Communication

This course examines theories and practices of persuasive communication. It also emphasizes the ethics of persuasive communication, exploring themes such as the difference between persuasion and manipulation, and the relationship between persuasion and power.

This course explores ethical issues in the design and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). It examines ethical theories and practices from historical, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural perspectives relating to current and emerging ICTs. Students  study the major ethical frameworks such as consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics etc. They look at how they are applied to issues around privacy, security, social media interactions, access, health, game design, and so on. And they explore how the design of technological systems and structures can support ethical principles.

This course focuses on the idea of the public image in general, not exclusively to political matters. The course involves participants to analyze the public image of any brand, persona, celebrity, politician, etc. Throughout the course, participants research, construct, reconstruct, or analyze their public image and present their findings to the class. This course emphasizes the importance of public image and how it influences the way in which the world perceives them.

This course introduces the concept of organizational behavior exploring the individual, group, and organizational dynamics within the workplace. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of the factors which influence human behaviors in organizations, and how these behaviors impact individual and organizational outcomes. Through exposure to a combination of theoretical concepts, real-world case studies, and practical applications, the course develops valuable insights and skills to effectively navigate the complexities of the modern workplace. The course is based on readings and case studies of companies around the world, with special attention to regional, national, and global contexts.

This course introduces media law and relevant issues and largely focuses on the assumptions and normative values about communication and media upon which media law is based, rather than focusing on technical issues of law. This course examines the ways in which media law affects daily lives. Topics include Freedom of Expression and Its Limitations, Free Press and Defamation, Privacy, Obscenity and Image-Based Sexual Abuse, Remedies for Media-Related Harm, Copyright, AI Creation and Copyright, Regulation of Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Digital Platform Regulation, Advertising Regulation, and AI Policy and Governance. 

This course examines health communication from patient-doctor interactions and inter-professional encounters to media campaigns and patient-patient interactions on social media. Topics include authentic data from a variety of healthcare sites (from primary care encounters to specialist clinics to genetic counseling) to examine some critical issues of health communication such as patient-centeredness and shared decision-making between healthcare professionals and patients; delivery of accurate and accessible healthcare information; and communicating health risk and uncertainty. 

This course looks to advance students' knowledge and use of the English language in diverse contexts and in developing their appreciation and understanding of aspects of British culture. The course consists of language workshops which focus on intercultural communication skills, as well as English language tuition and seminars on aspects of British culture including UK politics, British business, and trade. Other areas covered include AI applications in British business, as well as practical workshops where students work on supervised self-study activities, designed to boost language learning and/or cultural awareness. For the British culture component of the course, each week is themed: London and the world stage; British history; and British arts and culture. There are weekly trips related to the theme of the week. 

This course examines the ways in which meanings are discursively constructed in the news. It will also critically reflect and debate on issues of power relations and ideologies of the news media: the influence they exert both on our governments and major institutions as well as their ability to shape our ideas, beliefs and behaviors through the news discourse that we immerse ourselves in. Adopting a linguistic/semiotic perspective, this course offers detailed insights into the language of the news by discussing the main characteristics of news discourse and exploring theoretical frameworks to research and analyze the use of text and image in the construction of news and the manifestations of power, control and ideology in the press. 

This course considers how scientists, journalists, and film makers communicate about climate change; what measures are used by activists, social media users, and "green influencers" to convey urgency and persuade others to engage; and how the challenges and solutions of the climate crisis can be visualized using stories, short videos, memes, news, infographics, and other media. It introduces people whose job it is to communicate about climate change and discuss issues such as trust, greenwashing, attention, engagement, mobilization, urgency, and apathy. The course is built on active participation: students collect and analyze a variety of climate change communication and team up with others to create a media product as part of their exam.

This course examines negotiation theory and practice, equipping students with the tools to effectively negotiate in diverse situations. Through an experiential learning approach, students will engage with negotiation strategies across a broad range of themes, including conflict resolution, salary negotiation, cross-cultural negotiations, and the psychological aspects of persuasion.