2023/24 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS5202M Risk Perception and Communication

15 creditsClass Size: 108

Module manager: Joshua Weller
Email: J.Weller@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2023/24

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

Throughout their personal and professional lives, people face risks that may potentially affect their finances, health, safety, and environmental impacts. This module will help future executives, policy makers, financial advisors, health professionals, and other practitioners to gain a critical understanding of how non-experts perceive risks, as well as how to effectively communicate risk information to diverse audiences. We will cover the main findings of the risk perception and communication literature and discuss applications in the contexts of finance, behavioural economics, public health, emerging technologies, and sustainability.

Objectives

This module aims to provide a critical understanding of how non-expert audiences perceive risks. It will also explore how to effectively communicate risk information to different audiences.

Learning outcomes
On completion of the module, students should be able to critically evaluate:
- how non-experts perceive risks, how their risk perceptions deviate from those of experts, and how non-expert risk perceptions vary by individual characteristics
- communications of quantitative risk information to diverse non-expert audiences
- survey design for assessing non-expert audiences' perceptions of risks
- the main principles of risk communication design
- the effectiveness of communications
- the main findings in the academic field of risk perception and communication, its most important methods, results, and controversies
- the methodological standards used within the field for determining the trustworthiness of results
- scientific articles in risk perception and communication

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to:
- communicate to an advanced standard to a variety of audiences
- undertake research and report on findings
- think critically
- make effective decisions
- apply social and decision sciences to solve real-world problems

Syllabus

Indicative content


The syllabus covers reviews of:
- Non-expert perceptions of risk, deviations from expert perceptions of risk, variations by individual characteristics
- Interview and survey methods for assessing non-expert audiences’ perceptions of risks
- Strategies for communicating quantitative risk information to diverse non-expert audiences
- The main principles of effective risk communication design
- Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of communications
- Applications to a variety of domains, including finance, behavioural economics, public health, emerging technologies, and sustainability.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.50	16.50
Seminar	11	1.00	11.00
Private study hours			122.50
Total Contact hours			27.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

This could include a variety of activities, such as reading, watching videos, question practice and exam preparation.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students receive weekly feedback on assigned articles and have the opportunity to ask questions about the materials Brief online quizzes during lecture also provides feedback. There is a review session at the end of the semester, and students receive feedback about these answers.

Methods of assessment

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Online Time-Limited assessment	48 hr	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		100.00

Students will have to complete an online assessment at the end of the module. This will take place during the examinations period and will be time bound. The assessment will not take 48 hours to complete, but students will have a 48 hour time period in which to complete it. The resit for this module will be 100% by examination.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 07/05/2024

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