibliography

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 3: Lecture: Topics: 3 7 March 5 March Risk in the news Library database searching Mediated risk

Readings on E-Reserve:
Strydom, P (2002). Risk, environment and society. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press; Chapter 1. The risk discourse: the contemporary concern with risk. Tutorials: Becks risk society thesis [See questions on Unit Moodle site at Week 3]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 4 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 4: 11 - 14 March [10 March is Canberra Day public holiday] 12 March - Framing risk & social consequences Public opinion and risk Manufacturing news; Framing news

Lecture: Topics:

Readings on E-Reserve: Entman, R. (1993). Framing: Towards clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43 (4): 51-58. Kitzinger, J. (1999). Researching risk and the media. Health, Risk & Society, 1 (1): 55-69. Tutorials: The risk society elaborated [See questions on Unit Moodle site at Week 4] On Moodle at Week 4 Risk News Annotated Bibliography Discussion

Forum:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 5: Lecture: Topics: 17 21 March 19 March Risk, news & public opinion News and risk

Readings on E Reserve: Bainbridge, J., & Galloway, C. (2010). Communicating catastrophe: Blame, Black Saturday and newspaper constructions of bushfire risk. Media International Australia (137): 100-108. Kitzinger, J. & Reilly, J. (1997). The rise and fall of risk reporting: Media coverage of human genetics research, False Memory syndrome, and Mad Cow Disease. European Journal of Communication 12(3): 319-350. Tutorials: Risk and news [See questions on Unit Moodle site at Week 5]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 5 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 6: Lecture: Topics: 24 28 March 26 March SARF and its critique Psychometric research tradition & approaches to risk analyses SARF Social Amplification of Risk Framework Critique of psychometric approaches & SARF

Readings on E-Reserve: Bakir, V. (2005). Greenpeace v. Shell: media exploitation and the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF). Journal of Risk Research 8 (7-8):679-691. Murdoch, G., Petts, J. & Horlick-Jones, T. (2003). After amplification: rethinking the role of the media in risk communication (pp. 156-178). In N. Pidgeon, R. Kasperson & P. Slovic. (eds.) The social amplification of risk. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tutorials: Risk and news [See questions on Unit Moodle site at Week 6]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 7: Lecture: Topics: 31 March 4 April 2 March Case Studies Probability, uncertainty & expert systems Case Studies: GM Foods; Greenpeace & Shell; BSE, False Memory Syndrome & human genetic research

Readings on E-Reserve: Wynne, B. (1996). May the sheep safely graze? A reflexive view of the expert-lay knowledge divide (pp. 44-83). In B. Lash, B. Szerzynski & B. Wynne, B. (eds.) Risk, Environment and Modernity: Toward a new ecology. London: Sage. Tutorials: Case Studies [See questions of Unit Moodle site at Week 7]

Risk News Annotated Bibliography Upload to Moodle at Week 7 by Friday 4 April 2014 at 2000 hrs (8 pm) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Due Date: Week 8: Class Free Period: 7 11 April No Lecture or Tutorials

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 6 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 9: 14 17 April [18 April is Good Friday public holiday] 16 April Challenging Beck & Giddens Critique of Beck & Giddens Wynne on science, technology and expert systems The lay perspective

Lecture: Topics:

Readings on E-Reserve: Andersen, P. & Spitzberg, B. (2009). Myths and maxims of risk and crisis communication (pp. 205226). In R. Heath & H.D. OHair (eds.) Handbook of Risk and Crisis Communication. London: Routledge. Tutorials: On Line Activity. No on-campus tutorials this week. [See questions on Unit Moodle site at Week 9] On Moodle at Week 9 Risk News Analysis Discussion

Forum:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 10: 21 25 April [21 April is Easter Monday & Friday 25 April is Anzac Day pubic holidays] 23 April Dialogic Risk Communication Lay versus expert understandings of risk Grounded, conversational models

Lecture: Topics:

Readings on E-Reserve: Holland, K., Blood, R.W., Imison, M., Chapman, S. & Fogarty, A. (2012). Risk, expert uncertainty, and Australian news media: public and private faces of expert opinion during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Journal of Risk Research 15(6) June: 657-671. Holland, K., Blood, R.W., Thomas, S., Lewis, S. Komesaroff, P. & Castle, D. (2011). Our girth is plain to see: An analysis of newspaper coverage of Australias Future Fat Bomb. Health, Risk & Society 13(1): 31-46. Tutorials: On Line Activity. No on-campus tutorials this week. [See questions on Unit Moodle site at Week 10] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 7 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 11: Lecture: Topics: 28 April 2 May 30 April Repositioning risk communication Dominant models & alternatives

Readings on E-Reserve: Kearnes, M., Grover-White, R., MacNaghten, P., Wilsdon, J. & Wynne, B. (2006). From Bio to Nano: Learning Lessons from the UK Agricultural Biotechnology Controversy. Science as Culture 15 (4): 291-307. Tutorials: Risk Communication Models [See questions are on unit Moodle site at Week 11]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 12: Lecture: Topics: 5 9 May 7 May Critiquing risk communication and practice Policy implications of risk communication Case Studies

Readings on E-Reserve: Hom, A., Plaza, R. Palmn, R. (2011). The framing of risk and implications for policy and governance: the case of EMF. Public Understanding of Science 20(3):319-333. Boholm, . & Lfstedt, R. (1999). Issues of risk, trust and knowledge: The Hallandss tunnel case. Ambio 28 (6): 556-561. Tutorials: Risk Communication Case Studies [See questions on unit Moodle site at Week 12]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 8 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week 13: Lecture: Topics: 12 16 May 14 May Global terrorism as risk War, terrorism and risk Images of terrorism

Readings on E-Reserve: Beck, U. (2001). The fight for a cosmopolitan future. News Statesman, 25 November, pp. 33-34. Handmer, J. & James, P. (2007). Trust us and be scared: The changing nature of contemporary risk. Global Society, 21 (1): 119-130. Tutorials: Risk Communication Case Studies Future Practice [See questions on unit Moodle site at Week 13] Risk News Analysis Upload to Moodle at Week 13 by Friday 16 May at 2000 hrs (8 pm) 2014

Due Date:

4:
4a

Unit Resources
Lists of required texts/readings For Unit readings and resources in the University of Canberra Library Link to search page for Unit Readings (print materials) Link to search page for eReserve (electronic materials)

Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods. (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bryman was the textbook for 7003 Communication & Media Research, the pre-requisite for this unit. It is available at the Co-Op Bookstore on campus. There are many concepts in the readings that will be difficult to fully understand without reference to Bryman. Readings: Readings listed in the timetable of activities above are located on e-reserve for the unit. Access via Moodle (top of site).

The following listed texts are available in the Library. Some weekly readings listed in the schedule above have been extracted from these texts. Additionally, there are many texts focused on risk, media and health Allan, S. (2002). Media, risk and science. Buckingham, UK; Open University Press. Beck, U. (2007). World at risk. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Beck, U. (1992). Risk society: Towards a new modernity. (trans. M. Ritter). London: Sage. Flynn, J., Slovic, P. & Kunreuther, H. (2001). Risk, media and stigma: Understanding public challenges to modern science and technology. London: Earthscan.

Page 9 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

Heath, R. & OHair, H.D. (eds.) (2009). Handbook of risk and crisis communication. London: Routledge. Krimsky, S. & Golding, D. (1992) (eds.). Social theories of risk. London: Praeger. Mythen, G. (2004). Ulrich Beck: A critical introduction to the risk society. London: Pluto Press. Pidgeon, N., Kasperson, R. & Slovic, P. (2003). (eds.).The social amplification of risk. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tulloch, J. & Lupton, D. (2003). Risk and everyday life. London: Sage. Slovic, P. (2001). (ed.). The perception of risk. London: Earthscan Publications. Strydom, P. (2007). Risk, environment and society. Buckingham, UK: OUP. Zinn, J. (ed.) (2008). Social theories of risk and uncertainty: An introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.

4b

Materials and equipment

No other materials are required 4c Unit website

To find your unit site online, login to LearnOnline(Moodle) using your student ID. Note that your unit site has a profiles page that displays your name and email address for the benefit of other students. If you prefer to hide your email address, click here for instructions. The unit has a Moodle website: http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/course/view.php?id=10891 Assignments should be uploaded to this site at the designated week.

Page 10 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

5:
5a

Assessment
Assessment overview Assessment Item Due Date Throughout semester Upload to Moodle at Week 7 by Friday 4 April 2014 at 2000 hrs (8 pm) Upload to Moodle at Week 13 by Friday 16 May at 2000 hrs (8 pm) 2014 Weighting 20%

Tutorial Report & Participation Risk News Annotated Bibliography

35%

Risk News Analysis

45%

Please note UCs Generic Skills, which are referred to in the assessment criteria below. UC Generic Skills 1 - Communication 2 - Analysis and Inquiry 3 - Problem Solving 4 - Working independently and with others 5 - Professionalism and Social Responsibility 5b Details of each assessment item

Please note carefully. o o o o o o o o All email correspondence must come from your university student email address. This is required to protect your privacy. Emails from private addresses will be ignored. All assignments are to be typed, double-spaced on A4. Upload your written assignments to the Unit Moodle website by the due date at the appropriate upload. NOTE: Please see below about submission of written assignments. Use a familiar and consistent style for referencing; for example, the American Psychological Association or Harvard styles. Late assignments will incur a penalty of 5% for each day late. For late assignments please use the appropriate late upload site on the unit Moodle site. Please do not email late assignments to your tutor or unit convenor. They will be ignored.

Page 11 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

In cases of illness, misadventure, or extenuating circumstance, satisfactory documented evidence will need to be provided to gain permission for the late submission of assignments. Arrangements will then be made for submission of the assignment. The unit convenor and your tutor may require you to provide evidence that you have been working on the assignment. In exceptional circumstances, the unit convenor may substitute an oral presentation in place of a missed assessment item. Requests for an extension to submit assessable work must be made directly to your tutor. For all assessable work penalties may be applied if you do not follow instructions in submitting work. Your grade and mark for each assessment item, and the final unit grade and mark, will be reported as one of High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, Pass, or Fail with an appropriate mark. All assessable items are graded on the UC scale: Less than 50% = NX Fail 50% to 64% = Pass 65% to 74% = Credit 75% to 84% = Distinction 85% or more = High Distinction

o o o

Tutorial Report & Participation 20% of unit grade. Weekly Deadlines see timetable of activities above. The timetable of activities above details Readings on E-Reserve for each week. During the semester you will be assigned a reading or readings to report on to your tutorial group, and to then initiate discussion. This verbal report will be assessed by your tutor. Assignment of tasks will be available on Moodle as soon as possible after the start of semester In keeping with the units teaching and learning objectives, your report should only be verbal no PowerPoint or similar presentations or written materials. We will not accept written reports as a substitute for missed tutorial attendance and participation. These submissions will be ignored. Each week, your tutor will call on members of the tutorial group to add to the discussion based on their examination of the weekly readings. We cannot assign marks if you do not attend the tutorial. It is important that you have examined the readings for each week and are prepared to add to the tutorial discussion each week based on the questions that are set for each tutorial. This active involvement will prepare you for the two written assessment tasks the Risk News Annotated Bibliography, and the Risk Issue Analysis. There is an expectation that students will attend and participate in all tutorials. This is because participation through attendance is an important and significant component of meeting the learning outcomes of the unit. Not only is this relevant to the gaining of knowledge and skills appropriate to this particular unit but it also applies to your degree as a whole. From our experience, there is a significant relationship between a students attendance and participation, and the quality of their learning outcomes demonstrated by submitted assessable work.

Page 12 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

Assessment Criteria for Tutorial Report & Participation: This task is directly related to learning outcomes 1 and 2 (as above) for the unit and, as the tutorial program progresses, learning outcomes 3 and 4. The assessment criteria are: o o o o o Evidence of critical questioning and knowledge of readings; Ability to ask relevant questions about the underlying ontology, epistemology, theory, and the methods used, in the work reviewed; Ability to critically discuss the implications of the readings for understanding for risk communication theory and practice; Your ability to make arguments, and to arrive at conclusions logically in a succinct verbal comment; and Growing evidence as the tutorial series progresses of your understanding of the theory in the work you have reviewed.

This assessment complements your development of generic skills, especially analysis and inquiry, communication, working independently and with others, and professionalism and social responsibility.

Risk News Annotated Bibliography - 35% of unit grade. Due Date: Upload to Moodle at Week 7 by Friday 4 April 2014 at 2000 hrs (8 pm) Approximate length = 2500 words First, you need to choose a risk issue that has been covered in the news media. This is your choice. Choose wisely because this assessment task forms the basis of the Risk News Analysis the final assessment for the unit. You do not want to start all over again toward the end of the semester! To assist in this task, a forum is available on the unit Moodle site (at Week 4) where you can swap ideas with colleagues in the unit, your tutor and the unit convenor. IMPORTANT: You need to let your tutor know by the end of Week 4 your chosen risk issue. Do this at the designated site at Week 4 on Moodle. You need only name the risk issue. For example: smoking; or breast cancer; or earthquakes; or bush fires, etc. A Clearly, you will need to draw upon lectures, tutorials and your own research. For this assessment you need to search for peer-reviewed academic papers that focus on how the news media reports and portrays your chosen risk issue. That is, what does previous research tell us about how the risk (or aspect of the risk) is reported and portrayed by the news media in Australia and/or internationally? How many papers should you find? For most risk issues, you will find a host of material and you will need to narrow the focus to, say, the last two or three years of material. For others, you may need to broaden the scope of your search. For example, there is not that much published on media coverage of pH1N1 - the 2009-10 global pandemic of swine flu. But there is a growing body of research literature on EIDs or Emerging Infectious Diseases and media coverage; from Ebola, to SARS, to Avian flu to swine flu, all of which may be relevant to your chosen risk issue. Remember your focus is your defined risk issue and news media reporting and portrayal.
Page 13 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

In any event, you should be able to find about five peer reviewed journal papers that are relevant and timely and answer the general question of what does previous research tells us about how your risk issue is reported and portrayed by the news media. And, in some cases, you may be able to identify what the research does not tell us. Looking at your selected journal papers may also lead you (via key words or the reference list) to other relevant papers or, importantly, to a key paper that most researchers cite. Look ahead to the final Risk News Analysis assessment to see how you will use the brief report you will produce for your Risk News Annotated Bibliography What do you need to include in your Risk News Annotated Bibliographyt? Do not reference urls or websites use proper referencing style to properly identify refereed journal papers. Do not include copies of the papers assessors can easily find them if you have referenced them correctly. First, list the SEARCH TERMS you used. For example: Search terms: newspapers AND risk AND bushfires. Then list the Databases you searched. For example: Databases: Communication and Media Complete, SAGE, Taylor and Francis, MEDLINE. Finally, for each refereed journal paper you select, you need to write a succinct paragraph or two about what the research shows. For example: Bainbridge, J., & Galloway, C. (2010). Communicating catastrophe: Blame, Black Saturday and newspaper constructions of bushfire risk. Media International Australia, (137): 100-108. A qualitative textual analysis, using critical discourse analysis, of Australian newspaper coverage (limited to The Australian, The Age and Herald Sun) in February 2009 of the Victorian bushfires. Focus is on how social actors, including the newspapers, actively construct risk. Authors argue that media amplification of risk (after SARF) remains a critical consideration for future official risk communication, as does the issue of peoples ontological security in their homes (p. 106). While officials need to rely upon the news media, the media is likely to attribute blame and to amplify apocalyptic images of fires threatening communities. Search terms for identifying newspaper items on this bushfire are listed (p. 106). The paper does not quantitatively map the extent of the newspaper coverage. Thus, the assignment is not lengthy two or three lines to list your search terms and databases and five paragraphs (with correct journal references) to analyse your selected papers. This assessment is about selecting papers on media coverage of your risk issue that tell us something and can be used to complete the Risk News Analysis assessment.

Page 14 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

Assessment Criteria for Risk News Annotated Bibliography This task is directly related to learning outcomes 1 and 2 (see above) of the unit. The assessment criteria are: o o o o Your ability to conduct a relevant research literature review of news and your defined risk issue; Your ability to identify key themes, strengths and weaknesses in your literature review; Evidence of your ability to critically describe the research literature in terms of research design; and Your ability to produce an informative annotated bibliography of selected key research on how the news media reports and portrays your defined risk issue.

This assessment complements your development of generic skills, especially analysis and inquiry, communication, working independently and with others, and professionalism and social responsibility. Risk News Analysis 45% of the unit grade. Due Date: Upload to Moodle at Week 13 by Friday 16 May at 2000 hrs (8 pm) 2014 About 3,500 words The task is to analyse a defined aspect of newspaper, television or internet news coverage (or combination of these media) of your defined risk issue. You are free to choose that aspect of news coverage that you think best illustrates some significant features of coverage of the risk issue. To assist in this task, a forum is available on the unit Moodle site (at Week 9). First, identify your risk or aspects of the risk that you are focused on in this report. It may be possible for you to point to a couple of key technical or scientific reports that analyse this risk or aspect of the risk. Secondly, discuss what we know about the risk issue and how it is reported and portrayed by news media. That is, use your annotated risk news bibliography to write a succinct prcis of what selected previous research shows about how your risk issue is treated by news. Thirdly, identify, as succinctly as possible, the media or medium you are examining, including dates (or date-range), and why you have chosen these sources. Then analyse how your defined risk issue and the aspect you are focused on has been reported and portrayed in this identified news media. Why do you think the news has played up (or played down or ignored) elements of the risk issue? Identify what images and meanings about the issue or risk are being conveyed to news audiences. Relate what you have found to your previous research review (your annotated risk news bibliography) and to the readings we have examined in class).

Finally: Briefly, what are the implications of this news coverage for future risk communication about your risk issue? Write the report of no more than 3500 words as a technical report for a client who knows little about news coverage of the defined risk issue.
Page 15 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

Some Guidance: Clearly, you will need to draw upon lectures, tutorials and your own research. Draw on your Risk News Annotated Bibliography because that will give the focus you need to complete this assessment. It is only necessary to focus on one aspect (or a few aspects) of news coverage. In the time and space available to you it will be impossible to complete a systematic, comprehensive analysis of a defined risk issue. Thus, quantitative content analysis is not recommended or required; you have neither the time nor resources. It will be easier for you if you focus on some event or specific news coverage of some aspects of the risk issue. For example: a court case centred on the risk or aspects of the risk; or the release of a technical or scientific or medical report about the risk; the passage of contested legislation about the risk issue; an investigation by a news organization into the risk, the release of medical information by government or some other body that is disputed by various; celebrity involvement with a risk or some aspect of the risk; the reaction of key stakeholders to new knowledge, announcement etc. about a risk or aspects of the risk; official inquiries into disasters, crises, etc. An example: Suppose you were interested in breast cancer risk factors. A specific event to analyse in newspaper coverage say, restricted to two major Melbournes metropolitan newspapers would be Kylie Minogues diagnosis, treatment and recovery from breast cancer. You could further limit this analysis to a defined time period, say, two or three weeks. Or, alternatively, you could focus your report on several television reports about this event in a defined time period. Use can use printed text from newspaper databases (News Bank or Factiva or information available on the internet) as the main source for this assessment. But recognize the limitations of news text databases. It is not necessary for you to retrieve and photocopy the actual newspaper coverage. For television, use the TV News database. This is a useful source. Submit only your report do not include media material but correctly reference, using an appropriate consistent style, all media sources. Possible Outline o o o o o Risk issue definition, including one or two recent technical or scientific references (brief) Previous research on risk and news a prcis of your risk news annotated bibliography The news coverage selected for analysis, and justification (brief) Analysis of selected news coverage (the main body of your report) Implications for risk communication

Assessment Criteria for Risk News Analysis: This task, building on learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3 (see above), is directly related to learning outcomes 3 and 4 of the unit. The assessment criteria are: o o o Your ability to succinctly identify the risk issue (or aspects of the risk issue) with supporting expert evidence; Your ability to use your research literature review of news and your defined risk issue to identify the key issues in how the news media reports and portrays the issue; Your ability to identify themes, images and meanings available to news audiences in the news coverage;
Page 16 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

o o o

Evidence of your ability to critically describe news reporting and portrayal of a defined risk issue; Your ability to make arguments, and to arrive at conclusions logically in a readable, succinct report; and Your ability to identify implications for risk communication, based on current theory and practice that emerge from your news analyses.

This assessment complements your development of generic skills, especially analysis and inquiry, problem solving, communication, working independently and with others, and professionalism and social responsibility. 5c Submission of assessment items

All assessment items will be submitted online via the unit Moodle site. The first page of each assessment submission should include the following information: Student Name: Student ID: Assessment Name: Use only an MS-Word file Use file name: Last Name_First Name. doc (or docx). For example: Blood_Warwick.docx In uploading your assignment to the appropriate Moodle site, you are certifying that: o the attached assignment is your own work and no part of this work has been written for you by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorized by the unit convenor; material drawn from other sources has been fully acknowledged as to author/creator, source and other bibliographic details according to this units requirements for referencing; and no part of this work has been submitted for assessment in any other unit in this or another Faculty except where authorized by the unit convenor.

o o

5d

Special assessment requirements N/A

5e

Supplementary assessment Refer to the UC Supplementary Assessment Policy

5f

Academic Integrity Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Please see UC's Academic Integrity Policy. To enhance understanding of academic integrity, it is expected that all students will complete the LearnOnline Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. The module is automatically available as a listed site when students log into LearnOnline.
Page 17 of 20

Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

5g

Use of text-matching software The University of Canberra has available, through LearnOnline (Moodle), text-matching software that helps students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understandings of academic integrity. Known as URKUND, the software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts. Click here for further information on the URKUND text-matching software.

Page 18 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

6:
6a

Student Responsibility
Workload The amount of time you will need to spend on study in this unit will depend on a number of factors including your prior knowledge, learning skill level and learning style. Nevertheless, in planning your time commitments you should note that for a 3cp unit the total notional workload over the semester or term is assumed to be 150 hours. These hours include time spent in classes. The total workload for units of different credit point value should vary proportionally. For example, for a 6cp unit the total notional workload over a semester or term is assumed to be 300 hours. Accessibility unit Students who need assistance in undertaking the unit because of disability or other circumstances should inform their Unit Convener or UC AccessAbility as soon as possible so the necessary arrangements can be made. Participation requirements There is an expectation that students will attend and participate in all structured time that is, lectures and tutorials. This is because participation through attendance is an important and significant component of meeting the learning outcomes of the unit. Not only is this relevant to the gaining of knowledge and skills appropriate to this particular unit but it also applies to your degree as a whole. From our experience, there is a significant relationship between a students attendance and participation, and the quality of their learning outcomes demonstrated by submitted assessable work.

6b

6c

6d

Withdrawal If you are planning to withdraw please discuss with your unit convener. Please see Withdrawal of Units for further information on deadlines. Required IT skills Email; email an attachment; use of Moodle; word processing; library database searching. Use of reference tools such as EndNote or RefWorks is encouraged.

6e

6f

In-Unit Costs (Note: To calculate your unit fees see: How do I calculate my fees?. The online UC Co-op Textbook Search is available for purchasing text books.)

6g

Work placements, internships or practicums N/A

6h

Additional information N/A

Page 19 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K

7:

Student Feedback
All students enrolled in this unit will have an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on the unit at the end of the Semester via the Unit Satisfaction Survey (USS) which you can access by logging into MyUC via the UC homepage: http://www.canberra.edu.au/home/. Your lecturer or tutor may also invite you to provide more detailed feedback on their teaching through an anonymous questionnaire.

8:

Authority of this Unit Outline

Any change to the information contained in Section 2 (Academic content), and Section 5 (Assessment) of this document, will only be made by the Unit Convener if the written agreement of Head of Discipline and a majority of students has been obtained; and if written advice of the change is then provided on the unit site in the learning management system. If this is not possible, written advice of the change must be then forwarded to each student enrolled in the unit at their registered term address. Any individual student who believes him/herself to be disadvantaged by a change is encouraged to discuss the matter with the Unit Convener.

Page 20 of 20
Australian Government Higher Education (CRICOS) Registered Provider number: #00212K