Strategic Communications and Engagement

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 hours

To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted in the Specialist Certificate in Strategic Communications and Engagement (SC-SCE). This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Student Equity and Disability Support Team: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject is designed to integrate methodologies for researching contemporary policy issues and strategic development tools relevant to participants’ professional roles, in order to provide advanced practice skills in effective stakeholder engagement and strategic communication. Students will gain an enhanced understanding of, and practical skills in, key areas of governmental engagement and communications practice, such as dialogue and relationship development, active listening, written and verbal communication skills with an emphasis on speeches, briefs, plans and strategies, and presentational issues. A key focus of the subject will be analyses of the potential of different media platforms to reach target audiences and how best to capitalise on a rapidly transforming communications industry. The subject will draw on participants’ existing skills and experiences and will involve assessed group projects that relate directly to their current roles in order to develop students’ capacity to facilitate effective communication with key stakeholders in policy development and implementation, across consultation, the communication of policy options, negotiation and conflict resolution.

On completion of this subject students should:

• be able to build on established knowledge to demonstrate a well-developed and sophisticated understanding of methodologies for researching contemporary policy issues and apply these methods to the design of communications strategies;
• be able to demonstrate the acquisition of well-developed skills and strategic capabilities in the facilitation of effective communication with stakeholders in policy development and implementation, as well as across consultation, the communication of policy options, negotiation and conflict resolution;
• be able to demonstrate and assess the potential of different media platforms to reach target audiences;
• be able to demonstrate a high level understanding of goals-based and issues-based strategic planning and the use of idea generation and strategic development tools and techniques;
• be able to demonstrate high level understanding of a range of modalities to negotiate shared bases for communication, including discourse variations between cultures;
• be able to relate these models to key public policy developments and its strategic communication.

• 500 word report-writing proposal due Week 3 - 10%
• 1500 word communications strategy group project and presentation due Week 7 - 30%
• 3000 word report on a policy issue incorporating consultation with specific external stakeholders due 3 weeks after the end of the teaching period - 60%

A course reader will be available on LMS

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.