Communication for Development: Advances in Social Action, Planning and Evaluation

The course has two modules:

Communicating and Planning Social Action (7.5 credits)
This module will explore social action as an agenda setting process offering students specific tools to assess and critically analyse different communication strategies for individual and social change. This will include a breakdown of behaviour change theories examining for example Behaviour Change Communication, Social Marketing and Communication for Social Change. Addressing specific case studies students will be asked to examine the different roles of a communication for development professional.

Evaluating Social Action (7.5 credits)
This second module focuses on monitoring and evaluation of communication for development interventions. This will include critical engagement with a range of different approaches and analytical methods with a specific emphasis on the qualitative frameworks developed by June Lennie and Jo Tacchi (2013). Students will apply the knowledge and skills they acquire to the evaluation of both their own and others communication initiatives.

Syllabus autumn 2025

Earlier syllabuses

The course is concluded with an individual course evaluation focusing on the goals of the
course. The evaluations are summarized and made available to the students at the completion of the course.