Course Description:
This course explores emergency management and crisis communication, focusing on challenges and opportunities presented by new communication technologies. How can public emergency alerting systems warn citizens more quickly about threats like floods and fires? How do first responders and emergency management planners and policymakers use social media to share information and how do people use tools like emergency mobile apps, what is helpful and what can go wrong with these solutions?
Participants will investigate how digital tools enhance communication among first responders and with the public, while addressing critical questions: Do new tools protect personal data? What are the ethical dilemmas? What are the new data processing needs? Can AI help, and who decides when an "emergency" is declared? Key topics include organizational protocols, data privacy, and the societal implications of digital public safety tools.
The course incorporates interdisciplinary research from the Digital Emergency Communication (DIGeMERGE) project, a project funded under the Call for Proposals on Transformations: Social and Cultural Dynamics in the Digital Age by the Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe (CHANSE). DIGeMERGE studies digital emergency communication in four highly digitalized European countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, using a grounded, applied approach.
This in-person course invites critical discussions on the digital transformation of emergency management and its impact on society.
Deadlines:
Application by 15 January 2025
Response by 15 February 2025
Requirements:
Upon full participation and the satisfactory completion of a course essay (4-5000 words), the course is valued to the equivalence of 5 ECTS.
Participants must be familiar with the course readings, participate actively in the lectures and submit a course essay that is marked as "pass".
There is no participation fee, but the cost of transportation and accommodation must be covered by the participants.
The participants who plan to submit the course essay, must submit a one-page essay outline by the end of day one.
Submission of course essay outline: 26 May 2025
Submission of course essay: 29 June 2025
This is a PhD level research course. Preference will be given to applicants who are currently registered for a PhD or have concrete plans for pursuing a PhD.
All participants will receive a diploma from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) proving that they have completed the course, but in order to have the course recommended as a 5 ECTS credit course, the essay must be evaluated as "passed".
Note that credits are subject to approval by the university or college where you study. PRIO does not grant credits.
Course Literature:
The course literature list will be circulated to participants six weeks
prior to the course, at the latest.