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| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Aya Kachi (aya.kachi@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In this course, we learn essential topics and empirical methods in the (sub)fields of public opinion and science communication. Formerly, we called this course "Energy and Climate Policy: Citizens' Perceptions." So-called public opinion scholars have been intrigued by questions like why individuals hold different perceptions about policies, technologies, or products and how these perceptions might influence their support (acceptance) for these objects. The field of science communication (or the science of science communication) has zoomed in to one of the trickiest determinants of people's perceptions and decision-making: people's knowledge, information-seeking behavior, and their "interactions" with scientific evidence. As you can easily imagine, to understand the nature of such communication, we must also consider how scientific findings are "chosen," understood, interpreted, and reported by some other actors as well, such as policy proposers, industry, and the media. As much as we can within a limited amount of time, we will touch upon these issues, too. The course consists of three parts. (1) In the first part, we draw on the public opinion literature, specifically in the energy and environmental policy domain. Based on the literature, we will learn what influences people's beliefs and attitudes. This segment will pay significant attention to the empirical methodologies used in the literature, mainly survey and survey experiment methods. (2) In the second (and a shorter) segment, we will move to the topic of the science of science communication. Like the first segment, we rely on the literature to learn what tends to prevent people from using scientific evidence to make well-informed decisions. In this segment, our substantive focus goes beyond energy and environment (simply due to the diverse focus of the subfield). (3) During the last few weeks, we will shift our gear and work on business cases (group work). This activity also serves as your final assignment (project) for the course. Each group will choose a business case to work on (from a selection of established cases published by Harvard Business Publishing: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/cases/). Contrary to our earlier focus on policies, now the relevant decision-making of our emphasis is business-related decisions. However, the way we will use Harvard Business Cases will be slightly "exotic." Instead of evaluating a person's or firm's financial and strategic motives, we will evaluate whether their (the protagonists') decisions could have been improved if they used different strategies to understand their stakeholders' reactions (opinions/perceptions) or communication with them. Our purpose is to apply what we learned from the literature to various decision-making cases in the real world. |
| Learning objectives | This course aims to understand the mechanisms behind people’s (policy) attitude-formation and communication that influences it. Concerning substantive topics, our focus will first be on energy and climate policy. Later, we will broaden our scope to other policy areas. In the end, we will apply our understanding of public opinion and science communication to the cases of corporate activities. Overall, one should realize that science can inform our decision-making effectively in any setting of our life and career. |
| Bibliography | Reading materials are mainly from published scholarly articles and reports by international organizations. In the case study part, we will use Harvard Business cases. All relevant reading materials will be provided for download. |
| Comments | This course is suitable only for the students who actively participate in every lesson through a presentation and class discussions. Your learning and the instructor's teaching take place mainly through the discussions of reading materials. |
| Weblink | Weblink |
| Admission requirements | No special requirements. Basic knowledge about statistics and regressions is necessary. |
| Course application | Registration: Please enroll in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch); Eucor-Students and mobility students of other Swiss Universities or the FHNW first have to register at the University of Basel BEFORE the start of the course and receive their login data by post (e-mail address of the University of Basel). Processing time up to a week! Detailed information can be found here: https://www.unibas.ch/de/Studium/Mobilitaet.html After successful registration you can enroll for the course in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch). Applies to everyone: Enrolment = Registration for the course and the exam! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 16.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S15 HG.31 |
| Modules |
Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Core Competences in Economics (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Module: Core Courses in International Business, Trade and the Environment (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) Module: Field Electives in Economics and Public Policy (Master's Studies: Economics and Public Policy) Module: Policy Field: Environment and Energy (Master's Studies: Economics and Public Policy) Module: Specific Electives in Business and Economics (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) Module: Specific Electives in International Business, Trade and the Environment (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | There will be no final examination for this course. Your final grade (1.0 - 6.0) will be determined by a combination of: (1) Active participation and a self-assessment report on participation, (2) an article summary (giving a presentation and leading class discussions in group), and (3) case study (in group, using Harvard Business Case) as the final assignment. All of them will take place during the semester. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Business and Economics , studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Business and Economics |