Presentation
People’s behaviour in relation to a risk depends on many factors: cognitive, emotional, social, political, and cultural. Risk communication faces the challenging goal to tackle as many factors as possible, in order to foster a proper perception of risks and, consequently, safe behaviors. This loop between perception and communication must be monitored. This course will address these issues, in order to provide the tools to promote resilience and safety of a community.
The course aims at providing a wide range perspective about the main theories and models concerning risk perception, risk communication, and crisis communication.
After an introduction to the several approaches to investigate and model human risk perception, we will describe the communication strategies more effective for promoting a proper risk perception in the community.
At the end of the course, the students will:
- know the main approaches to model risk perception
- apply the risk perception theories to specific case studies and different environmental risks
- have a comprehensive view on the most recent communication strategies to trigger behavioural changes in citizens
- know the main phases of risk communication plans
- apply the communication principles to specific case studies
- know the main characteristics of crisis communication
- apply the principles of resilience engineering to environmental risk communication
- know the most recent approaches and researches about participatory risk management
No prerequisites needed
· Frontal teaching
· Case studies
· Video analysis
· Group activities
· Talks
Syllabus
- introduction to the course
- definition of risk and risk perception
- rational approach to risk perception
- neurophysiology of risk perception
- risk perception and decision making
- bounded rationality
- heuristics and biases
- the psychometric paradigm of risk perception
- personal characteristics that affect risk perception
- social and cultural factors in risk perception
- risk perception models
- risk communication models
- nudge approach to risk communication
- effective communication of risks
- crisis communication
- dealing with the media
- building community resilience
- slides on aulaweb
- Pamela (Ferrante) Walaski (2011). Risk and Crisis Communications: Methods and Messages, New York, Wiley.
- David Ropeik (2010). How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don't Always Match the Facts. McGraw-Hill
Ricevimento: Appointments to be confirmed by email, write at fabrizio.bracco@unige.it
FABRIZIO BRACCO (President)
MICHELE MASINI
ANDREINA BRUNO (President Substitute)
March 1st, 2021
The exam is structured in two steps:
1. presentation of a research paper chosen among those posted on the Aulaweb page of the course. The assignment is a powerpoint presentation where you provide a detailed description of the paper. The presentation duration must be at least of 30 minutes. After each presentation, if there will be other students connected, all the other students must ask at least one question to the presenter.
2. Oral exam discussing the issues raised by the research paper and the topics of the whole program (slides and handbooks).
The assessment will concern:
- capacity to synthetise the main topics of the chosen paper
- capacity to express the contents with clarity and precision of terminology
- capacity to link the presentation to the topics discussed in the program
