Entry requirements

Bachelors’s degree. English 6. Or: English level 2

Main field

No main field of study

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

The course does not belong to a main field of study

Course contents

The ways we theorize, think about, implement, communicate and assess global development have fundamentally changed within a very short amount of time. In this course we are trying to make sense of some of these changes, explore tools to plan with uncertainties and reflect on global development academically, professionally and personally.

The course is structured along three key themes:

1. An introduction to contemporary concepts of communication for development and social change theory, policy, and practice.
2. An applied exercise develop communication strategies.
3. A assignment that uses speculative writing and reflective practice methodologies to engage critically with the concept of “development” and the student’s personal engagement with positive social change.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course students will be able to:

1. **Analyse and synthesise **current theoretical, methodological and practical debates in the field of global development
2. Plan, produce and disseminate communication products for development policy and practice
3. Apply and critically reflect on basic applied tools in order to act as reflective practitioners and self‑directed learners within the broader context of social change.

Learning activities

The course consists of lectures and seminars by academics and practitioners, student group and individual work, classroom presentations and reflective journaling.

Assessment

• Reading seminar - critical discussion of assigned literature (individual/pairs of students) (Learning outcome 1), 5 credits
• Communication plan and presentation (group work) (Learning outcomes 1 and 2), 5 credits
• Analytical and reflective written assignment (individual/pairs of students) (Learning outcomes 2 and 3), 5 credits

Students need a minimum of two ’pass with credit’ grades for an overall ’pass with credit’ course grade.

Re-examinations will be offered according to the student’s rights, but with adjustments to the specific assignment since it cannot be conducted in the same context as the ordinary examination.

Course literature

• Bassot, Barbara (2024): The Reflective Journal (4th Edition). London: Bloomsbury.
• Gregory, Anne (2010): Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns-A Strategic Approach (3rd Edition). London: KoganPage.
• Prado, Thays (n.d.): The Power of Speculative Storytelling and What You Will Find in This Manifesto. Next Generation Foresight Practitioners.
• Smith, Ronald D. (2021): Strategic Planning for Public Relations (6th Edition). London: Routledge.
• Thompson, Sue; Thompson, Neil (2023): *The Critically Reflective Practitioner (3rd Edition). *London: Bloomsbury.

A broad range of contemporary readings, primarily from non-academic sources including long-form journalism, blogs, policy reports, op-eds & more are listed on the Canvas course site.

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

Interim rules

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.

Additional information

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.